[PRP] Bundle of despair (Imre x Aeldra x Anadeia)

[Faithofthefallen]

This is a PRP between Spelldancer, Faithofthefallen, and -[The Spoof]-


and

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Within the shaded confines of his basker, Aeldra thrashed. The supple woven wicker had once seemed huge, cradling his small form, keeping him warm and comfortable as he finished developing. His fluffy, bottlebrush tail wrapped around his body like a warm blanket, part of him wanted to keep on sleeping. There had been some time ago where he had been jolted by a huge upheaval, he had been tumbled and tossed for some time before finally coming to rest again. The basket was becoming uncomfortable. More and more his movements felt restricted, he needed to uncurl, to stretch, but there was no room. Aeldra tried to relax back into the near constant state of relaxed unconsciousness but his mind refused to slip away. An incessant uncomfortable sensation rumbled through his midsection. Aeldra bared his fangs and growled at it, sheathing and unsheathing his needle like claws into the material beneath his paws in a kneading motion, feeling the fibers begin to fray from his ministrations. Instinct began to take over at that point, growling and sniffing, he bucked and slashed, carving his way to freedom.

spelldancer

-[The Spoof]-

 

[spelldancer]

Imre stood protectively over his baskets. They weren’t his baskets in the biological sense but they were still his. He had rescued them from the river. He had made sure they were still breathing, and he had kept the baskets dry and at a good temperature. And he would raise them up right. He would raise them properly, not like the witch had done with him, even though he had only the vaguest ideas of what properly was.

As his mind began to wander back to the time he had discovered the abandoned baskets, Imre thought about what might have happened if he had not been there that day. Imre shuddered at the thought of these precious baskets being washed away and drowned in the river. The harrowing time that had been the rescue left a strong impression in his mind. No other baskets would go through this ordeal if Imre had any say in the matter. He would rescue all the baskets that needed rescuing.

Under him the baskets began to rock and Imre stepped back to watch. “You can do it.” He cooed at the rocking basket and gave it an encouraging nudge. As he watched the miracle happening Imre heaved a sigh of relief. He had been afraid of failing the baskets and having to watch them die even after saving them. The noises coming from the basket began to alarm Imre. Was the foal in distress? Moving a little closer to help, Imre quickly backed up again and the foal slashed his way out of the basket. What had he found? Suddenly afraid Imre tried to be a good dad still. “It is all right little one. You are free and safe.”

Faithofthefallen

-[The Spoof]-

 

[That Artemis]

She slept peacefully in the darkness, not quite comfortable in the basket that was becoming too small for her growing form. She dreamed of light and noise, water rushing in through the weave of her home. With a start she awoke and for a moment wondered what had been the cause, wicker crackling around her was her answer - a voice reached her sensitive ears as her vessel was jostled from the outside.

Anadeia growled low in her throat, annoyed at the interruption of her sleep and at the confines of her prison. With a flex of her claws she ripped through the side of her basket and into the light, ready to express her displeasure with whatever was out there and making so much noise.

Faithofthefallen

spelldancer

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Light blinded Aeldra as the wall of the basket finally gave way and daylight pierced his sensitive eyes. He tumbled out onto the grass and immediately curled his lanky limbs into a ball, pulling his long wooly tail across and over his face in defense. His large ears were erect and alert however, they swivelled towards the voice, flicking in recognition when they found the source of the voice. His small nose wiggled as he sniffed the air. He had heard this voice before, talking to him while he slept. Aeldra's hearing was incredibly acute, he could hear a vole tunneling a few feet beneath them, a lizard ruffling through the leaves on a tree yards away. Food. His mouth parted in a yawn, revealing elongated canines. Aeldra still didn't like the light, but it wasn't as shocking to his senses as a moment before. He opened his bright blue eyes to slits, shifting his tail so he could peek up at the large stallion standing before him. Another loud crack rent the air, making his head flick to the side where another pelted and pawed filly had emerged, blinking. His ears rotated down and to the side as a territorial growl vibrated in his throat. Rising to his paws in one swift motion, he glared at the filly. He was daintier than his sister, long and lean, with a tail fully half of his body length, but he was agile, with teeth made for ripping, and he wouldn't hesitate to attack his sister to establish dominance and indeed, nearly lunged at her, until his stomach rumbled again.

...

Aeldra decided food was more important for the moment. He sidled towards the Stallion, his dainty paws barely ruffling the grass as he lowered his body to the ground as if preparing to pounce. His eyes followed every movement the stallion made. Perhaps he would allow the other filly to do the work of taking the stallion down, then he would chase her away and have this prey to himself. His lips parted in an eager grin as his tail swished back and forth in an excited wag. He wouldn't admit that to her of course, but he didn't mind letting someone else do the heavy work as long as he was the one who benefitted in the end.

spelldancer

-[The Spoof]-

 

[spelldancer]

Imre told himself that he was being silly to be afraid. There were his foals and they knew his voice, his scent, and that he was there to protect them and not let anything happen to them again. But it was still with caution that Imre began to move back towards the baskets. The other one was moving now and might need help.

Only to quickly back pedal and nearly hop backwards when he got a look at the foals. This couldn’t be right. Maybe the foals just had pelt like things? Maybe they were not… not… no they could not be skinwalkers. But they were. The pelts were fused and came up over the head. Imre’s eyes rolled in fear as he continued to back up.

Imre was feeling stupid and falling into a despairing state. He had put so much hope and excitement into these baskets and now, now it was all gone. Imre shook his head from side to side and tried to think. Maybe if…? “Hello little ones. Welcome to the world. Is there anything that you need? I could go get it for you?” His voice was shaky and higher pitched than usual as he continued to back up not wanting to take his eyes off the foals.

Faithofthefallen

-[The Spoof]-

 

[That Artemis]

She blinked for a moment in surprise, having not expected quite so...much, to be outside of the basket. As Anadeia's eyes adjusted to the light she heard her brother growl at her and immediately turned to snarl back - ignoring the other being who smelled like fear for the moment. The only threat in the area that registered to her senses was the other walker that had emerged from his basket only moments before her. Just because he had escaped his wicker prison first didn't mean he could get ideas about who would be dominant.

She was considering attacking him but when the prey began speaking her attention swiveled to him for a moment, and at the offer she straightened from the aggressive stance she had taken in the silent standoff with her sibling. "Hmmm. Something we need?" she rumbled, suddenly intensely aware of the gnawing hunger in her belly. Now that she had noticed it, it was all she could think about. She turned to her brother as he sidled closer to the stallion, setting aside her animosity for the moment, "What do you think brother, what do we need?" she said innocently. It would be best if he helped her take down their meal, as with the hunger came an awareness of a weakness in her young body. Anadeia would grow stronger as she aged, but for the moment taking on a full grown stallion would prove challenging on her own.

Faithofthefallen

Spelldancer

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Aeldra stalked closer, his large ears plastered against his skull as his bright blue eyes followed the stallion's every movement. His nostrils flared as he sampled the air around this creature. For just a moment, Aeldra lifted his head, his ears flicking up in response to The stallion's shaky welcome, sly eyes narrowing in interest, but they flattened again as the heady scent of fear drifted through the air. He sensed that perhaps this stallion could prove useful to him alive. Aeldra turned that thought over in his small head for a few moments. At his sister's words, Aeldra's fur stood on end and his eyes lit with a terrible fervor. The very tip of his tail twitched back and forth hypnotically as he closed the distance between him and his intended prey with catlike stealth, step by step, edging as close as he could without spooking the stallion. If his sister had not been here to challenge his claim, he might have tried to make use of the soquili before making a meal of him...Meal... His midsection rumbled again incessant, insistent. Maybe if he wasn't so hungry. He would try with the next soul foolish enough to cross paths with him.

He eyed his sister warily. Sister the word was empty of meaning to the colt. There was no trust between them, no love, no connection beyond this shared hunger and shared opportunity. Aeldra was too small to risk trying to bring down this prey on his own, and was hesitant to put himself on the line in a fight with a strong, full grown stallion. He was only a few minutes old, but his instinct for self preservation was already very strong. On his own, Aeldra would have no advantage, and to attack, Aeldra wanted to have an advantage.... But, with the filly to distract the stallions attention, he felt his chances were good to walk away from this meal unscathed. Once the stallion was down, he could overpower and kill the other foal and keep both carcasses for himself, the thought excited him. Aeldra licked his lips, "We need food, sister" he purled sweetly, his voice dripping with mock sincerity, "And this stallion has been kind enough to provide just that." He would play nice, cooperate to lower her guard, and then turn on her the moment the opportunity presented itself. Satisfied with his plan, Aeldra focused the whole of his attention on the stallion before him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, water filled his mouth.

Anticipation built as Aeldra waited for someone to make the first move, would the stallion run? Would his sister attack? If the stallion ran, Aeldra and the filly could chase him until his strength gave out, if he could drag the chase out long enough, his sister might be too worn to fight him off, Aeldra's dainty body was built for endurance and speed, not power, he definitely wanted the other foal and the stallion to wound and wear each other down. Aeldra would go easy on the stallion until he judged that his sister was beaten enough to be an easy target, he didn't think the filly would require more than his token assistance to weaken their prey, then Aeldra would turn on both of them. It was a good plan.

spelldancer

-[The Spoof]-

 

[spelldancer]

Imre’s eyes rolled in fear before focusing on the two foals again. He knew he shouldn’t look away, but he couldn’t help the reaction. Food, they said. They wanted food. And Imre was sure that they meant for him to be the food. He might, might, be able to out run them and as he continued to back away Imre considered whether to risk it. There were two, and they had his scent. All they had to do was follow it. But they were foals and didn’t know much of tracking. If he could find a stream… no, that would not work.

In his agitation, Imre unconsciously fluttered his wings. He felt the breeze and jumped a little looking over his shoulder to see if there was another threat. All he saw were his wings. His wings… he could fly. If it hadn’t been so dire, Imre would have chided himself for forgetting that fact. But he barely ever flew. He turned his head back to see the foals and they seemed to be closer than before. But he had the advantage now of height. But He couldn’t be cocky. Imre wasn’t the best flyer, having never been taught properly, and it took him a running start to get going.

“Well, now.” He began trying to stall and distract the predators. “What about going and finding a nice buffalo to eat? I am sure that those would feed you for a week.” He knew they wouldn’t but the more they thought that he was stupid the longer he had to preparer. “Why would you want to eat something that is the same species as you?” Well, technically they were the same species but most didn’t see it that way.” The hungry looks on their faces did nothing to comfort him. He decided to try one last tactic. “I could be of use to you. Heal you when you are hurt. Why kill what is useful?” His voice shook with fear.

Imre was still backing away though and he was quite positive that he had not convinced them at all. It was not an easy thing to reason with hunger in an ordinary soquili. To try to do it with a skinwalker foal was madness. And yet, here he was trying anyway. In his own agitation, Imre couldn’t even tell if he was managing to put distance between the foals and him or if they were already stalking him. With one last attempt to trick the intelligent but hungry and very young foals, Imre shouted, voice cracking at the end, “Look behind you! Food!” Then he spun around and took off at a gallop. Four strides in he attempted to launch himself off the ground, only to fall back down and stumble.

Faithofthefallen

So sorry for the delay. I will try to be more prompt from now on.

-[The Spoof]-

Feel free to rough him up a little and give him some cuts that are serious, but not too life threatening, before Imre finally gets away.

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Aeldra's excitement grew, anticipation singing in his veins as the stallion began backing away, Imre's eyes registering the horror of the situation. The colt lifted his snout and inhaled, his sensitive nose picking up the scent of fear beginning to permeate the air. Aeldra marvelled at the intensity of his senses, muffled and muted till now by the basket's fibers, he was in awe of the bouquet of smells drifting on the air, how each flick of his overlarge ears carried to him new sounds.

He raised an eyebrow at the Stallion's attempt to disway them and suddenly laughed, "You? The same species as us?" he sneered. Flexing his delicate paws, he held up one glistening razorlike claw for the stallion to examine at his leisure, they made all the difference. Again, his interest piqued at the stallion's offer, but no. Aeldra shook his head in disgust. Unbeknownst to the foal, his sire would have leapt at the chance to take this stallion as his pet and break him down before disposing of him, but Aeldra had not inherited that desire. He might use a soquili temporarily if he had need of it, he might not always kill his victims, but he would not keep a tame healer. "Because its fun." He relayed with a bloodthirsty smile that twisted his childish features into a greusome mask.

He felt powerful, dangerous, when the stallion launched away from him and his sister, he streaked after him without another thought. After a moment, he heard Anadeia follow, for a few moments he enjoyed how easy it was for his small nimble form to duck and weave through the underbrush, his muscles bunching and releasing in a seemingly endless burst of energy. He gained on the stallion and snapped at his fetlocks, then fell back again. The stallion gave a great lurch of his wings, lifting off the ground for a moment before stumbling.

Abandoning his good plan, instinct took over in the heat of the moment. Aeldra gave a great leap, sinking his claws into Imre's flesh leaving small but deep gauges as he clung to the stallion with all of his strength. He opened his jaws to rip into flesh with his pronounced canines but his teeth were too weak to rip open the stallion's hide. He growled, but lost his hold and tumbled off of the stallion, nimbly leaping out of reach of Imre's hooves, he shook himself in irritation and stood back, licking the blood from his claws absentmindedly. He eyes the stallion intensely, his tail flicking back and forth, his teeth bared in frustration. He couldn't take down this stallion alone, his jaws were not strong enough yet, he needed his sister to make this kill, and he hated her for his weakness.

spelldancer

No worries at all! Things happen smile Reply whenever you can, no need to feel pressured on the speed n_n

-[The Spoof]-

 

[That Artemis]

Anadeia was beyond the point of speaking, the hunger in her belly and in her mind had grown at an incredible rate and as the stallion in front of them backed away, fluttering and clearly terrified, it triggered the hunter which was only ever just covered by a veneer of rationality within her mind. She crouched, preparing to give chase even as her brother beat her to it.

"Hey, he's mine!" she growled, giving chase. Anadeia felt satisfaction as her brother failed to do much damage - as well as making note of how he failed. As her prey reeled and flailed under the weight of her sibling she attempted to lunge for his throat, claws first. There was a moment which to her felt like an eternity, her goal inching closer to her and even though this would be her first meal she could almost imagine how the warm life blood would taste on her tongue. Her mouth watered in anticipation and she bared her teeth in triumph as she made contact. The feeling quickly turned to rage as she only scored a glancing blow to his neck, her momentum carrying her past him and beyond. She screamed her fury as she whipped around to face him again, now on the opposite side from her sibling. At least they had him penned in, she noted distantly through the haze of the hunt. She tried to catch the other's eye while keeping an eye on her meal - if he was helpful to her she may even let him have some, she thought.

spelldancer

No worries, I can be pretty slow to tag myself. C: Just take your time!

Faithofthefallen

 

[spelldancer]

Imre knew, he knew he would not get another chance but that didn’t mean he didn’t stop trying to get away. Even as one of them, male of female Imre didn’t know, grabbed him, Imre was trying to regain footing and launch again. But the shock and pain of the bite caused him to gasp and stumble again. The next bite on his neck nearly made Imre give up, but as the foal slid off and skidded to a stop in front of him, Imre realized that he had been given a second chance. It was not as good as the first chance he had been given but it would have to do. He would have to make it do.

As the two foals eyed each other doing whatever predators do, Imre gathered determination, strength, and will together. He had one last chance to get away. If he could launch himself off the ground from a stand still he might get away. But to do that, Imre would have to shrink at the same time because he was simply not good enough at flying yet to do it at full size. If there had been time, Imre would have cursed the witch that had raised him for never teaching him to fly. But he did not have time or mental energy to spare to do that just then. When he was safe again he would practice, practice, and practice, until he was able to fly in his sleep.

He could feel the blood dripping down his side. That would be something that he would have to deal with later. Not much later though, because the blood could lead the two right to him once he got away if he wasn’t careful. It wouldn’t be that hard for them to track the blood drops, but maybe they would decide he wasn’t worth the effort. Imre, however, wasn’t going to count on that happening.

Scared more than he had ever been, and knowing that if he failed he was dead, Imre managed to focus in a sharp and steady way unlike before. Imre turned sideways so he could see both of the foals. One breath brought with it calm, another brought preparation, and the third brought movement. He bent and leaped forward between the two skinwalker foals and began to shrink at the same time. It took all his concentration to begin flying and to shrink, so much so that he lost track of the foals. But he was moving now. He finished shrinking and to his delight was still in the air. As fast as he could he began to climb. If he could make it to a tree he could heal himself and then figure out how to lose the two skinwalkers out for his blood.

-[The Spoof]-

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Simmering with frustration, Aeldra was still delicately cleaning his paws and considering how to proceed. The only way his good plan would work was if the stallion and his sister finished each other off, or if one died and one was left gravely injured enough for him to easily complete the job. Oh, his claws were plenty sharp, he could use those, but he sensed that he would not be able to take down larger prey for quite some time... He could live off of small prey, certainly, but it would be a lot like work to feed himself, and Aeldra was pretty sure he didn't care for working, especially if he could get someone else to do it for him.

Peeking up for a moment, he caught his sister's eye. Hmm.
She was stronger and bigger than he, she seemed amenable to cooperation, to an extent. Perhaps he could use her until he grew big enough. Yes, that would work out quite nicely, he smiled toothily, satisfied with this course of action. Well then, if he didn't want his sister dead yet, there was no need to prolong the inevitable. The stallion could be taken down immediately and their hungers sated.

He growled again, baring his teeth threateningly, he flexed and unflexed his sharp claws, kneading the earth as if sharpening them. Suddenly, the stallion turned, his face terrified but focused, he leapt towards them. Aeldra gasped in surprise, he hadn't really expected a counter attack, at least not this soon, he braced himself for the blow and to launch an attack of his own, but the blow never came.

Aeldra blinked.

The stallion was gone! The foal whirled around, to his intense astonishment, a tiny stallion colored...butterfly? Was making a beeline for the tree. No, it was the stallion, but diminutive. Shock registered on Aeldra's features and then disgust, unless the stallion changed back he would be no more than a mouthful now, hardly worth the trouble. Still, irritated, he leapt up and snapped at the little stallion, just barely missing him, sharp teeth snapping underneath Imre's dangling hooves.

He landed nimbly and followed he stallion to the tree, his eyes tracking the movement of the flutter. He couldn't leap any higher. He didn't care if the stallion was too small to eat, now he wanted blood in vengeance for his stolen meal. Bracing his front paws against the rough trunk he gazed intensely at the flash of color, his head moving to track each movement. Aledra turned to his sister, "Can you climb?" he inquired, his voice charged with the idea. He thought he might be able to, but if he was wrong and he fell, he might break something... Better to let Anadeia take the risk if she could do it.

-[The Spoof]-

spelldancer