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 Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 2:47 pm
[[Soquili involved in this RP are listed below, please do not post unless invited to do so!]]   
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:03 pm
The missive had been received.
The time had been set.
The pair had converged upon their agreed meeting place and thus the hunt had begun.
Catalyst had been completely clear in her missive, her hawk ensuring that the urgency was impressed upon the Divine Hunter. Her mother was growing more reckless and unpredictable, with each interruption Tempest had spurred her onto a more erratic and risky path. While this had guaranteed that mistakes more readily occurred, and these certainly worked to their advantage, the death toll was beginning to rise. It was now all too apparent that 'rest' was not something that either hunter would be granted.
...If the guardian of the seventh hell moved, then they had to as well.
It was for this reason that the blue mare and cream stallion now found themselves lowered into the undergrowth, gazes hidden, but ever watchful as the observed their quarry. They had found her in the depths of the forest, alerted to her presence by the pained and agonised shriek of her victim... and while Catalyst had sought to hastened her approach, Tempest had urged caution. He knew from the sound that rippled through the forest, that agonised shriek and the bloodied gurgles that it was too late... whoever it was, or whatever it was, would be dead regardless of whether they intervened.
Unsurprisingly, what they had observed since arriving was decidedly unpleasant. Fortunately for the stallion now caught within the purewalker's maw, she always ensured a clean and quick death. No sooner had the stallion been pounced upon, than he was floored and his throat crushed. As blood trickled between the jaws of the Purewalker, the gurgles and gasps quickly came to an end and with a final shudder, the stallion grew still.
Tempest and Catalyst exchanged glances, both aware that now more than ever, silence was paramount.
If Syntyche became aware of them now, neither would be in the position to battle her, it would end badly for certain. No, they needed to let the Purewalker settle, position her kill and begin her ritual.
Fortunately, Tempest's persistent stalking of this particular beast had proven useful for something. Syntyche did not dawdle and when the stallion had gasped for his final time, she had immediately begun to drag him into position. When he was prone, splayed out and in the correct location, she then began to draw her circle. Demonstrating considerable grace, the feline pranced to and fro as she surveyed her handiwork to ensure that it was up to the standards that her dark master would approve of.
Only when she was satisfied did she approach the fallen form once more, extend her claws and raise a paw to the flank of the body. Eyes narrowing, the Purewalker soon focused on the task at hand and began to carve her 'runes' one by one into her victim. Every now and then she would pause, flicking away droplets of blood that threatened to mar the runes, and then she would continue...
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:59 pm
He regretted everything.
He regretted sneaking out when his parents slept. He regretted edging along their clearing before bolting into the woods. He regretted dismissing each warning his caring older brother had given him throughout the weeks. He regretted it all.
He had lived a live that, at first, he had called boring. A life where he'd occasionally take lessons in dancing (which he loved) from his older brother, and then return home for much of nothing. His family was kind, but he wanted to explore. Explore and travel. Sneaking out had become a habit, one that very rarely he'd be caught doing. He was good at it, but by now he was wishing he wasn't.
He wished Pach hadn't been off with his mate. He wished his mother had woken up. He wished so many things, and one of them was not witnessing a murder. The stallion was twitching still. The screams he had heard earlier would remain in Lyric's nightmares for years. The breathing stopped, and then the body was violently drug into place. Lyric was stunned into silence, blue eyes wide and mouth drawn into a shaky line.
He was a child, and a well cared for child. He had barely seen an animal be killed, neverless a creature of his species. He had never seen such a horrible sight, and his stomach was beginning to twitch at the thought, and sight! He.... he had never seen whatever that thing was, either. That monstrous murderer. Murder. That was a word he rarely heard, and now he knew what it meant. Now he truly knew. Horror had begun to accumulate into a pure, hot terror so foreign to him. His heart began to skip violently, eyes widening further until, with a jerk backwards, he stumbled out of the bush he had securely been hidden within. He wanted to run. He wanted to go anywhere but here. Home. He wanted home, but how far was home now? How far did he have to go? He wanted to get away from the beast who was making those strange markings on the poor..... d-dead creature.
Dead. A word he had also not truly understood until now. Dead had been a topic he'd ignore. How could he, a young foal, understand such a thing? He couldn't imagine not breathing. His life was full of life, and he just.... couldn't imagine it. Or he hadn't been able to until now. Now, death made a frightening sense. Death was the finish line, and there were creatures who would drag you to it. Creatures like the frightening one before him.
He wanted home.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 4:17 pm
A rustle. A crack.
She turned; and they looked up.
If curses had been uttered to the gods, if any individual had blasphemed, then it was lost on the winds. No sooner had Lyric revealed himself than Catalyst had done what instinct had dictated, she had made an even louder noise. It didn't come in the form of a shriek, a scream, or of her hooves bolting for safety... it was merely a statement that was tempered with a calm and controlled tone that would not have been possible for another soquili.
"Child," she stated in a hollow tone, pulling herself to her hooves as Syntyche withdrew from her victim and stepped towards Lyric. She observed as her mother's expression transformed from fury to delight, for she knew all too well that her mother had never had the opportunity to grace Divinity with one so young. Yet with a stomp of her hoof, Catalyst made certain that her mother was aware that she was not alone with the child or her fallen victim.
"Child," she repeated much more firmly, just as the much larger stallion burst from the undergrowth and shook branches, twigs and leaves off his overbearing form. A number of leaves remained trapped on the spikes upon his hindquarters, but now was neither the time nor place to give any form of concern for such a trivial issue.
"Well aware, Catalyst," he replied, his dark gaze twisting to meet that of the Purewalker. Unsurprisingly she had come to a halt, considering her options carefully as her eyes shifted from the small foal to Tempest - suffice to say that it would not take a great deal of effort to finish the foal in a single swing. In theory, Syntyche could hedge her bets and win if she played her cards right.
She took another step and her eyes glinted.
"No good, she doesn't care," Catalyst, who was not renowned for her small talk, shook her head as she recognised her mother's intentions. Any minute, any second now...
Except it was a second that never came.
Tempest had long since learned to trust in Catalyst's judgement and as the Purewalker had taken that fated step, he had lunged forward. What followed was a flurry of paws, hooves and limbs as both Purewalker and stallion became airborne. Tempest, so intent on pushing the Purewalker back, was dragged into the undergrowth by grappling claws and it was with a shriek of rage (and evident pain), that he tore himself to his feet.
Snapping twigs, branches and showers of leaves followed. Cracks, thumps as both Purewalker and stallion collided were all too audible and yet, Catalyst took note that with each thump, it was becoming somewhat muffled. It was not the cleanest of fights, nor was it the most dignified, but it appeared that Tempest's main goal was not to silence her in the immediate vicinity, it was there to push her away.
The skinwalker's daughter felt a brief bubble of concern twist in her stomach, yet she could do nothing more than place her trust in Tempest. If he didn't come back, then she was going to have to be sure that his assault had been of use.
"You," she directed, glowing gaze fixed on the tiny foal. "Come quickly," she instructed. She strode towards him and with one abrupt nudge, pushed him away from the clearing, attempting to make him walk in the opposite direction.
She could deal with the fallen victim later.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:08 am
If he knew any curse words, he'd be screaming them.
The demon had focused her cold eyes on him, and he knew that he would die. He was not even a year old and he would find himself splayed out on the floor, organs curled around his form, (like the male he had just seen be carved into a new, bloody canvas of art), and he would never return home to his mother and father. He was going to die. Lyric Amachi, the only son of the newest group of children to two loving parents, and now he'd simply be another child who died too early. Another mistake. Another child who disappointed his parents before he could even stand taller than his mother. He was simply born to die, and he was facing the haunting woman with a terror that flashed within his eyes and form. Death. He had not known the reality of it until this beast had displayed it so masterfully, and now he would also feel the wrath of death itself.
And then he heard the others.
His heart had frozen when she spoke, legs trembling and almost sending him into the ground. Her voice was absolutely fear itself, despite how smooth it clearly attempted to portray itself as. Then the voices. Two. No. One? He couldn't tell anymore. He couldn't think anymore. Hell, he was surprised he was even standing. Bright blue eyes flicked to view a woman who looked all too similar to the monster before him, and he shivered. Was she here to kill him, too? Her stomp seemed like a threat to him, unable to realize that the stomp was not for him. No. At this exact moment he was just counting the seconds it'd take until teeth would be on his throat....
Then the flurry of motion. He was sent backwards in alarm as something attacked the monster. What? What was foolish enough to even ATTEMPT the idea? Surely not him! Had his father found him? No, Crescendo wouldn't be able to find him this quickly. And his mother? He doubted she'd leave behind Timpani or Claves. Nope. Then who? And why was the other mare just standing there?
He couldn't hear. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even move. He just watched, terror rampant through his system, almost over-coming the blood in his veins. He took another step back, bumping into the other mare. s**t! The tiny foal whipped around and hunkered to the ground, eyes flipping back to watch as the demon and the blur fought. The hell was happening?! One second he was exploring, the next a demon was viewing him with blood-stained claws, and now he was watching something attempt to overthrow said demon. Was he dreaming?
"You".
The blue mare spoke, and he shivered. He couldn't help the tiny "Yes?" that followed. He hoped to whatever laid above that she was not about to grin and rip his windpipe out. Her head lowered and his eyes, firmly shut, a terrified squeak escaping his throat.
Stumbling? He wasn't being ripped into pieces? She was.... oh! She was pushing him! Where? He found himself unable to protest, stumbling where her nudges seemed to try and move him. He was too numb to fight, instead blindly stumbling and looking at her with panic. He wanted answers. He had questions. He needed someone, anyone, to speak to him. He needed a voice louder than his trembling heart.
He just walked.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:38 am
Children did not cope well with the initial stages of shock. This was the observation that Catalyst made as she continued to guide the small foal away from the site of Syntyche's sacrifice. While her steps were quick, she took care to measure them so that Lyric didn't stumble too much, or fall behind as his mind was preoccupied with... well, whatever it was that foals thought about. Suffice it to say that Catalyst had never conformed to society's standards given the nature of her birth, so this was not in the immediate realms of her expertise.
"Quickly, quickly," she intoned gently, weaving between the trees and separating the large ferns as she moved towards the open. She could still hear the remnants of battle behind, the angered shrieks, roars and occasional thump as beast collided with beast; however she was also aware of her own duty. She was not there to fight her mother and her instructions had always been clear, she had to get to safety...and this time she had to take the child with her.
Years of observation had educated Catalyst, exposure to her mother's behaviour and tactics now guided her. As such, she knew that the open was the safest place - Syntyche never attacked while exposed, it was too risky and the likelihood of interruption was high. Consequently the best place to be was in the meadows and this was soon where Catalyst found herself. Nevertheless she didn't allow herself to stop and she continued to cut through the tall grasses until she was satisfied she was an ample distance away from the forest.
...It was then, and only then, that she turned her attention back to the quivering foal.
"You are safe," she murmured reassuringly. "Did you know this one, was he your father...?" she could only hazard a guess, she could think of no other reason why a child would be alone in the forest.
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:42 am
Words. What were words? He couldn't speak at first, too stunned and horrified by the events that had taken place. He was too focused on the scene he had seen and trying to keep up with the strange mare, almost frantic to make sure she was still there. He was grateful she was separating the ferns, he wouldn't have the thinking capability to even handle that.
Her voice was gentle, but it did nothing to reassure him. It only caused his legs to pump faster, afraid she was warning that she'd leave if he didn't keep up. He shivered as they walked, fright hammering into his heart like a consistent drum beat. He wanted home. He wasn't sure where this woman was taking him, either. Not home, of course. She was taking him somewhere not near the dead stallion, too. That was all that mattered currently. He couldn't stomach the stench of blood anymore.
When they reached the clearing he almost panicked and bolted right then and there. How was this safe? They were exposed! Vibrant blue eyes flicked up to stare at her in horror, however slowly he nodded when she spoke again. Gulping back the tension and terror, he didn't quite connect her words together at first. His father? Was his father in danger?! "My father? You saw him?!" He yelped, pausing long enough to fully realize what she had said. Shaking his head hastily, he stepped backwards in an attempt to recollect himself before responding.
"N-No. Not my father. I.... I didn't know him."
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Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:37 am
Shock was an unusual emotion to deal with for Lys, while she had never experienced it herself, she had noted that this particular emotion had a very rare and extraordinary ability. Given the right level of shock, the emotion became so overwhelming that it could kill a living being and to begin with she had been concerned that the foal might expire at her feet. Fortunately his shock was not as overwhelming as that experienced by those who had dire injuries, and she rested easy knowing that he would recover eventually.
Of course she used the term 'recover' very liberally, it was unlikely that the child would be able to forget his experiences, nor would he be the 'same' again...but he would live to see another day and that counted for something, right?
Nevertheless the terrified foal did manage to gather a wit or two about him and he eventually responded to her query. A rare whisper of relief flickered through the mare's stomach as she noted that if the victim was a stranger, then he wouldn't be haunted by visions of his dead father. However, if the stranger was not his father, then this also indicated that the child had wandered away from home. She couldn't even begin to imagine how near or far his home was, but she would hazard a guess that she had probably taken him further away from it.
"So that was not your father," she repeated with a curt nod, and then she took a breath. "You were on your own," she stated and then tilted her head to the side, a wry smile creeping on to her lips. Why was it that children were always so curious? It always resulted in danger, or at the worst, tragedy.
"Do you know where your father is?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:22 pm
He viewed her with wide, terrified eyes. Not of fear of her, but more of the day itself. He didn't answer at first, instead choosing to (wisely) flop his haunches onto the ground so he can stable himself. With this done, he looked down and swallowed, gathering himself.
"I like to explore." That or escape from home to either practice dancing or just get into trouble. He was quiet, protective, and not one to cause trouble, but even he liked to wander off time to time. It was a part of his family that had skipped a generation or two but hit him hard. The lust to travel. Look where that got him....
"He's home." Lyric sounded more stable, or at least finally trying to stomach his fear and keep his voice firm. Home, ugh, wasn't that obvious? She wasn't asking that! His ears flipped back and he practically cringed when a bird rushed through the branches, shaking the leaves. Fear started and turned his stomach, but he managed to calm when he spotted said bird. "H-He's back home with m-mom." He stammered, the bird having knocked his nerves once more. He looked up at the woman - his savior. Wait. That was actually what she was, wasn't it? And that male with her? Why.... why had they been there in the first place?
Suspicion suddenly showed as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, head jerking back as finally, like most children, curiosity showed. "Why were you there?" He questioned, ears back as he considered that, maybe, she was dangerous as well.
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:37 pm
Home could have been anywhere at this rate! Catalyst was unsure of whether it was safe to assume he hadn't wandered far, or if he had in fact travelled a great distance. She knew the vast majority of parents kept tabs on their children but there were always a few that were the exception. No doubt these parents had their reasons for such a laissez faire approach, but now was a prime example of why that approach was dangerous. Alas, to each their own, who was she to tell another how to raise their children when she had none of her own?
"I see," she said at last as she considered her options. As of yet Tempest hadn't returned and she could no longer hear the battle beyond the trees. If he had survived, and the odds were in his favour, then he would return in due course...However, she couldn't expect a child to remain here for that length of time. His parents would worry, they would search and then they could potentially be exposed to Syntyche; besides she had a body to investigate.
Unfortunately she wasn't given much of an opportunity to consider her options as the child rounded his suspicions and curiosity upon her. She had wondered if he would be the sort to do that or whether he would sit in silence until she gave instructions. The mare was impressed though, he had actually asked a valid question and she did have to consider how best to approach it without causing further issues.
"We were there because we were chasing the cat," she explained and turned her gaze back to the tree line. "She's not very nice and we're trying to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else, but sometimes...we reach her a little too late," she finished. She refrained from mentioning that the feline in question was her own mother as that was simply too complex for a child to understand at this point in their life.
"In this case we seem to have reached her both too late and just in time," she pointed out and tilted her head to the side. "Both good and bad news."
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 12:27 pm
He froze, and then a hot anger flashed in his eyes. A defiance that rarely ever made itself know. 'Sometimes we reach her a little too late.' His ears flicked back and a hoof stomped as he narrowed his eyes angrily at the woman.
"You can't just say something like that." He hissed between young teeth, unable to understand that the world couldn't just go as he wished it to. Mistakes sometimes couldn't be prevented. Sometimes, you couldn't reach your goal in time. He couldn't understand that, not yet. His life was full of innocence, and now this intruding of evil had left him little room for reason. The anger twitched and shivered as he focused on the woman, head tossing to the side and throwing his mane to the side of his face.
"Sometimes isn't good enough. That man could have been a father. A brother. A son. He won't return home, and maybe someone will cry. Maybe someone will die in remorse. Maybe, but not getting there in time you just witnessed not only the death of him but the death of his family. Maybe someone needs him, and now they're alone and without him." Was he... was he feeling guilt? That he had just stood there? That he hadn't tried anything? He was just a kid, but he could have done something! He could have helped! He could have done anything except just stand in complete terror.
"I....I want to go home."
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 4:59 am
Anger was normal, or so she had been told, when faced with a major shock. Catalyst could only assume that the inability to protect another had spurred this reaction on as she had long been told that not everyone was like her. While she had a level of indifference that bordered on concerned, those around her were compassionate and as a consequence, often ruled by such emotions. It appeared that Lyric had now been overcome with them and as a child, even if she had appealed to his objective side, it was highly unlikely she could have reached it... In fact, she wasn't entirely sure that a child could be objective in their observations.
The mare did have the decency to place a grim expression on her features as the foal expressed his discontent, at her and Tempest's apparent failure to rescue the innocent stallion. There were no words now that would have reassured Lyric that if there had been any way, then they would have done so. Nor did she think that pointing out their intervention had saved him would have made a lick of a difference either.
"You are right," she said at last and shook her head. "He was no doubt a son, he could have been a father, and what happened to him is tragic," she agreed and released a small sigh. "But it did not happen to you, and nothing you could have done or said would have stopped that creature," she explained and drew her lips into a thin line. "Walkers are without remorse, their purpose is to kill, just as you saw...and you are simply too small at this point in your life to stand a chance."
"In a way his existence saved you," she glanced back towards the forest, lapsing into silence briefly as she heard the sound of rustling foliage. At that moment in time it was more important for her to discern if the approaching steps were friend or foe, though after a series of steps she recognised the heavy foot falls, though they were somewhat stilted.
Tempest.
"If he had not been there, we would not have been there. If he had not been there, there would have been nothing to distract her," she finished and turned her head back to Lyric. At his request she did nothing more than nod, taking him home seemed like the best option, though where home was...
"Where is it?" The stallion asked the question for the mare as he stalked out of the forest towards them. Covered head to toe in scratches, some deep and others cosmetic, the stallion appeared to have been the wars to say the least, but he was alive even if he was limping. "Your home, I mean," he clarified softly, though his tone still remained gruff in its own right.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:07 pm
Lyric flipped his ears back, teeth baring. Nothing he could have done? There had to have been something.... anything. He wasn't useless. He wasn't even that young anymore.... He could have done something more useful then just stand there.
A flash of guilt corrupted his heart briefly, sending icy chills through his blood. He could have done something, but he chose not to. He heard the woman speak again, glancing back up at her. The death of another saved him? How did that even work? How was he supposed to feel about that? Grateful? What sick person would feel gratitude towards that? Confliction rushed through his head, leaving a headache in it's wake.
Lyric jumped when a male voice spoke, whipping around to spot the stallion. Heart pounding, the foal backed up slightly before glancing towards the meadow he had come from.
"Somewhere over there..."
Epine de Rose I AM SO SORRY I DITCHED THIS. Are you interested in continuing?
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:15 pm
Yushika xD I figured RL had gotten you and battered you senseless. We can finish this up no probs. <3
Nevertheless, the stallion returned to save her, and unsurprisingly he was somewhat worse for ware. To be honest she hadn't seen him in a normal state since they had begun this 'quest'. She fully supported him in this, accepted that, in the end, it would be of benefit to everyone... but he really should have invested in a full time healer to accompany them as well. Admittedly not many they had met had ever wanted to stick around but one of these days he'd lose a damn leg!
Unsurprisingly Tempest did not seem overly impressed with the colt's response, though the stallion did excuse it. Shock, naivety, there were a variety of reasons in which the answer was a given. 'Over there' was a more than adequate answer for one in shock, or lost, but ultimately in certain mental states they were one in the same! His expression did not remain sour for more than a split second before it was schooled into a neutral (if tired) one.
At this point he gave a mild nod to the colt and nodded towards the way in which he had pointed. "Lead on then," he instructed softly. "We will follow, she won't return," he added reassuringly.
Yet. Catalyst amended silently in her own mind, though she looked to the foal expectantly.
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