Welcome to Gaia! ::

It wasn't luck that brough him here. No, he knew what he was doing. He knew who he had come to visit. Though he had not made his appearance known, he had visited his parents several times since he had heard the news. He had two sisters and a brother. He was still getting used to it as he had spent many years alone. The age differences between them were astounding and on some levels, he felt a little envious.

They were pure angenis like he used to be. One in particularly reminded him so much of himself, though it was one of his baby sisters. She had dark wings, a pale body and empty eyes. Her hair was even streaked with a bit of black. The other sister looked so much like his father. The brother.. perhaps that was the one he was most jealous of. Though they looked little alike, he couldn't help but feel like his parents now have the son they always wanted but never had.

He hadn't been comfortable enough to approach his family and meet them officially. He felt like he should give his parents time to get accustomed to things. He was still getting a hang of his own children. Gabriel.. was a handful. Now that he was an adult, the worries only seemed to pile on faster. He could spend one night without worries though. He could take one night to himself and meet at least one of his siblings and that is what brought him here tonight. He was not sure what she would think of him though. Would she be repulsed by his appearance? Had she heard about the things he had done and think lowly of him?

There was only one way to find out. He had been following her for awhile now and it seemed she had paused to look at the sky. Cautiously, he made his way over until he was near enough to call out for you. "You are the one they call Iofiel or Ariel?," he asked. Though he had heard the names, he was not sure which belonged to her. Gabriel, Iofiel, Ariel and Raziel. They were fine names for the family even though he didn't go by Gabriel officially any more. His parents always had a knack for choosing good, strong names.

Reaper nodded as he took in the names. So the one that looked like Raguel was Ariel. It seemed to fit her as the name was a bit softer sounding than Iofiel which appeared to have more of an edge to it. Yes, his parents had chosen well.

He couldn't help but smile when she curtsied. He was anything but formal so the gesture stood out doubly to him. "I might be a monster but I have not come to harm you. I have a right to get to know my little sister, don't I? I admit, it's still shocking to me but I don't find myself turned off by the idea. Having been the only child for so long, it's been a lot to get used to. I think it's good for my -- our parents, to have a bigger family. I am not sure if I am ready yet to be a part of such a large family but I am not against getting to know my siblings. Of course, if I make you uncomfortable, I can leave....," he stated. If she wanted him to go, he would. "I've visited a few times," he admitted honestly. "I just never approached anyone. You all seemed so happy."

He had a way of bringing sadness or misery to happy things and he didn't want to ruin this for his mom and dad. They seemed so happy. They deserved it after what had happened to them. Raguel being tortured and Angel believing him dead for so long. It was good for them and as much as some aspects of the breeding might bother him, he'd be damned if he'd ruin it for them. No couple deserved a greater chance at happiness than them.

"I have six children, three sons and three daughters. Different mothers. I can't say I'm particularly close to any of them. Three I don't see much at all." He didn't see a reason to lie to her. Before long, she would hear the rumors circulating him and know his past deeds as well as anyone else. Nothing stayed secret for long in these lands. "I did not avoid visiting because you were not worthy. I didn't want to come between you and our parents. I have had a childhood with them. You needed your time as our brother and sister did as well. If I had been younger.. maybe things would have been different, but there's not much an old brother can offer baby siblings. I had foals of my own during the time and honestly, they were not the kind to get along with you. They are.. misguided, my son is evil. He would have hurt one of you. I am sure of it." He was sure that he had done the right thing in keeping Gabriel from them as well as his own sisters. He knew his father would have understood.

He left out the fact that the breeding was hard enough to accept as is. It had taken him a long time to get used to the fact that he would have siblings. That his family would have pure angeni babies. That he felt he had been replaced only he knew in his heart he had not. He was so set in his ways that he hadn't prepared for this change but he should not have expected to be the only child forever. That was not fair to his parents. They had a lot of love to share, too much to be confined to just one child and he was quite grown. He was barely around. He did not deserve the right to be selfish.

"I can look at you and tell you're related to me," he stated out of nowhere. "I can tell your my little sister. Not like the others. I.. have found that to be both the most difficult thing to accept as well as the easiest. It makes little sense, I know." He felt so awkward here and now. If his children saw him, or Nimue, would they even recognize him? He could not bring himself to be mean to her. She was family... it wasn't fair to his kids but it seemed different. His baby sister, how could he be mean to his baby sister?

Reaper found that hard to believe. What great things could possibly be said about him? He failed as a son. He failed as a father. He failed at everything he had done thus far. The only thing he was proud of failing was his attempt to kill his father. That was just self defense, his need to survive kicking in. It's the one thing he failed at that he did not regret. Everything else though.. well, he had a lot of regrets and he would leave it at that. He agreed that their parents were kind and loving but he silently added 'addled' to the list.

"Oh, that is your mistake," he pointed out honestly once more, "I am also evil. I see that our parents did not tell you everything, but I suppose it wasn't to keep you ignorant of the truth. Perhaps they believe it's my story to tell. I have done horrible things in this life and I cannot say that I will never do horrible things again. However, unlike my son, I care a great deal for my family. I am not heartless. Gabriel, he cannot be helped by anyone other than himself. He has to find his own way. If anyone tried to change him, he'd reject it all the more strongly. He needs to learn on his own. All I can hope for is that eventually, he'll come around. Learn to at least care for his family as well. Learn to love." It felt strange talking about such things to his little sister. She was still quite the stranger to him. How would she take the fact that he wasn't good either?

He flicked his tail back and forth as he thought, "While I have sons and daughters in darkness, I do have some in light. I have a couple that are really quite nice. I think you would like them." Dante and Meera would probably be easily accepted by their cousins. He was not quite so confidant about Ezriel.

"Now that you know how rotten I am, can you still believe in me? A stranger? I understand that our parents can do it. Love unconditionally and accept me for who I am, but could a sister? Or a brother? I do not expect much. It's easy to say one thing but when you hear the rumors or see me in action, I doubt it would be as easy to accept me for who or what I am. I can say this though, I will never harm you or our family. It's about all I can offer, really." He would protect them as he would his children, though the latter came later than it should have. He would make right and protect his family to the best of his ability, as long as his body had life within it.

"I do not know what I will do," he said honestly. "Perhaps I will get in touch with some from my past and right a few wrongs. Maybe I'll continue to keep an eye on Gabriel. It's ironic. I always thought that when they grew up, I'd have a break. That the worries would stop. They never do." He really did worry quite a bit about Gabriel. He didn't put it past his son to try to kill him, Nimue or even one of his sisters. There was something really off about that stallion.

He didn't know how to answer her. There was no telling what the future held, what he would do one day to the next. Sometimes he acted on a random whim or idea. "I cannot promise that I would not continue on with any evil, Iofiel. It is my way. I can promise to not cause harm to my family and to you, but I cannot extend a promise outside of that reach. If I limited myself to what others expected of me, I would be as unhappy as my son would be if I tried to limit his own actions. A life is meant to be enjoyed and sometimes, enjoyment can come from dark things. Is it not enough that I will not hurt you or our family?"

It seemed that plenty of hurt had come his way during his life so he didn't see any harm in bringing it to others. It was life. Life was pain. Life was a series of good moments drowned in a sea of bad. Some could handle it well and come out of it standing, unphased but a little weathered -- like his parents. They had that inner strength. He did not. He knew that. He had the physical strength but when life gave him a beating, he beat right back and sometimes he had to beat the first thing that had crossed his path. That's how the Korrine incident had taken place. She had just been there.

"You are not expected to be anything but yourself. That's the important thing. That's what I fought for and I don't feel I should have had to fight so hard just for the right to be me. Good, or bad, brave, cowardly, those things do not matter individually. If it's who you are, that's who you are and no one is going to think less of you for it. Just take pride in who you are. Don't let anyone beat it out of you or make you feel ashamed or less because of it. Though there's things in my son that I would like to change, as I'm sure there's things in me our parents would love to change, if love is there, acceptance is too. Family is not meant to be perfect." He couldn't help but smile at that. His family was anything but and he wouldn't change it for anything, even to stop feeling pain from Nimue and Ezriel's betrayal.

"Gabriel is Gabriel. How can I love him but not accept him for who he is? I accept him more than he'll ever realize. It doesn't stop me from wanting to keep an eye on my family because I don't know what the hell that fool kid is up to half the time." He shared similar hopes for Gabriel. It would be nice for a day to come where he didn't have to worry that his son might go on a murderous rampage and find his family the easiest targets.

"You know," he started, unsure of how to approach this. What would his parents think or she think? Still, it was worth a try, "I could teach you how to fight, if you wanted."

It was odd how much it bothered him to hear her sound afraid. It reminded him vaguely of his daughter, Meera. She had been so afraid of him once. Was she still? He had no way of knowing. He had not seen her since he attacked the Skinwalker to protect her. He was sure she was safe though. Dead bodies didn't get up and move.

"Family ties," he corrected. "Blood ties aren't strong. I have many in my family that I have not met. I do not care about them. I have grandkids out and about, Iofiel. My own kids are now having foals of their very own. My son has recently hooked up with the mother of my most recent batch. I doubt I will have anything to do with their lot, blood or not. Blood is nothing. Family is everything. You are family. If I wanted you to be like them, I would never have approached you. I don't want you to be a stranger. I would like to get to know you, Ariel and Raziel. You are family." He wasn't sure if it would make any sense to her but it did to him. They felt different. He cared about them. He didn't care how nor did he wish to know why. He preferred to accept things as they were.

"Now you can see why I feel so old and kept my distance for awhile," he added sheepishly. "Your big brother is a grandpa." He didn't feel that old though. It wasn't his fault that Ezriel had foals at a young age and was starting on his second batch already. His other kids were taking things a bit slower, at least.

"There's many levels of goodness, Iofiel," he started, attempting an explanation. He really wasn't good at this sort of thing, "There's also many levels of evil. The one thing they have in common is heart. No creature can live without one. The only thing that makes one good or evil is that the good listens to their heart almost entirely and the evil ignores it as much as possible. Instead, they choose to listen to their dark thoughts. I listen to both. If my heart has something to say, I will give it a voice. I am not good, but I am not wholly evil either. I am certainly on the evil side of the spectrum, but I am not so far gone that my heart has learned to shut up and take it." He couldn't help but smile at that. He had been hurt so many times but his heart was perhaps as strong as he when it came to taking a beating and continuing on. Perhaps his heart had everything to do with who he was.

"Learning to fight is a must, Iofiel. I would rather you know how to fight and never have to use the knowledge than find yourself in a situation that calls for it and not have it. The knowledge is not going to bring you to the dark side, if that's a worry. Where your heart falls is entirely up to you and I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter. You'll find that out for yourself in due time." He paused momentarily to get a good look at her. Sure, she didn't have his spikes but he didn't have them once either. He took down a half dozen Angeni with nothing but what Iofiel has naturally!

"Even the most pure creatures know how to fight. You never see them doing so because it's not their nature. Some fight offensively, and I can understand how you may not want to know how to fight because of that, but most in this land fight defensively. They do so to protect not only themselves but those they care about. If you'd like to think about it, feel free. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon." He hoped she would take him up on his offer. He wasn't sure if his father would train the girls or not. Raziel would probably be trained if he hadn't been already.

It was curious though. For all her talk of not wanting to find the dark side, she certainly was interested in it enough. Perhaps there was something more to that. Perhaps her fight against it was really a fight against herself? He had no way of really knowing.

"At the very least, it will help you protect yourself while you're on the way to finding yourself," he teased lightly. There was no telling where Iofiel could end up. If she'd stay close to her family or want to 'spread her wings' and explore the land. The latter presented a lot of dangers. Many that he was sure she did not realize were even there. He had certainly seen enough of it and caused some of it to know about them.

He had enemies too, enemies that might see a resemblance in her. That black Skinwalker came to mind. He knew that score would not be settled and if he ever came across Iofiel and saw the similarities..

Reaper couldn't stand to think of it. Having Iofiel able to protect herself would be a big relief on many levels. He was sure it would help build a self confidence in her as well. She seemed to be looking for that, judging by her words. He found it touching that she wanted to include him in the list of those she would protect. He hoped such a day would never be necessary.

He paused momentarily when she mentioned their father. Would Raguel get upset if he taught Iofiel to fight? He didn't want to keep any secrets from his father but sure this would be harmless enough. It wasn't like he was training Iofiel to be a killing machine. No, he had learned from his mistake with Gabriel. He would be gentler with Iofiel. He would concentrate on defense more than offense... though it would be necessary to teach offensive maneuvers as well..

Still, the idea of keeping secrets bothered him but he rather liked the idea of he and his baby sister sharing something between them. Perhaps when they were done, she would secretly pass some of what she learned on to their other sister. Raziel.. he was sure Raguel would teach him. His father and mother were a big old fashioned in that regard. The males protecting the females and all that. That's fine and dandy if you're always going to have the female nearby. His parents were never far apart. The same could not be said for his sisters. They would do their own thing. It could be a long time before they found a stallion to protect them and stay with them and truth be told, he would rather know his sisters could stand their own if the time called for it.

Meera should have known how to fight him. The memories flooded back and he felt horrible for attacking his own daughter. That could have been any mare. Any mare at any given place could have been in Meera's place. Meera had been attacked again later on by that damn Skinwalker. Once more she didn't know how to fight. She had so easily fallen victim and would have died if he had not intervened. Mares needed to learn to fight. To protect themselves. It was very important to him for the females in his family to know how to do that. He didn't expect skilled fighters out of them. Enough to push the enemy back and to make an escape would suffice.

Turning back to the conversation between them, he nodded. "Our secret," he agreed. "I think it is something siblings would do." He would indulge her in that. If she was as excited about it as she seemed to be, it may help start a bond between them. He had no idea if it was something siblings really did though, since he had no personal experience in it and Gabriel, Sabriel and Airlia didn't seem terribly close with one another, even as foals.

"You don't have to be aggressive, scary or dominant to be able to fight well, Iofiel. Aggression leads to irrational actions. Always take a moment to think. Even the briefest moment spent on a thought can stop you from making a bad decision. You don't want to take too long unless the situation presents itself, so quick thinking is wise, but no thinking is suicide."

He turned around to face her head on. "Iofiel, the most important tool in battle is not your hooves or the power they can wield. It is not your teeth and the force they can carry. It is not speed. It is not your skill to fly." He paused briefly to lean forward and lower his voice, "The most important tools in a fight are your senses. What we take for granted in every day life can save our lives."

"First you have the eyes. The eyes are very important. In a few moments you can size down your opponent. Spot their strength areas and in some cases, weak ones. You could take quick note of me, for example and learn which areas are best avoided. My lower legs, front, head, back, tail are places to be avoided. My sides, near my wings, those are my weak points. Those are the points of interest. That's where you'd want to make your attack. Always use your eyes first to study your opponent. Do they have wings? You'd have an advantage over a grounded opponent but if one has flight, you could have trouble. Winds, though similar to us, cannot fly as high as us. I cannot fly as high as you because I have only one set of wings. So your wings are a big advantage to you. I don't think you have much to worry about unless your opponent has multiple wings as well." He paused once more to let it all sink in.

"Now, if you see anything with an animal pelt, I want you to take flight. Those are Skinwalkers. They are evil. They are fast, deadly and they can transform into wolves, similar to how you can transform into a two-legger. Only they are sometimes more deadly in their animal forms. So do not even try to attack one of them. I had trouble with one not long ago." He decided to leave out that it had been the toughest fight he had ever had and he wasn't sure he was going to survive it at the time.

"Take note of the race. Though unicorns are generally nice, there's quite a few bad ones out there. That horn they have on their head can do some real damage. Both they and Kalona have some hooves that can do some real damage as well. Kalona, now they have some sharp teeth. They can rip you up right good if they get a hold of you. They can also fly so they will be a tough adversary, but if you can get ahead of them, you can fly higher and that can get you to safety. But getting to that point can be difficult. If it ever looks like you're about to be drawn into a battle mid-flight, you'll want to land. All it would take is some wing damage to seal your death. I'd recommend never taking flight unless you know you'll get away. If you have to, draw them into a battle on land long enough to push them back enough that you can take flight ahead of them..."

He wondered if he was boring her. He wasn't used to giving a lot of verbal information. He normally taught through experiences but that caused the one learning a lot of pain. He wanted to avoid that with Iofiel as much as possible.

"Your eyes are important. Use them. Take in every detail. Not only of your opponent but also your surroundings. You'll be called to make decisions on the spot. Those impulses I told you about. Knowledge of your surroundings will be a strong factor in making the right decision when the moment calls for it. I make a habit of it, both in and out of battle and I think you would do well to do the same. Whenever you get to a new area, take a moment to look around. Take not of the area. Where the woods are, the lake, what area would be best to take flight in if needed. Also take note of those within it."

He raised his head and blew on her ears. "The ears and nose are also important. When your eyes fail, you can rely on them. There's no telling what could happen in a battle. Dust could get in your eyes, or you could get hurt somehow. When one loses track of their sight, they usually panic. Try not to panic, Iofiel. When you don't have your eyes, use your ears and nose. Most things in this world makes noise and a battle is no exception. You can hear where your opponent is if you listen. You can hear their movements. If you took note of your surroundings, you can imagine it enough in your mind that you know where things are. Your nose can catch the scent of things as well. If you injured your opponent or they have a naturally strong scent to them, that will help you know where he is. A fight is not over when one loses their sight. It simply becomes more difficult. You can still come out on top if you rely on the rest of your body to pick up the slack. It's a lot like teamwork. Various parts of your body will work together and let you know what to do. All you have to do is calm yourself down enough to listen to them. Panicking will lead to ruin. It's okay to be scared. Everyone gets scared, but don't let the fear blind out your instincts."

"Once you have that down, we can work on the physical aspects of fighting. Being able to use your body in physical ways is important to a fight, but it's wrong to think it's the most important thing. Your eyes, ears and nose are far more important. So for your first training exercise, I want you to use your ears, eyes and nose in ways you wouldn't normally. Pay attention to your surrounding. Look for escape routes and take note of what are good battle areas or not if you were drawn to a fight. You wouldn't want to fight in a muddy area, for example, so you'd want to draw them to a piece of land where you'd have the upper hand. Look at various soquilis and imagine what their strengths and weaknesses would be based on their appearance. Start paying attention to the individual scents. Knowledge is the most important part of a fight, Iofiel. Too many rely on brute strength but the body has a way of wearing down. One can become tired. Strength does not last forever. I want you to concentrate first on what is really important."

He stopped finally to await her reaction.

((s**t. This post is ******** huge. I'm sorry. ;_ wink )

He watched her face change expression as she took in what he said. "Don't be discouraged. Though you don't realize it now, I think a lot of this will come naturally to you when the need for it is called upon. Our bodies respond naturally and you come from good blood. Trust your instincts, don't doubt them. Never second guess yourself."

He couldn't help but grin when she made a comment about their eyes. They were very dark, a trait they both shared from their father. It was indeed an advantage. Their eyes did not give much away. They were as dark as sin itself.

"Many go into a battle thinking that their brute strength or greater size guarantees them a victory. They are often the first to fall. Never assume you are going to win, Iofiel. Never over-estimate or under-estimate your opponent. Look at each and every one as an equal. A challenge. The wrong assumptions have lead a great number of promising fighters to their deaths." He really didn't think that was possible for his sister though. She didn't seem the kind that would acquire an ego.

"More importantly, do not allow others to belittle you. Some will play a mental game. They will belittle you because of your gender. Pay it no mind. Words cannot hurt you and try not to let them anger you. Anger leads to irrational actions with no thought behind them. When one tries to attack your mind, smile. Smile even if you are mad on the inside. That will turn the tables around on them. That would plague their own mind."

He stood tall as she complimented him. It was a strange feeling. It was a powerful feeling. He felt so much pride at that moment and it was a lot to take in. He liked being called 'brother'. He liked being a big brother. Any doubts left remaining towards his parents having more offspring faded from him at that moment. "This will be the most difficult part of training," he admitted, "but once that's over, there's the physical and that will be far easier," he promised.

He wasn't sure he liked the idea of his sister getting all scarred up as she was certainly a beauty, much like their mother but on the other hand, he was rather fond of his own scars. They told a story. They reminded him of what he had been through. Most importantly, it reminded him of what he had survived.

Mortality is an important thing to grasp. As long as you knew death was around the corner, you fought to live.