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It was the middle of the night, and Rand was awake. He had been tossing and turning in his bed for hours, unable to sleep. Something was tugging at him, pulling at his insides, and instinctively he fought it, clutching the mattress beneath him and grinding his teeth together, as if to say No! I won't go!

Falling asleep had been weird lately. He kept having dreams about some place lying in ruins, as if it were waiting for something. As if it was his job to restore it...the dream nagged at him, making him think there was something he was missing. He was sure he had seen the place before, but he didn't know where...

"Nngh!"

With a stifled cry, Rand hit the floor of his room, having rolled right off the bed in his restlessness. Before he knew what was happening, he was on his feet and opening the window.

Green eyes gazed at the storm outside, as the wind took the rain and carried it into his room, soaking the boy's shirt. Lightning flashed, and Rand placed both hands on the window ledge.

Fine. I'll go.

Despite the wind, despite the rain, Rand climbed down the two story tavern, sure-footed. He had done this dozens of times before, escaping both his mother and Verde's watchful eyes. He knew each foothold by heart, and even in the bleakest storm or blackest night, he knew he wouldn't slip.

Bare feet landed on the wet sand of the beach, and Rand walked in his pajamas through the rain. They would be ruined after this, and the blue one with little swords decorating it had been his favorite one...ah, well, mom could clean anything. She'd manage it somehow.

Mom, if I don't come back...eh, I'll come back. You'll keep looking and looking, and then I'll come strolling in, just like always. You hear me storm? Yeah, I know you do.

The wolf boy couldn't explain the fear that gripped him, but the brave thoughts helped stave it off. He followed the feeling twisting in his gut, followed it south, through Gambino, all the way to the northern edge of Barton Forest. There, was a stone...a stone he remembered from long ago, but it was different now. All black and scraggly...out of instinct, or courage, Rand placed both hands upon it, and woke in the place in his dream.

So it is real... he thought to himself. It lay in ruins, just like it had in his dream. Still, though, it was beautiful, even if he did get a nagging, unsettling feeling about it.

Well, hey! There was a whole world in front of him to explore! He was drenched, but it wasn't raining anymore...he'd dry off in no time if he ran around some! Laughing, more from bravado than excitement, Rand began to run, and run, and run, and run...

When he reached the shore of the lake, he stopped, panting for breath. It was then he noticed what was unsettling him: the silence. Where was everyone? Was he the only one here? Just what was going on?

Rand looked all around the valley, but no one was there to answer.

"Hello! Is there anyone here?" Rand shouted, sniffing at the air by the edge of the lake. He thought he caught a whiff of something on the wind...something living. Good enough. The twelve year old (or so he looked) began to head in that direction, pushing on despite the uneasiness that gripped him.

"Hey! Hey!" he shouted, waving his arms as he spotted figures by the edge of the forest. "Come out! I won't hurt you! My name's Rand!"

Please come out.

He started jogging, now, towards the woods, where he thought he could make out a little girl...a little girl with wings, like him and mom!

Cillian flinched at the sound of the voice, and blended to the growth of the woods.

Mackerel didn't follow, she wasn't his keeper. She'd gotten him here anyways.... hadn't she?

The girl looked around. Her short hair was in little braided ponytails with ribbon. Her now-dry white nightgown -along with her white hair and pale skin- made it so she did not blend in one bit with the background of trees.

Mackerel walked forward, and out of the woods. In the valley, the sun was brighter. She had to hold her hand up to shield her eyes. Where was that voice coming from? Her glowing wings fluttered in aggitation.

"What do you waaant?" The girl yelled, her voice raising. This 'Rand' character may be someone she did not want to meet... in this place where-ever she was.

Kemuri couldn't sleep properly for the past few days, he always went onto the computer in the middle of the night, tried taking some medicine and sometimes tried to just take a warm shower to get to sleep. But one night, he decided to take a walk. He probably could walk off the dream he kept having of the destroyed area.

Kemuri found himself wandering after taking some headache pills. He didn't leave through his usual window though, but through the front door. Though he did make sure to leave the window unlocked and held a bit open and not to blow shut. He put his hands in his pocket. the storm has brought some winds where made him felt chilly. He blinked as he found himself in the valley.

He looked around but he could see nothing, no one. He saw mountains he couldn't pass them as if he was restrained down to the ground. He saw a wall. something kicked him in the behind that shook his memory. He bent over holding his head. Sweat dripped down his face. 'why and i sweating it's a chilly night.' Kemuri thought as his head throbbed.

He kneeled down staring at the grass. 'no. this can't be happeneing.' he said as his hands shook. His reaction to this area might have been more intense than most others. He stared at the floor a he ran his hand on it to try feel the sidewalk be was walking on before, but he felt nothing. Just the floor of the valley. He felt like it was in his dream, this place, this feeling. But this place, it wasn't ruined but in his heart he felt like this paradise might be taken over by the storm. the stickyness in his feathers came as he tried to shake off the feeling.

'maybe i should find someone...' He thought to himself.

Giving hiccuping sobs that slowly dissipated, Nikolai blinked his eyes open to look up at Rand when he heard the familiar voice. Sniffling quietly, he lifted a soaked sleeve to wipe his eyes. His other arm still holding onto Rand tightly.

It soothed his fears to have someone there with him, especially one he knew. After a few moments, he sat up beside his companion and looked around with a bit clearer train of thought. Still lost, still in the middle of some paradise far from home, Nikolai concentrated on stopping his tears completely before concentrating on their other problems.

Staring off in the direction of the girl, Nikolai watched her leave with sadness written over his face. Whatever happened to sticking together when you were lost? At least he had Rand...

[warning, looooooong post lol]

The sound of wings beating against the drums of the wind, pounded with an even beat in her ears. The soft white silk gown she wore, the lace ribbons around her waist and arms, all blew in the wind. White flats landed silently on the grass outside of a stone wall, and as she stepped forward, a vast city of angels lay before her.

The city was in its glory, as wings filled she skies. The tall white buildings and serene mountains in the background, lay together in perfect harmony.

Beating her wings once, she lift into the air gracefully, and soared high into the blue skies. She soared towards a tall pillar of stone, and landed gracefully upon it. Nearby a temple was busy with people of all ages, and a market further back was full of excitement. It was perfect. So perfect...
--

Shayna moaned as she lay upon the ground of her room. Her eyes ran circles in the ceiling, as she lay confused in a mess of clothes. Sitting up, she adjusted her silk nightgown, and turned to look at the alarm clock sitting on her night stand. The bold red numbers burned through her pupils as they adjusted to the sudden light change. Standing up, she slipped on a pair of black leggings under her soft purple nightgown. She didn't know why, but she had to go somewhere. There was something about that dream...

She grabbed a hair tie from her dresser, and pulled back her long hair into a ponytail as she headed for the bathroom. Strands of fiery red, and pink hair fell out as she washed her face with a wet towel. She quickly applied some makeup, as any female teen would before going outside, and grabbed a long green raincoat from her closet. She didn't have time to change from her nightgown, and she felt the urge to leave, coming on stronger every second.

Making sure the hood of her coat was over her had securely, Shayna slipped on a pair of black ballet flats she kept in her room. She quietly shifted her window open, and popped her head out. The fall was one story, onto the flat ground. She swung her legs out the window and reached left arm out to the left along the house. After a second, her hand latched onto a small nook , and she swung her body around and planted her feet firmly on the sides of the house. She crawled down the corner of the house, and jumped when she was only 3 feet high. She'd snuck out of the house this way many of times, and was quite skilled at doing it fast, and quietly.

Looking up towards the road, Shayna quietly darted through the chilly night. The silk nightgown she wore, only adding to the cold. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that silk does not like to stay warm.

She eventually found herself in a familiar piece of forest, and before she knew it she had come up to a small area, where a slab of stone covered the ground. Bushes and other forms of plantation had overrun it so much since the last time she had bothered to visit the place. It was her place. Memories of white hair, and blue eyes flooded her mind. She smiled softly and walked up onto the stone, searching for the one piece that stuck up. A small tangle of vines had found their way along the stone, and covered the small slab that stuck out of it. Shayna moves the vines out of he way without harming them, and placed her hands along the intricate designs swirling around the stone. She hadn't done this in a while, but she remembered what it felt like.

Placing both her hands in the air above the stone, She closed her eyes and concentrated. A small glow of red light shone around her, then suddenly a flash, and she was gone.

--

Her head was now resting on the small stone slab, and around her were the ruins of a small stone temple. As she rubbled her eyes, to clear away the fuzziness, she began to recognize where she was.

"Ugh..."

Her head was pounding, and she felt a rush of blood enter her head as she sat up. She knew this place from her childhood. She was back to the place where she first met Taka. The sanctum. Standing up, she felt less cold, and slid off her raincoat. Her silk nightgown, drew along her curves in the slight wind, as Shayna spun around to look at the familiar place. A smile lifted her lips, as she spotted the lake where her and Taka made their first encounter. She giggled as she remembered how that went. The mountains towered around her like they had before, and the grass was soft and green.

She stepped onto the grass, and let her hand fall to a rosebush that was hidden among the ruins. She plucked a single rose and placed it in the base of the high ponytail, where it met her head. Stretching her wings, she stepped out into the vast field, but something irregular caught her eye. A stone wall that she had never seen before. It had been a long time since she was here last, but she knew this place well, and knew that wall was not there before. She decided to check it out, and began to walk towards it, the silk and lace of her gown, still blowing along her curves in the light sanctum wind.

Kemuri got closer to the children, he could see one of the boys had a hatred towards him. Kemuri felt this boy's anger towards him. He stood his ground softly where he was. "don't worry. i won't hurt you. i'm probably just as lost as you are." He didn't want to approach the children as they might run for it and they might be even more lost than before. He took a small step before revealing his name. "My name is Kemuri. and who might you be?" He asked back as the young one had interogatted him before.

Kemuri stood up properly slowly for he did not want to scare these little ones. He wanted to find a way out or at least have someone to be with him instead of this loneliness. "did you..." he tried to get the words out without scaring them or saying something offensive. "have a dream of this place?" He said out softly but still audible. he wondered if he was the only one.

(( very un-proper rambleness of a Roleplay reply...))