Years ago, a Wolf demon named Ryder and a Furie demon named Evangeline were the best of friends. Their fathers were best friends despite the fact that they ruled over separate realms. As such, their children spent much time together, playing and getting into all sorts of mischief. But it was not meant to be...
Approximately ten years later the same childhood friends are in the midst of a war. A war sparked by the traitorous father of Evangeline, who betrayed his friends. Fleeing her home-world, fighting to survive the violence of her own realm's hatred towards her for being the daughter of a maniac that started a war. Evangeline flees for her life, desperate to leave behind the war between two realms which has caused much fighting and bloodshed...
The young boy she had been best friends with has grown into a man - A man fighting in and commanding his realm's army. Fate, a cruel mistress, has delivered her into his company. His men, upon capturing her fleeing into his world, present her as a war prize to their Commander. Their reunion, however, is hidden due to not seeing the same young faces they had known as children...
Please let me have lost them... Evangeline thought as her panicked footsteps turned to a slower pace, her injuries slowing her down. She couldn't use her wings as they had been painfully injured by her own realm's residents, to a point where she couldn't even pull them to a resting position. This made her presence all the more obvious.
Since she had illegally crossed over into the realm her father had betrayed, the young woman knew if she were found and turned over to the king her father had betrayed that she would either be tortured or executed for breaking the law of her realm's inhabitants crossing over through hidden magic portals, this much more likely as she was the daughter of the one who betrayed the realm she had opened a portal to, in order to escape the mob that had injured her and had been attacking her on daily basis, hoping to flee the hatred only to run into soldiers of the realm her father betrayed, instantly instigating a chase. Blood dripped from her wings and the injury going from her heart to her lower left side had been reopened. It was an injury she received as a young girl by her father for "defying him" and meeting a dear childhood friend named Ryder. A boy from the other realm that she had loved. They'd meet in secret, neither knowing the dastardly plot her father had in mind. He had already betrayed Ryder's father, the other realm's king, turning the treaty into a paper that caused nothing but bloodshed and instigated the war between the two demon realms. Only her, her father, and Ryder knew of the injury. Ryder only knew because he witnessed the traitorous king leaving it on her, unable to stop him as he was pulled away and taken back to his own realm for safety's sake. That was the last time they'd seen one another, now separated for over 10 years after that day...
Slowing down, she let out exhausted breaths, holding her side and gasping in pain. "I can't hold out like this... I may be away from them for now... But I can't move... Too much pain..." She muttered to herself. She then suddenly found herself surrounded and being grabbed, one of the soldiers grasping her side in suspicion as she was holding it, thinking the injured demon may be hiding a weapon. This only prompted Eva to scream out in pain, swinging at the guard to get him to let her side go. "You IDIOT! Why did you grab an INJURY?!" She yelled, falling back as he recoiled in surprise, another guard grabbing her by the arm so she couldn't run from them. He then turned to look out into the forest, as the angry and tough sounding voice of a man was heard demanding what was going on. He was approaching from somewhere that she didn't see from how she was restrained and unable to move her hand from her now further injured injury.. "Commander! We've apprehended an intruder. Shall we execute her? What are your orders?"
"W-what?!" She squealed, trying to struggle but only causing her injury to worsen and being forced to keep still with her hand on her side, the part bleeding the most. "Ugh... You're lucky I can't move with this blasted reopened injury, you jerk! I just came here to be away from the hatred to die from blood loss in peace! Nobody's in danger from me! No-one even wants me alive! I'm too injured to do anything that you probably think I'd try!" She roared angrily.
Ｍｙ Ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ;; Unknown field Ｗｈｏ ａｍ Ｉｗｉｔｈ;; Idiots and an unknown man Ｍｙ Ｍｏｏｄ;; furious and frightened Ｏｕｔ ｏｆ Ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒ;; Hope this is a good start! ^-^
Ryder stalked the surrounding woods, a scowl on his lips. A magical portal had been opened in the area, a portal from the other realm – the realm with which they were still at war. It was easy to assume that a spy had slipped into their midst given the timing of this portal. Ryder’s encampment was located not far from this very spot and he had just returned from a long campaign for some well-deserved rest. He wouldn’t put it past his enemies to send an assassin after him, assuming that he was weak after a long journey – he was anything but. As a wolf demon, his stamina and strength were almost legendary.
Slipping through the trees, silent as death, he heard the cries of a woman and the shouts of his men not far off. Narrowing his gaze, his scowl deepened. His men knew not to harm women – unless they were warriors who were intent on killing, women were not to be touched. The same went for children. He would not tolerate his men harming a woman in his presence. ‘They better hope she’s vicious or there will be hell to pay.’ He thought as he moved closer toward the sounds of his men’s shouts. When he heard a woman’s scream yet again, he shouted toward his troops.
“What the <********> is going on?!” His bark echoed through the surrounding area like the resounding boom that it was. The closer he came to the clearing, the more he knew that his men were in the wrong. Even if the woman was the intruder they had sensed, his men knew not to use excessive force. It seemed they needed another lesson.
As Ryder stepped into the clearing, his golden eyes immediately locked onto the woman. He took note of her bloodied wings as well as the blood dripping from the large gash in her abdomen. Baring his fangs, he hissed one word and it was enough to scare his men. “Explain.” The squad leader, Jayden, held the woman’s arm in his tight grasp. He bowed his head a bit as he spoke. "Commander! We've apprehended an intruder. Shall we execute her? What are your orders?" Jayden’s words immediately set off the Furie Demon. Little did she know that Ryder would never give such an order.
"W-what?!" She squealed, as she struggled against Jayden’s grasp. Even from where he stood he could smell the blood on her. Its metallic tang filled his senses and reminded him of the countless battlefields he’d fought on over the years. The woman’s cries drew him from the memories, however."Ugh... You're lucky I can't move with this blasted reopened injury, you jerk! I just came here to be away from the hatred to die from blood loss in peace! Nobody's in danger from me! No-one even wants me alive! I'm too injured to do anything that you probably think I'd try!" She roared angrily – it seemed that the little Furie Demon had some fight in her, but she was no threat to them.
“Bring her to the encampment for medical treatment and questioning.” He turned to lead the way out of the clearing before stopping to turn back toward the woman. “For your sake, you better be alone.” This squad was comprised of eight men in total, gesturing to one half of them, he nodded toward the woods. “Do another sweep. Make sure we don’t have any more unwanted visitors.” His men saluted, closed fists pressed to their chests, before slipping silently into the cover of the forest, disappearing from sight almost instantly.
With his orders having been made, he turned away and led the way back toward the encampment, the little Furie Demon in tow. They didn’t make it far before it was clear that the extent of her injuries was preventing her from keeping pace. Stopping, he turned to look back at Jayden as he led the Furie along. They’d fallen farther behind than he felt comfortable with. There was always a chance that she was pretending to be feeble, but he doubted it. Growling low, he walked back to meet Jayden. It was time he took matters into his own hands, literally. “Release her arm.” Ryder knew that Jayden was confused by the order, but he obeyed it immediately none-the-less.
Before the Furie could do anything, Ryder moved forward and scooped her into his arms. He took enough care to press her uninjured side against his chest, which was covered with rough armor. He ignored any protests or comments she made and simply turned to head for the encampment. As he entered the perimeter, his soldiers moved to stand at attention. Men and women, demons of all varieties, they looked upon him with respect. He’d commanded this faction of his father’s army for nearly five years and each inhabitant trusted his orders completely. When they caught sight of the Furie Demon in his arms, many quirked brows in curiosity, some openly frowned in disapproval, others made no indication that they cared at all.
He headed straight for the healing tent, as he entered, the healers within turned to greet him, only to see his burden. Hardly caring who, or what she was, they immediately began to act. Before they could become too consumed in their task, Ryder gently placed the woman on one of the beds before turning to, Akasha, the healer in charge. “Please take care to treat her injuries. All of them.” He stressed, knowing full well that there were older injuries that weren’t immediately apparent. “Provide her with new clothes and a meal as well. Once she has been tended to, send for me. I want to question her myself.” Akasha nodded once before moving past him to aid her patient. Without another word, or a backward glance Ryder left the tent. The remaining men from the scouting squad stood ready for their orders. “Watch her. Make sure she doesn’t try anything. Alert me if she does.” With his orders given and the intruder caught, Ryder headed for his command tent – he had a war to win.
Evangeline nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard not only an angry sounding voice but an expectedly loud reaction from their commander demanding what was going on. She was turned enough to see who that booming demand had belonged to. Seeing not just any kind of demon, but a wolf demon, the exact species her father had betrayed. And this one seemed to be an angered commanding officer to the men that had been hurting her by trying to restrain her. "Well, at least I know who's in charge now... She thought as she looked to the soldier still gripping her. She felt a shiver of fear go down his side as she was restrained enough to sense it. The girl's own spine had a cold shiver of fear, much like the soldier did in reaction to the man's one word: 'Explain'.
She didn't want to be him at that moment... It was clear that soldier was in trouble later. Crap! So was she! Evangeline looked to the commander as he gave the men orders to bring her to their camp for questioning... Of course... But wait! He had said medical treatment before the obvious questioning part was ordered. Did he really plan on letting her live? She knew nobody had come with her through the portal she opened, Only a select few could open magical portals, the ones who could... Like she could, had to have massive amounts of power at hand to do so. She hadn't exactly a huge amount of power when she opened one out of desperation to escape the mobs chasing to kill her, claiming she was at fault for the war and was a disgrace for being related to the traitor they were forced to call their king. She knew she could hold the portal open for a few moments, so she built up her power and dove, summoning one above the ground and diving through it, the portal only lasting until she crash-landed in the enemy realm. It vanished after that.
She looked towards the commander from the soldier she had been sympathizing. As he half-threatened her and sent his men off on a useless mission, Eva half growled under her breath, before her expression took a more saddened look to it, her fists clenching to keep herself from crying in front of an enemy. "You're wasting their time and yours.I didn't exactly bring company. I came here out of desperation to get away from a mob that personally makes sure I don't go uninjured. When one wound closes, ten more are left in its place. She muttered, her eyes spacing out a bit as she felt tears forming a little, quickly turning her face away as an audible sniffle left her as she brought her mostly uninjured arm to wipe her face, cringing at the fact she moved her body at all. Looking back to him, she stared him dead in the eyes, her own ones flashing from the rush of emotion. I can assure you, I don't want anyone here either... She grumbled a bit, bitter tears now replacing the sad ones she had tried to hide. "Even if they could come after me, they wouldn't try stupid stunt of crossing realms... They value their lives too much for that. Mine? Expendable... She coughed back a sob as she was stubborn to people seeing her emotional.
She wasn't paying attention to how slow she had been walking, so as the man walked up and ordered his soldier to let her go, she didn't notice it. Suddenly she found herself being lifted off of the ground, an almost cute reaction to the movement leaving her. "EEP!" She squeaked, turning red in the face as she noticed how close she was to the commander. Her eyes narrowed and she puffed out her cheeks half poutingly, grumbling that the sound she made had never happened when the soldier previously dragging her snorted a little laugh he tried to hide whilst near his commanding officer. An annoyed look crossed her face as she glared at the soldier. "Finding something funny, are we? She asked, the soldier immediately going pale at the idea of the commanding officer knowing he had laughed at her. She shrugged a bit nonchalantly, adding on "Don't freak out like that... It's natural to react to a sudden squeak like that, which never happened. I doubt many people would be able to not react to that... She added on the last statement, trying to keep from getting either of them into hot water with the commanding officer. Since she knew the soldier would get into trouble if she caused too much fuss, but she was in no place to poke at people intentionally to trouble them.
Eva remained awkwardly silent upon arrival to the encampment, uncomfortable as other demons of the realm either looked at her with disapproval or suspicion. She tried to ignore the sights of disapproval, as that was all she'd seen her entire life... Other than the one best childhood friend she had, she had always been a burden on everyone. After her mother had passed away was when the traitor she had a bloodline with, i.e. her father, went insane and lost his mind, trying to kill any messengers the other realm would send to see if he were alright. Especially those asking about the queen's death and how he was feeling after losing someone so loved. Her childhood friend was her first love, and she never saw him after the war started. She tried to, the scar from her chest to the left side of her lower abdomen proof of that. The girl was surprised as she was taken right away to the healing tent, having thought at first it was an empty statement... This assumption was proven untrue as she was set down gently on one of the beds, and not dropped on it. She looked at him in confusion, but a clear look of gratefulness showed in her eyes. "...I don't know why you're helping me, but..." She paused, looking to him and the healer, blushing a little as he mentioned 'all of the injuries' should be treated, glad he wouldn't be in the room to see them. Regaining her composure, she mumbled an awkward: "T-thank you...
The moment the appreciative words of thanks left her mouth and he had left eyesight, the girl passed out from both exhaustion and bloodloss as she fell onto her back, luckily hitting the bed and not falling off of it.
Ｍｙ Ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ;; being forcibly taken who knows where. Oh.. A healer. I was taken to a healer. Ｗｈｏ ａｍ Ｉｗｉｔｈ;; idiot soldiers and their angry sounding commander Ｍｙ Ｍｏｏｄ;; irritated, on edge & unsure yet confused by the man in charge not killing her on the spot. Ｏｕｔ ｏｆ Ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒ;; -melts- He's so awesome. x3
Ryder stalked toward his personal tent, a scowl on his lips. He didn’t like it. The girl reminded him too much of her. The girl that haunted his dreams and memories. Before the war, things had been much like a dream. His father had ruled the land and it had prospered, flourished. His best friend, The Betrayer, had been a kind man before he’d lost his wife and his mind. His family had been warm and welcoming toward Ryder. He had such fond memories of visits to the other Realm, of playing with a girl, the girl, whom he had called his best friend.
Since that fateful day ten years ago, when he had witness The Betrayer cutting her down, slicing her abdomen wide open, he’d never allowed himself to get that close to anyone again. While it was irrational, he blamed himself for not protecting her that day. For not doing something to defend her, to stop her father from harming her. But he’d only been a child, not the man that he was now. He heard her screams in his dreams. He smelled the blood and felt her slipping away from him. He was always helpless to protect her – just like he had been on that day so long ago.
Now, a Furie Demon had appeared. A girl that looked too much like her – even her injury was the same. It was an ill omen, a sign that something worse was yet to come. While some might execute the woman or cast her out, Ryder didn’t have it in him to harm a woman, even if she brought ill will with her. Since seeing his Evangeline cut down, he’d never been able to tolerate any sort of violence towards women. Even the idea of it sent him into a rage.
Stepping into the privacy of his tent, Ryder closed and secured the flap behind him. His squire immediately stepped forward to help Ryder remove his armor and weapons. “I require a hot bath and a meal.” He stated evenly, not wanting to take his ire out on Arthur; he was just doing his job. “Of course, Commander.” With his armor and weapons removed, Arthur left the tent to see to his tasks while Ryder moved to read through the correspondence he’d received in his absence.
After a long, hot soak and a meal comprised mainly of juicy meat, Ryder changed into a fresh set of clothes. Akasha hadn’t come to report on the girl’s condition, which didn’t bode well with him. Deciding it was best to head back to the medical tent to investigate for himself, he did just that.
Upon entering the tent, he knew why Akasha hadn’t come to report to him – she was still working diligently on the girl’s injuries, although it seemed that she was nearly done. Stepping close to the bed, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief. The woman was wrapped in countless bandages. From the tips of her wings to the tips of her toes, it didn’t seem like there was a place on her that hadn’t been injured in some way. The most prominent injury was the vertical gash on her abdomen. Even now, the bandages held a slight hue from the blood that was seeping into them from below. “What happened to you…?” He whispered to himself. Even after a major battle he’d never seen one of his soldiers so heavily dressed in bandages. Whatever had been done to her was nothing short of torture. It was a miracle she’d even had the strength to create a portal to escape whatever horrors had befallen her.
“She’s lucky to be alive, Commander.” Her solemn tone told him all he needed to know. The girl had suffered, deeply. Rather than verbally relay all the atrocities that had been inflicted on the girl, Akasha handed him a scroll of paper listing each injury individually – from top to bottom. Shaking his head at the list, he marveled at the girl’s strength again. “Thank you for caring for her.” Akasha looked up in slight surprise at Ryder’s tone. Nodding slightly, she sighed. “Who is she, Commander?”
“I don’t know…but she reminds me of someone. Someone from my past. Someone that I couldn’t save.” A kind smile came over Akasha’s face at his words. “She fainted just after you left the tent. I suspect she will be asleep for several hours, if not days.” It made sense. There was no telling the last time the girl had had a decent night sleep. She had a lot of healing to do as well. Rest was what she needed, and she would have it. Then he would have his answers.
Sighing, he grabbed one of the nearby chairs and pulled up a seat next to the bed. Having just returned from his campaign, he was allotted a bit of time to rest and recuperate. With Evangeline haunting his dreams, he didn’t get much rest most nights, but maybe, in the presence of this girl, who reminded him so much of his friend, maybe his dreams would not turn to nightmares. He could only hope. Leaning back, in the chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes to rest. He hoped by the time he opened his eyes again, that he would get some answers and find out who the woman sleeping at his side was and why she was here.
Upon her fainting, Eva started to dream. Even in an unconscious state, she would often have nightmares about parts of her past... Her madman of a father was still out for her head, her entire kingdom hated her and blamed her for his misdeed, as well as the kingdom she had fled to in hopes of safety and shelter. So much for freedom... It had been a lucky break to run into someone unwilling to murder her. But was this luck? Eva sensed something familiar in the moody commander. She couldn't tell what, but something was familiar about him... As she continued to dream, the man arrived in the healer's tent. Although unknowing, she sensed his presence and her sweet dreams twisted into a nightmare-ish flashback. The day she was separated from her best friend whom she had always had a crush on. The same day her father left the scar on her... The last time she saw her childhood companion and most likely the last time she would... As she shifted back and forth in her nightmare, she sensed something warm nearby, as the commander's tail was resting beside wherever she had been laid down to recover.
The girl instantly curled into the man's tail, much as she used to with her childhood companion when she was exhausted or hurt. She remembered his always open offers to cuddle up with him and would shield her and keep her warm with his tail. However, Eva found her way onto more than just cuddling with his tail and was curled up on his lap and hugging his tail, a soft whisper as she muttered: "Warm and soft... like his used to be... After letting that little happy comment slip, Eva sighed contently and snuggled in closer, completely unaware of who she had curled up on. "Feels...safe..." She said softly in her sleep, now conscious but merely sleeping.
How was this feeling so familiar? What was it about this commander that reminded her so much of her Ryder...? Did it mean anything or was it just a coincidence? So many questions that, for now, stayed unanswered.
Ｍｙ Ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ;; the healer's tent Ｗｈｏ ａｍ Ｉｗｉｔｈ;; unknown due to unconscious state Ｍｙ Ｍｏｏｄ;; barely conscious, half asleep, clingy Ｏｕｔ ｏｆ Ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒ;; ACK! I'm so sorry I've taken so long! A lot's been going on, so I've had a little less stability mood-wise... I'm hoping things will get back into place soon! It's looking up! So I'm baaack~ ^__^
