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 Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 8:38 pm
Hand lifting to the circular medallion around his neck, Baelfire closed his eyes and listened. He sat quietly, until he felt a gentle tug in his stomach. He opened his eyes again. Straight in? Alright.
The feline bent to lift his pack back up, and secured it around himself. The only things inside the pack were a thin blanket, a small hunting knife, a package of homemade food, and one velvet blanket with rich gold embroidery. That blanket would protect what he'd come to the mainland for.
As head guard of the temple, he was charged with the duty of protecting the sacred tome of the island. This tome held the secret magic teachings that every islander learned for honing their abilities. Trickery had gotten the better of him, and the tome had been lost. Some sneaking thief had their hands on the precious book. According to the monks of the temple, it was a mysterious woman who had found the island and had requested training. She had gone the day the tome went missing. Baelfire still got headaches from the drugs used to knock him out while on duty.
He set his jaw, and started into the woods. The medallion had been blessed by the temple, and by a bit of blood from the visitor, which had been needed to help her train. It tracked the woman's living blood, and told him where to go to find her.
He would get the tome back. He would bring the woman to justice. He would honor his position, his temple, and his home. He couldn't, and wouldn't, go back until he succeeded...
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 9:08 pm
“Seven months and six days exactly…” Tossing the rose colored quartz from her hand Kari leaned over and flipped another card, “Ah the world eh?” She frowned before picking it up and tossing it back on the pile of ragged cards. She didn’t want to travel this world anymore; any hope for adventure was worn down in her in her homesickness. After months of wandering for nothing she just wanted the feel of the warm, crystal sands against her paws and the melody of the ocean waves in her ears. Even though she lingered close to the beaches here it wasn’t the same as her home’s was. Nothing was the same, magic was diluted here and others seemed so reluctant to use their gifts and instead just meddled away with the boring routines of life. So she had wandered back towards the shores and kept near them to keep the evening mists that surrounded the way home in her sight. One day, maybe just one evening there would be a slip of light to finally show her the way.
Maybe she just hated having things taken away from her? Reaching up to touch the flower, one of the rare breeds that were found on the island, which she kept in her hair as a comfort the female had to pause with the realization. That probably was it then after all the one thing she had never expected was to finally make her way out and then not be able to return. Stupid elders and their rules… Kari sighed before shoving the cards back into the velvet pouch she had for them. Still as she reached for the quarts the cattaur had to pause as something seemed odd, they glowing slightly?
They were glowing slightly? Someone from her island was here? The only reason the stones should have reacted would be to someone with a similar magic training to her! That or an artifact from the island was here? But why would something be here from the island without an owner? Maybe, just maybe they had forgiven her! Flinging her cloak about her shoulders Kari started running down the sands towards the shore side, “Hey, hey!” Stumbling she paused when she recognized the cattaur who was walking away from her but straight ahead? Why was he leaving the ocean side?
“Bael, Bael!” Stumbling the cattaur rolled in the sand and grinned up at the familiar presence of her cousin whose shadow was hovering over her, “Are you really here? Is it true?” She reached out and touched his paw happily, yet a shadow was in her gaze. They wouldn’t send Baelfire out here so easily…he was too precious at the temple. So why was he here? Had he snuck out to find her? Kari’s eyes shone before she squished down the thought. Probably not, he was too serious to leave his duties…plus she was supposed to be dead. Her gaze shifted before she pushed herself off the sands and turned to dust off her cloak, “I mean hey there. Though you’d never see me again right?”
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 9:28 pm
 With his father's traveling vardo miles away from him, Styxx was able to feel the wind on his own on a rare whim. It wasn't often that he struck out without his the older cat, but certain days the two males could barely do much more than exchange sharp glares before the friction drove them apart. This latest spat had happened after Charlemagne had been gone for weeks at a time, only to return with no explanation whatsoever and a harsh word for Styxx about the upkeep of sales.
Since the separation he had kept to the main-road, passing by others with nary a glance or a word. He could hear the murmurs around him about the poor blind man, and the wares he carried. Though he could see them perfectly, Styxx walked with a staff inlaid with red stones, occasionally tapping it on the road to keep up the illusion. His head was lowered to the pavement, his fingers ghosting over the satchel at his side containing enough gold to see him through another few days and what scriptures he'd managed to take from his father.
When a centauress ventured closer on the pretense of aid he held up a hand, and with a careful nudge created a barrier between the two. Without acknowledging him again, she ventured back to her group, a confused look on her face. The stares he could handle, but never the talking.
With a deep inhale he ventured off the main road onto a more secluded path. Recognition didn't hit him until it was too late; he was lost. Or, what others would have considered lost. To a soul that was had neither a purpose nor a home lost couldn't apply to him. He simply 'was' and with the same solidarity that had carried him this far Styxx kept walking.
At some point he came across another path, and choosing a random direction the way he felt, kept up the pace. Weeks, maybe months from now his father would come looking for him, as was usual, and they would come to agreement, as usual, then they would fight and he would walk again.
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 9:46 pm
His step was determined. Nothing would distract him from his goal. Nothing would- Well... that might. He sighed softly through his nose, turning only slightly to look at whoever was yelling. Mainlander...
No. That voice... He hadn't heard it in so long! In a rare reaction, his eyes widened and his jaw slacked slightly. He didn't even flinch as the woman tumbled, and then reached out to him. "...Kari?" He blinked rapidly and shook his head, watching her stand. How was this possible?! There she was, right in front of him, as plain as day. She wasn't dead. "Kari." He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hug her close. How many years had it been since his cousin had been lost to the storm? How long had he prayed?
Yet... he had his duty. He clammed back up, and sighed. "Still tripping over yourself, I see," he said, shaking his head. He could see that look in her eyes though. "I'll tell you right now.. had I known you were here, I would have come to get you long ago." There. That was enough. "As it is, I'm here on business. If you stay here, I can take you back so everyone can see you're still alive." He paused, and looked at her again. "Or, if you haven't gone utterly soft, you can assist me."
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:00 pm
“So you haven’t forgotten me.” Kari beamed up at him before playfully nudging his shoulder. It was a familiar affection that she had used since hugging with others watching was deemed as too familial and affectionate in the formal home that they had been raised in. All that training and strict regulations that she had longed to get away from and a long time ago with an accident had seemed to no longer bother her as much. In a way she did miss it, just a little bit. “Don’t be so uptight, there are no elders to breath down your back here.” She paced the sands before him still dancing off her surprise at the fact that not only was it an islander, but her cousin that was standing on the sands before her.
“They wanted to keep me here you know …that’s why-“ Her voice softened as she looked up at Baelfire, “I never blamed anyone for this situation, but to keep me here away from the path as a watcher on this beach…that was punishment.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before waving at him to push the thought aside after all who wanted to hear about her accidental storm magic and then how she had ended up here? “Funny right? Anyways I got my taste for adventure and know a little about this area now~” She forced a small laugh before looking around, “So what important business would bring you here? It’s rare that anyone steps on the mainland anymore.”
She tiptoed closer towards him and arms crossing leaned up to peer into his face, “Being here has only made me tougher, sir so tell me what it is that you’re doing here really.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:11 pm
With the sun at his back, and the winter wind to guide him Styxx settled his musings for the time being near a small woodland stream. It was almost picturesque, which only served to make him loathe it all the more. The waterfall seemed a little too bright, the birds just a little too cheerful, and the squirrels that ran freely between the trees made him suspicious.
So, instead of settling in the middle of it all, he stayed to the side in the shadows of a large boulder. With a snap of his fingers he created a small fire near his paws to keep him warm as he read over the scriptures. They were older, ancient in fact, and things he had since learned as a child. Detailed accounts of war and casualties suffered by the Naga during their battle against the Unitaur. Charlemagne had kept them simply because it was a story not usually told; a true look into the mind of evil.
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Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:20 pm
Despite Kari's playful tease, Baelfire remained as straight-backed and tense as ever. He was in a strange land... "The elders might not be here, but I do have to return to them. You know how they are. They'll know every second I'm asleep." He cracked a tiny smile. The elders were quite strict, and his position in particular was one the elders fussed over.
He stiffened even more when Kari explained why she was there. "Kari... I didn't know," he murmured, his jaw setting with irritation. They'd known his cousin was alive! Those fools! They would get a piece of his mind when-! "Well, I suppose it is good you're here then. You can show me around."
As he thought about the reason he was there, his expression turned to that which the head guard usually showed. Stoic, but firm and closed. His eyes, though, were hard and dangerous. "The tome of the temple was stolen. The monks believe it to be a visitor who received training from them. She used tricks and drugs to steal it. I'm here to bring her to justice and retrieve the tome."
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:28 pm
An interesting expression of grief and anger flickered over Kari’s face before she nodded, “Oh yes I know how they can be.” Shrugging off the tight emotions the cattaur smiled up at Bael, “Make certain you don’t sleep too much while on the job. They might think you’re taking this as a vacation rather than a quest.” Her tail curled up in faint amusement though worry clouded her heart. What would happen to Bael if he didn’t succeed? The question made her determination to help him even stronger. He was not going to fail!
She reached up and touched his cheek with a comforting hand, “No worries. You are right though I can help you now.” They would have never let her leave with him after all. All the elders found her as was a raw bundle of magical energy that they couldn’t tame. It drove them absolutely nuts. Her gaze gleamed at her triumph of finally escaping those long dark temple halls. It was the only thing she held onto to cover up the sorrow of missing home. Before they had saw her magical potential she had lived with her mother in the village and was free to roam as she pleased. The warm sands with the ocean waves reaching out for her paws…it was such a beautiful memory. Those moments she shared with her mother on those beaches were ones that she truly did cherish. Maybe it was true that her mother was the only one who had kept her behaved…then again. Her gaze slid to Bael and she smiled. Her stoic cousin had always been a good guardian as well.
Kari’s gaze widened in disbelief at his explanation, “The tome was stolen? No way!” She backed away from him and paced in a circle, “They must be truly flipping out over there then. That thing…that’s our home’s treasure and…” She paused and just stared at him, “What will they all do without it? It’s supposed to keep the island protected!” She bit her lip. That would mean that the path would be easier to open now, yet she couldn’t think of such things. What was the point in returning home if it wasn’t home anymore. If the path was open then the balance would be off…the elders should be able to keep it up, but that tome was their way of training more guardians of the island. Reaching into her pouch the cattaur reached up and touched the amulet. If she remember anything about her own training that medallion had a purpose.
“Well we better get started then!” Eyes glowing Kari tossed her quartz runes into the air and watched as they floated down perfectly. Glowing with the magic to track blood ties she smiled as the spell worked. That smile quickly turned to confusion, however, as she noticed two different ways were being pointed out. Was the tome divided in half? But no…it should be their thief that the trail went towards. Confused she glanced up at her cousin as the stones floated back into her pouch, “That…is odd.” She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, “We’ll just have to follow both trails. Surely they’ll connect, there must be a reason it takes two paths to meet one.” That would take too much time to take together though…she looked sadly at Bael. Was she really supposed to leave her cousin to take some divided path?
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:13 pm
Baelfire's position didn't allow him much time for socialization. His cousin's gentle touch was strange, but welcome. His parents had died when he'd been a child, and his brother had died in an accident as a young teen. Bael was prime guard material in the eyes of the elders, and he'd been trained for the lonely life since his brother's death.
He had been expecting Kari to be shocked by the news, but it still hit him hard to see her surprise. Right... He'd failed... While he knew she didn't intend her surprise in such a way, he naturally took it personally. The tome was his to guard. He'd done so successfully for years... He'd seen that shocked expression enough times to last until death. Though, thankfully, Kari's shock wasn't immediately followed by anger or disapproval or doubt of him. He'd seen enough of those looks as well. "Yes... I'd say that 'flipping out' would be putting it lightly." Those on the island who knew what had happened were in a near panic!
His ears perked as Kari reached for the amulet, and his eyes slid over to see the crystals. Ah. So she still had those. Good. He watched the quartz point the way. Wait... Point the ways? His brow knit with confusion, turning his head to look in the different directions. Why would...? "Unless someone got to the thieving woman before us..." he muttered darkly, imagining himself finding a bloody sack with half the woman in it.
"We don't have much choice. Her blood is the only lead at the moment. We must go where it leads." Looking to Kari... his gaze softened the tiniest bit. It's been quite a while since someone had looked at him like that. Now wasn't the time for emotion though. "Keep it to a day trip. If you find the thief, bring her back here. I will do the same. If you don't find her, return here by nightfall. That way, we'll both end up here and can discuss a plan for tomorrow."
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 6:12 pm
“Hmm. I would say so.” Despite the tightness in her chest from worry Kari could have made a gesture towards the idea of the elder’s great plan failing. Keeping everyone on that island like that ignorant of the rest of the isles…well no wonder there was panic! Her lip curled lightly at the thought before she shoved it aside. She needed to focus to help Bael, her other personal feelings could wait. As it was she was still puzzling over the trails given to them from her crystals. Kari sighed once more at the idea of the thief being already taken care of, “Let’s not hope for that since we’ll be lost without her.”
How ironic that they needed the thief in good shape to take back what she had stolen. Kari’s gaze gleamed with bitter amusement. Everything that was happening around her was so surreal. How was it that she finally got a chance to go back home, but was forced to stay here because if she went back there wouldn’t be a home? Oh the spirits really were enjoying this one. They were especially enjoying the whole finally reuniting with her cousin and now already having to separate once more.
Hearing his words made her perk up a bit, “Alright! I can definitely do that!” Grinning Kari gestured happily towards him, “I’ll be meeting you soon! Don’t scare anyone innocent and just be careful alright? Bye!” She quickly hugged him before racing off towards the second trail that had lit up. Alright, let’s do this!
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:34 pm
Baelfire inwardly smiled at his cousin's sudden enthusiasm. It always helped to have a plan. The hug caught him off guard though, and in his shock, he barely got one arm away from his side as he debated hugging her back before she spun and raced off. When she was gone, he looked down at his hand and sighed. He wasn't under the eyes... Why couldn't he...?
Snorting, he straightened his back, and marched in the other direction. One hand on his amulet, he followed the pull that steadily grew stronger, and ignored the weaker one. Kari was after that one...
Unbeknownst to him, something else followed the same trail as he. The magic of the talisman had drawn darker forces. They sensed the raw power, stronger than what usually inhabited the islands, and sought it out to take as their own...
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:51 pm
It wasn't long after Styxx had finished reading the bit of prose that he had moved back onto the forest path. Years ago tribes of hooved taur no doubt had used it to travel, but now he was lucky to have found tracks at all. His opaque eyes saw the forest for the death trap that it was, and yet, in it, he felt more peace than he ever did in town. Underneath the veneer of trees and gossamer tales was a dangerous place that would just as soon kill you than embrace. It was his kind of area.
Still, he took no chances, and for all intensive purposes leaned on his staff as if he truly were blind. He stumbled, catching his paws on roots he knew existed and hunched his back. If anyone lurked behind him, all they would see was the crippled hooded figure, and not the cat who lured out the prey that would hunt him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:16 pm
Kari followed the path the further she got away from Bael eyes the less bounce she held in her step. She was determined to finish this mission with him, but at the same time a knot of confusion haunted her. Should she really help the elders who had kept her away anyways? She looked down at her hands which had caused the storm in the past that had hurt the island. Her gaze softened at the memory. Not only had she been washed out to sea and silently expelled from the path to home her magic had probably hurt several that had been caught out in it. “Sheesh.” Kari scratched the back of her neck angrily. She hadn’t meant to! The elders hadn’t taught her anything about that type of magic…her gaze shifted. She was called a threat to the island and sent away since she had allowed it to become so wild and free.
“I couldn’t help my magic back then.” But now…Kari held up a hand and watched the shimmering ribbons of magic floating between her fingers. She would prove herself when she went back with Baelfire and show them what she could really do. Tome or not she could protect her home. She had control now after all.
She was so lost in her thoughts that Kari hadn’t realized that she was approaching another cattaur. Watching him she frowned. He was a cattaur correct? Even if his eyes were a brilliant silver she had to take pause, “Aren’t you stumbling a bit too much?” She called out with her arms crossed. Without the amulet to give her the tug of the paths the cattaur was on her own, Bael was too far away and her crystals didn’t have the amulet to guide them anymore. This was a guy anyway, her cousin was looking for a female right? But when she felt the last faint pulse of the crystals point the way once again she could only stare. It was a male…so surely not. Had she already lost the trail? Her nose wrinkled in aggravation. Great, just great.
More towards the east the forests grew darker and the trees older. Few wandered these paths anymore as the mist which covered most of the forest was dangerous to many. Illusions and monsters lurked here in these woods. The forbidden forest was like that and it was the reason her mother, a cattaur who was like a stalker of legend, kept her here. Arima didn’t mind and instead was comfortable in the mists. Sweet and kind the young female found herself tending to a wounded rabbit and sitting by the stream she worked magic to mend it’s leg. “There you go, sir.” Smiling warmly she rubbed the rabbit’s gray ears before letting go if it. The animal didn’t run and like most lingered around the cattaur as she looked into the water’s surface, “It’s another quiet day then.” Sighing she closed her eyes and leaned back against the soft moss covered ground. Once again her mother was off on some magical quest leaving her behind to be protected by the mists.
Arima would never understand her mother’s over protectiveness, but she didn’t mind. The forest was a nice place for her and she enjoyed spending days just wandering about playing with the animals and coming up with small spells of her own.
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:54 pm
Baelfire kept his hand firmly on the talisman. He didn't know these lands, and with the thick trees he was going through, he could easily become lost. Aside from that, he felt the back of his neck prickling. Something was coming up behind him... It wasn't on him yet, but it was there. Setting his jaw, he picked up his pace. He had to find the thief, and get back to the shore... Kari...
Suddenly, a dark weight seemed to press on his back. No! They hadn't been that close! They must have masked their presence! Spinning, he raised his fists, which began to glow with a blue aura. The aura spread along his body, in time to protect him from a mass of dark magic, knocking him a few feet back. Naga! He swung his fist, hitting the narrow face of a charging snake. The naga flew back, and smacked into a tree, but more rushed on by their fallen comrade, aiming for the talisman.
They were wild naga, hungry for power... the thing around the feline's neck was power... the magic the feline itself held was power...
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:25 pm
Styxx could feel the prescence of another long before he knew she was there, and even longer before he knew it was a she. A strong willed part of him wished she would just disappear. What use was a relaxing, deep forest walk when there was such an unpleasant interruption? Not only was she rude, she was a cattaur, and just as slimy as anyone else of her race.
"Forgive me for not being as sheer footed as you." Styxx quipped sharply, keeping his eyes to the woods around her without ever really looking at her. It was as much a part of his act as it was his own personal distaste for her. Naturally, she blocked his path, causing him to halt his movements. Not before he reached out to give a tentative feel of the path, innocently swinging his staff at her shin. "Now if you'll move I'll take my stumbling elsewhere."
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