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 Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 8:00 pm
Mei-Lin was too tired to the world to notice the shifting winds. Dark magic was on the horizon and it bore no good news for the young unitaur who was barely able to lift her heavy body. The winds were swirling a warning about her but she was blinded to them. Even if she had noticed then perhaps it was just the fact that she simply didn’t care anymore. What was the point of fighting something when she had no real purpose? Her own aura was different now, it blended in perfectly with the dangerous one coming towards her. No light was seen only a faint pulse which laid concealed in her pitch black eyes.
Another heard the cries of the wind though. Frantically Avaniswari left the safe haven with intent. “Mei-Lin!” Unlike her niece the earth Unitaur was one with the earth and no magic was seen. Just like she was a part of the forest itself the unitaur moved out. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t locate Mei-Lin for the world. Where was the light which she normally shined? Even the faintest hints of magic to lead her to her were missing amongst the dark.
Moving through the woods as the plants themselves the unitaur headed towards the only place she could think of - Christian. If there was hope then that just meant her niece was with the dark unitaur.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 9:38 pm
Xibalba's henchmen were not unkind in their attack. She had the utmost respect for her enemies, and would have skinned the first naga that would have harmed a single flower on the unitaur's sweet head.
They swarmed her then, with the armless standing off at a perimeter's check, using their magic to lull the female into a forced sleep. The longer they worked, the closer the ground forces moved in, until they were close enough to toss their weighted nets ontop of her...
Upon Raflas' Mountain the darker unitaur tended to his rabbits. Amidst the frigid, swirling cold around them, a large hut had been arranged with a magically steady climate that allowed the small creatures to roam as they pleased. The Mountain itself was said to be cursed by the spirits themselves; a trap for all those living and dead, should they choose to climb it's peaks. In truth, it had been a trap his own family had set up decades ago in an attempt to ward off strangers. It had worked, but maybe a little too well. The vegetation itself was dead and gone, leaving large black trunks as sentries all across the ashen stone. If one passed the Bog of Lost Souls they would reach the tundra, and there in, find Christian.
"Shh, shh, Gretchen. Calm." He held the older doe in his arms, stroking her long fur with gentle fingers. A storm raged outside; surprisingly enough, one not of his own creation. The snow would consume them soon enough.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:29 pm
Avaniswari wrinkled her nose as she walked onto the rough mountain. It was so dead here. Sighing, the older unitaur shook her head gracefully as she patted an ashen stump, “Such a waste of potential”. Why was it that her niece looked to the owner of these lands so fondly? If they were fortunate this was just a misstep of the heart. After all how could one so full of life…live freely in death? As it was the unitaur was praying, hoping with all of her soul that her niece would be here. It was so dead though…could Mei-Lin really have come this way and not left a trace of life?
Her own steps left traces everywhere. Where the magic of death had taken hold a light of life pushed through in her wake. Sensing the storm overhead the unitaur gasped and increased her speed. As if in warning the ground before her rippled as her hooves burned through the dust. Her own form rippled into nature itself as the unitaur passed from dead tree to tree as if a mist. It was in this form that she took to the skies and without warning dropped down into the tundra as the earth rumbled one last time. “Where is she?” Avaniswari wasted no time as she threw open the door of the hut, “Where is Mei-Lin?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:41 pm
Not even Christian's magical influence could qwell the fear the rabbits displayed at seeing another Unitaur. The scurried and scampered around his hooves, making their way for their warren as fast as their legs would carry them. As it stood, he was forced to hold Gretchen a little tighter, until she had calmed, and he was able to sooth her frayed nerves with a rub down.
If she were here, would I be? The response would have brought nothing positive to the table, so instead her turned to meet Mei-Lin's relative with a gaunt stare. "There has been no one on this mountain for the past three hundred years beyond myself and a cattaur. Your niece is not here." He was so far removed from all other life forces on the mountain that he hadn't registered why Avaniswari would be concerned. If anything, he was more put out than anything. Could these women leave well enough alone?
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:30 am
If she hadn’t been so upset over her niece’s welfare then the unitaur perhaps would have felt ashamed for just barging in as she did. This time, however, her concern was far from disturbing the other unitaur’s peace and quiet. “If that’s the case why do you think I came to disturb such a dead land?” Her gaze flashed emerald and the unitaur crossed her arms to still the shaking limbs. If Mei-Lin wasn’t here…then…she …she…Avaniswari had to close her eyes at the faded memories. She would not succumb to the pain again. Not of losing all of them when she still had the one left, her niece.
Eyes burning the unitaur looked sharply at Christian, “Then thank you for at least letting me know that.” Turning she made to leave before pausing…if her niece cared so much about this one then shouldn’t he at least care to know? Did he not understand the worry building inside of her? “Nagas.” The word left her lips in a dry whisper, “Dark magic just swept through the forests. I – I haven’t seen her. Her aura just vanished a bit ago. But I was hoping…hoping that she had met you and was here.”
Because if Mei-Lin wasn't with Christian...then that meant the possibility of Mei being somewhere much darker.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:40 pm
Life tended to bother Christian more than he would have liked. The constant harassment, while nothing new now, was something he was forcing himself to cope better with. Usually it ended with a separation of some sort, but this...He nodded to Avaniswari, ready to let her go, when her next word chilled him. "Nagas?"
He placed the rabbit on a nearby hutch, and gave her a light massage at the base of her neck before giving his full attention to the fellow Unitaur. "...we spoke a few days ago, but I haven't seen her since. If her aura is gone, then Mei-Lin has been taken."
Damn it to hell! That woman, kidnapped?! Hadn't she listened to a word he'd told her. The rage started building inside of him and something else caused his blood to run cold. He was worried, so worried, that something worse than death would come to that little slip of a girl.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:59 pm
Avaniswari faltered as Christian said what she had been so reluctant to admit. Mei-Lin had been stolen away by nagas? But with a force that dark…it hadn’t been normal nagas. “Oh no.” She clutched at the door frame for support, “Oh no no no…” Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at the other unitaur, “We have to save her. Anything something…” Vines reached up along her legs comfortingly as the unitaur looked around.
“I can scry…do something to find her.” She thought frantically of where her niece could have been taken. She wasn’t much of a fighter though…how could she? But the magic wouldn’t let her through though would it? She had already tried scrying after all. If a cobra…oh gods if it was a cobra naga that had her niece. “Obviously I shouldn’t bother you about this matter…” She looked up at him suddenly, “After all you’re the one who probably chased her into this!” Her gaze flashed and ancient magic curled around the unitaur, “Didn’t you say you saw her a few days ago? Why did you leave her alone out there?” She shook her head. No it was unwise to let her emotions get the best of her. “As it is I need to go find a way to save her. I refuse to lose my niece to them.”
Everything felt so different. She felt different.Wincing Mei-Lin pushed herself up so that she could stare at her surroundings. Such a soft feeling…looking down she blinked in surprise at the lush blankets she had been laying on. The whole room was like one from a story tale. It was luxurious with items that shone and gleamed. “What is this?” She was so confused. Everything was foggy as if she had been sleeping for days.
Reaching up the unitaur rubbed next to her eyes in an attempt to clear her mind. Her hair though kept falling in her face. It wasn’t messy, but curled? Blinking Mei-Lin reached up and grabbed at a dark strand to stare at it with fascination. Really what was going on here? “Surely…” Ah, there it was! She nearly dropped the mirror as she stared at her reflection. Who had dressed her? Flushing lightly the unitaur stared at the foreign image. Her dress was completely different…dark pink and black silk with a low cut top that flowed. Shyly she tugged at it to cover more, but it stubbornly slipped back into place. Her hand strayed to her neck though where a choker made of fine jewels and silver gleamed. In the middle was a bell, a crystal bell which once she tapped it chimed lovely in the quiet room.
Her gaze darkened however as confusion slowly started to lift away and the memory of leaving her home to find him came back. She had found him alright, but had been left alone once again. She couldn’t remember anything other than falling asleep in the forest though, “So how did I get here?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:09 pm
Oh yes. Christian's grim, tight-lipped frown was what forced his heart to beat. "Before you bite the hand that feeds, I suggest you think about your position. Neither of us can find her alone, and if you attack again, whether with words or any other means, Mei-Lin will be the one who suffers." He who was so proficient with keeping his emotions at bay was a spiraling ball of growing rage. The storm above the hut intensified, and the walls themselves began to buckle in the intensity of it, despite how truly thick they were.
They had dared take what was his. He may not have claimed her as she wished, but Mei-Lin was his to protect and should the offending cobra harm a single hair on her head he would line his mountain with their scales after peeling them off one by one.
Christian stalked towards the entrance of the hut, and stepped past Avaniswari without so much as giving her a backward glance. "Try scrying if you want, but you'll get no where. Very few Cobras would take a Unitaur prisoner instead of murdering them, and I intend to visit every single one."
Just outside the castle walls larks and sparrows fluttered among one another betwixt flowering trees. Large ropes of budding vines spiraled around stone arches as gardeners clipped the sickened from the crops in the tempered sun. As with any picture perfect day, the wind wrapped around the castle itself, spinning webs of song through it's hallways and corridors.
A young naga knocked twice on the guest chamber door before slipping in. Her cheeks were freckled with youth, and her hair was pinned atop her head with a large blue rose. In her arms she carried a breakfast tray laden with fresh fruits, juicy meats, and a variety of juices. "I'm glad to see that your awake, I had begun to worry." She smiled and sat the tray on the table next to one set of large bay windows.
Her scaled tail undulated until it settled in a loose coil beneath her. "I tried to bring a variety of foods I thought you might like, but if you would rather have something else I can fetch it for you. I would ask that you eat quickly though; her majesty will want to see you."
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:26 pm
“I know.” Avaniswari replied through gritted teeth. Why was it that he was being the reasonable one now? She clenched her fists in frustration. If only he had pulled through earlier and been there for her niece before this had happened though. Avanis looked over at the dark unitaur with a sigh. There was a time for wondering later. They had to act now not later. Still the earth rumbled in reply to the storm above. Odd to see someone who doesn’t care – caring so much. This was no time for mysteries though. Avanis shook her head.
“Alright. What should we do then? Just go through and fight every cobra around?” She replied quietly as she followed after the male. “If we do that I’m pretty certain it’ll alert the community to the fact that the unitaurs are looking for one of their own.” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “The last thing I want is for her to be forever hidden or to just find her body abandoned somewhere…”
Mei-Lin had been staring outside of the windows and so jumped in surprise when another presence entered the room. Even more so was she surprised to see a naga. One being so polite at that. “Worry?” She frowned and rubbed her head so more. Why was a naga worried about her waking up? Why wasn’t she dead? As it was her heart still sat heavily in her chest. She just felt so numb at this point save for the confusion.
There really was still no fight in her at all.
Her fingers trailed over the tray of food and hovered there for a brief moment before she pulled back and shook her head, curls dancing about her face and earrings glittering. “No thank you. I…I don’t believe I can eat.” She had no desire to eat. Not now. Confusion was the only thing to light up her gaze as she stared at the young naga, “Her majesty?” What now?
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:42 am
"Exactly." Christian smiled; it was an odd thing, that held more dark promise than anything else. When lightning cracked behind him it matched the color of his eyes. It was a ludicrous idea; one that burned him to the very core of his being, but it had to be done. "Whatever cobra took her will be looking for more. If we can't find them, let them come to us."
He stood for a moment before his body began to change. It shifted and contorted, even popping painfully at moments before his fur changed to that of dark feathers. Within mere seconds he had transformed into a harpy. "Come." He took off at a dead run and launched himself into the air, keen on the place where he had last seem Mei-Lin.
The nagling nodded, a sympathetic frown marring her youthful face. "The Maester's did quite the number on you...not physically, mind you, but the magic..." She shivered, and reached to poor a glass of water before setting up the breakfast table.
"Come now, you're going to need it for later. Going so long without food isn't going to do you any favors. At least try some of my muffins. I've made strawberry, blackberry, and honey. Her majesty just loves them." She frowned, looking a little confused herself, but then realization dawned on her. "Oh right, I forgot that you were new. Pardon me, miss. Her Majesty Xibalba is ruling Queen of these lands. She'll be very excited to meet you."
Giving a little bow, the young naga made her way back to the door. "Someone will be coming by shortly to get you." With a smile, she pulled it closed behind her, and was followed by the audible click of a lock.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 9:49 am
Avaniswari nearly paused in her tracks before forcing herself forward. Even though as the smallest of children she had witnessed the end results of the war from centuries ago it was rare to see that type of unitaur. He truly could scare her with the briefest of looks at time. It was so different from her own family, from Mei-Lin’s own light that shadow was. Still it oddly enough gave her hope. If anyone could save Mei then it was this male in front of her. As much as she didn’t like the idea of it she really was going to have to rely on him.
“Che.” She wrinkled her nose. He would want to take to the air, away from her precious earth. Giving one last look at the ground the unitaur sighed. “Alright then.” Running behind him she opened her arms and welcoming the strands of wind which followed the harpy turned into a stream of flower petals which flashing brightly for the briefest of moments in the sky quickly followed the male.
Mei-Lin frowned in confusion, “The maesters? Did a number on me?” She pressed her hand to her forehead again as a wave of dizziness washed over her. This was all too much. Strange magics in such a foreign place with her heart still feeling so empty…even the kindness of the girl did not help ease her. As the servant explained things to her the unitaur could only blink mutely before watching as she left.
This was just too much.
Her Majesty Xibalba? Mei-Lin sighed and sank down to the floor. What was this? What did this majesty want with her? To kill her? Steal her horn and add her soul to the hundreds lost? Was this really the fate of her kind to just slowly bleed away before disappearing completely from the world? Her hand trailed lightly towards the tray but as Mei-Lin placed the delicious muffin on her lips she could only manage a half-hearted bite before tossing it to the floor. What was the point after all?
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:28 pm
It would have been little over an hour later that the doors were opened and a retinue of naga stood outside in varying degrees of servant ware. Those with arms all bore similar marks on their clothing; three servants in varying shades of pink spiraling into a circular motion. However, it was the two without arms that stepped into the room. Both were male, one older and the other young, each with vined satchels tied about their waists.
"Her Majesty will see you now," The elder spoke, giving a motion with his head to indicate the door.
"And don't you dare dawdle, you-" The younger snapped, that is, until a stern look from his elder silenced him.
"Excuse him, M'lady, he's young and ill trained. Please, if you'll follow us we shall take you to the Queen."
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:15 pm
Mei found herself pacing the room while she waited. Even with all the luxury about her the unitaur felt the same as if she were in an empty cage with cold iron bars. Though being in such a room did give her hands things to trail over and pillows to throw half-heartedly at the window. Eventually she gave up and just sat on the bed with a sigh. Rubbing the heels of her hands against her eyes in frustration Mei just ended up silently crying with her head in her hands. But even her tears wouldn’t fall, rather it just stung her eyes.
Could she not even cry anymore? Was her heart that far gone? The unitaur felt completely shattered. She felt so broken that she didn’t even care about life anymore that when she looked up and saw the two armless naga come in she didn’t even flinch. The threat from the younger actually made her grin bitterly, “Or what? You’ll go ahead and kill me now?” She stretched out her arms and spoke quietly, “Go ahead and do it.” I have nothing left to live for now. Maybe he was right. At least her horn could be here far from his eyes and he would never have to know about this. It was easier to disappear quietly rather than let him be hurt for her. A bitter feeling welled up in her chest. At least this way…he could continue on with his life in the shadows. And her light wouldn’t bother him ever again.
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 5:20 pm
The older naga shook his head, giving an impassive glance at the unitaur before him while his younger counterpart looked almost eager to be on with the challenge. "Your death is not for the likes of us to decide. Our mistress will be the judge of that."
While the elder slunked into the doorway, holding his tail out in a gesture to the door the younger slithered back into the hallway. Clearly the two meant to flank her, leaving no room for error in such a small walkway.
"If you're lucky she'll cut off that pretty horn of yours and make a crown out of it. Maybe she'll even let you live." The younger sneered with a laugh.
The elder frowned, turning back to his companion with a stern look. "Hold your tongue, else I cut it off and turn it into a crown for the Unitaur myself."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me, boy, and you'll see my venom.
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Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:44 pm
Mei-Lin’s lip curled at the word mistress. So she was in some demented naga queen’s castle then? Her hands clenched tightly at her sides before falling limp in resignation. Once she would have fought with all she had, but now she really didn’t care. It would be interesting to see what the naga would do to her. After all the horror stories…strangely enough she felt no fear. What would it be like to live without a horn? Would she be normal then? A soft laugh escaped her at the thought. No surely life wouldn’t be that simple.
A small smirk flickered across her features as the older one chastised the younger naga. Such a bold one that one…a dark twisted image of a mangled body flashed through her mind. Blinking the remnant of Mei-Lin’s innocence pushed it away quickly. Something like that…she would never! “Just take me to your mistress already.” Mei-Lin spoke up sharply, “I don’t think she would appreciate having to wait just because of bickering.” Her dark gaze swept over the younger naga like ice before she looked towards the older one waiting for him to lead the way.
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