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Solo - The world means to me

There were many nights, when the moon was high in the sky that Takoda a shifter by birth would sit out under its radiant moonlight. It was primarily on the nights that the moon was full that the shifter could be seen sitting cross legged on a large boulder in the grass lands of Tale. It was nights like these that he missed his home, the forests of Jahaur although hiding terrifying creatures was also a place of comfort.

Looking up on one such night he mulled over the beauty of the night sky, how the darkness wasn't black at all as it was lit by numerous dazzling stars, like dancers around a central figure which was the moon. Takoda stared as if he wished he could join them. There were so many things in this world he didn't understand. There were times that he felt like he could feel the veil between the spirits and their home. Was it his imagination that a figure of himself had come to save him whilst he was under attack of the mysterious dretch?

Spiritual by nature he liked to think that his parents had been looking out for him, despite the fact they had taken on his form. The burnt bodies of the dretch whom had impersonated his parents still haunted him to this day. There were nights he would awaken from terrors to only sob into the chest of his mate until he had managed to regain his composure. It was unseemly for a man of his age to be crying like a lost child, but there were times he felt that he was still a child.

We are all the moons children. The spirits guide and protect us....why is it we cannot thank them..

The shifter thought of this sadly, after all he was fairly certain it was the spirits who had helped him in his time of need. Since his ability to create a spiritual version of himself developed he would often summon it to see if it had a will of its own. But it would only mimic his movements and it never strayed far from his own posture. Did this mean the first time he had been delusional? He had been suffering from many burns and was forced to kill against his will.

Though he knew it was for the best, the town had been plagued by the creatures and they were going to kill him if he didn't do something. But...it still caused him to feel ill to his stomach remembering what he had been able to do. To crush all those...creatures with the will of the earth..made him want to throw up. To hear the screams even if they had been the enemy. It reminded him too much of the wars. Closing his eyes he was forced to think about the scenes before him.

Eyes quickly flashed open to stare back up the beautiful moon though she had moved slightly since he had last looked upon her. Siren ...he wondered if she ever walked upon this earth. Did she regret? Was she forced to kill anyone she did not desire to? It felt like the world...wasn't any better than when the Alkidike tried to constantly take over Jahaur. The squirmishes had left many wounded, scarred and dead. He had been fairly young at the time but he still remembered how his father had to go out to defend their village.

He still remembered the horrible night he did not return. Instead his mother having to tend to a barely reconizable figure who later died...and later revealed to him that it was his dad. The world felt as if it was full of desperation, despair and death. The cool night air caused him to shiver, bringing him out of his dark thoughts as he looked upon the night sky again.

Siren. Would you forgive us if we turned our back on you? Would you become angry if we no longer followed your teachings? ...or sad that your children have lost their way?

The shifter thought as he looked up at her sadly, though some may of seen her pale light as cold and indifferent he knew that it was a different sort of kindness, a gentle one. Unlike the sun that could be harsh and unforgiving the moon was a constant if ever changing. It brought about changes in the land very subtle ones. Like a hand that gentle guided Siren was a goddess he cherished and admired. If there was someone he wished he could have a conversation with ..it was her. What has she seen over the countless nights? What made her happy...what caused her grief.

A sigh escaped his lips and he watched as his breath fogged up the air around him. It was much cooler on the plains of Tale than the humid forests of Jahaur. There were many times that he felt the pang of homesickness. As much as he had feared the bugs, he also missed the medicinal herbs, the fact he could find a lot of fresh fruits and to eat. The gentleness of the goddess as she glowed in the night sky above was a cool comfort.

Takoda recalled how many would say that the goddess was cold and indifferent, but like a ying and yang she controlled the oceans and like traveler she moved across the sky searching for her lover the sun. It was such a sad thought, that she would never come to find her lover. So sad. Though there were stories and legends of long ago of when the sun and moon meet up..causing an erriee glow across the sky. Though Takoda had never seen such an event, he recalled elders mentioning stories of their parents witnessing such an event...

Word Count: 1012 FIN

Battle - Takoda vs Jerarda X

Battle - Takoda vs Sauron X

CYOA Event - X

World Event: Remembering the Past X - Solo Req

Solo - On the way home...

The sun was beginning to set, the light it cast on the sand almost a blood red in colour. A blessing as the heat of the day began to dissapate into the sky, the lone figure on a dusty path in front of him. The problem with the desert was that the days were intolerably hot and the nights unbearably cold. It was hard to figure out what to wear and at the moment the shiffter had his head swathed in fabric. With the dark skin during the day he found that he had to cover up most of his skin to prevent from overheating and scorching himself. Takoda had learned on the way to Oba how treacherous and demanding the trek would be. He made sure to be prepared for the journey back.

Walking along by himself he was left to his thoughts, each step feeling haggered and a simple misstep would find him tumbling into the sand below. Tired. Boredom. One step ahead of of the other, he had to keep treking to make the best time. A sane person would wait till dusk and dawn to move. To weather the heat and cold best they were able and sleep. Though his eyes felt as heavy as his footfalls he dared not rest. He had been away from longer than he had intended he had to go back home quickly.

Takoda was worried of course about his mate Jacinthus, what he would say to him. Would they fight? Would Jacinthus leave him because he left him behind? Though he doubted that it would get to that extreme they were worries that ate away at edges of his thoughts. Trying to regain his focus he thought about the tournament, the Soul Linker shouldn't of been surprised about his loss at the tournament, the competition was fierce and he had expected a challenge. But it seemed he was never good enough to survive in battle. Not to help his friends, family or himself. It was a rather defeatist feeling, which caused him to drag his feet as he slowly made his way back home to Tale.

Part of his guilt laid in the fact that he had snuck off only leaving a note for Jacinthus. He had rushed towards Oba in an almost insane manner he had expected and half hoped that the archer would hunt him down and drag him back home. But it seemed his speed had worked against him and soon found himself tired, thirsty but certainly still in the vast sands of Oba. Sighing he knew that he would have to stop for a rest.

The sun was quickly vanishing beyond the horizon line, causing a reluctant shiver as his own skin shifted from the dark grey to white. Staring down at his hand as it the pigments shifted he held it up towards the sky to watch it stand out against the darkening sky. The stars began to peek into life and the mood, as the goddess was rising. A small comfort to see her rise, she remained constant amongst the chaos in the world. A distant warm cool glow in the night sky. Gathering what few stones he find, the shifter started a small fire and readied himself to get some rest.

The travel home was in some ways a annoying and yet depressing thought. Takoda wished he could be in Jacinthus's embrace, The warmth of the fire paled in comparison to the archers body heat. A blush creeped upon his face as his thoughts derailed into the other things Jacinthus was good at. A large number of them being somewhat embarrassing to even day dream about. Taking out a small cup he had warmed the contents with a few herbel leaves and water. Drinking the warm liquid he looked back up to the night sky.

He wouldn't linger long, just long enough to catch his breath, heal the blisters on his feet and eat his meager rations. The night air was already starting to cool off, the liquid in his cup warming him more than the air around him. Holding it he felt the heat seep into his fingers, it was ironic as moments before he had been too hot. The desert was a fickle place.

In the pale light of his fire he watched the shadows dance among the grains of sand, twinkling as if trying to mimic the night sky above him. It was eerie how quickly the light faded and the darkness seemed to rise up to swallow the land around him. The fire was meager in its abundance of light, the tinder crackled and popped in the quite air around him. Each pop however caused the poor magic user to jump, nearly spilling his drink each time. To say that he was nervous perhaps an understatement. He had seen the creatures in Oba during the day, at the tournament as pets or as beasts to gawk at. Numerous of them were frightfully strong and scary looking.

Finishing the last of his drink, he was about to pull out some of his meager rations. Although not normally much of a meat eater he knew that trying to bring fresh fruits or other vegetables was a terrible idea as they would most likely spoil under the intense heat. Dried fish even wasn't too likely to last and thus he was stuck eating tougher red meat. It turned his stomach as it was some strange animal by a name he had never heard of. Having bought it in Oba to take home with him he was unsure of trying it... but he couldn't live off of herbel infused water either.

Sighing he unwrapped the meat, it was small and could fit in the palm of his hand. It wasn't that he couldn't afford more of it, he just couldn't imagine himself eating any of it not matter the amount. Looking at it in disdain, he could make out the muscle tissue the sliver of fat through the middle and he felt his stomach clench. Using a small knife he cut off a thin strip before he tentatively placed the piece in his mouth. It was tangy, infused with..some herb he couldn't place though the primary flavour was of cured meat. It tasted like iron and chewing it slowly wasn't helping him. He had to chew the dried meat else his stomach would likely rebel later. Frowning he went to wrap the rest of the meat up only to stiffen as the sound of a growl came from his side....

Word Count: 1167

Solo - Bleeding but Getting there

The attack from the janarim had made him not only nervous but wide awake. No longer did the shifter want to rest, all he wanted was to get himself as far away as possible from his attackers. It was hard to say how long he had been fleeing, or weither he was being pursued, but staggering with one foot in front of another, the soul linker only slowed his pace when he was fairly certain he the janarim were not following him.

He wasn't sure how long he had been on the run, looking up it was still dark out, the night stars twinkling at him from above with cold concern. Frowning Takoda looked at the package of meat in his hand. Scowling down at it, all of this over a hunk of flesh. Speaking of which, Takoda knew he needed to not only heal himself but clean his clothing of the blood. Otherwise he was certain that it wouldn't be the last time he saw those beasts.

Using the sand and fire he heated the fine grains up enough to form a sort of molten elevated rock seat. He wasn't about to allow himself to be caught off guard again. Climbing stop of his seat he normally didn't like effecting nature in such a permanent manner but there was little choice as the sand would be relunctant to stay in one place. Grimacing as he went to sit cross legged he peered down at his body, the moon light made it hard to judge the extent of the damage but he was unsure it wise to start another fire.

Probing with his fingers the wound wasn't as deep as he thought it would be, though it certainly smarted and had bled it was already started to crust. Cleaning it would be ideal but first he would need to remove his shirt. Once removed he summoned some water and began the arduous task of cleaning his wounds in the dark. Using touch alone as seeing in the cloudless moonlit night was only providing minimal light.

The smell of blood was strong and it lingered, clinging to his clothing. With his shirt now laying on his side he knew he would have to try and wash it in the moonlight. Sighing as he was feeling drained already but slowly went summoning more water, this time working it into the drying blood stains on his shirts. Dawn was beginning to break when he found himself dozing on his elevated seat. His shirt was in his hands still damp when he awoke with a start. The sun was shining over a sand bank and its rays had hit the dozing shifter with a dazzling display.

Stiff from sleeping in a sitting position the poor shifter stretched his aching limbs and felt his heavy eyelids trying to shut again. An uneasy rest and fitfull sleep left the man longing for the comforts of home. A nice hammock, a bath, some real food. Stuck with the meager tea leaves and some dried roots and that blasted dried meat...he went to chew on a root in a tired manner. The package of meat was stowed away in contempt, perhaps if he got home quickly enough he could give it to Jacinthus to try. Since it would be made of foreign beast perhaps his mate would appreciate it more than he did.

Sighing he decided to take the day slower, leaving his elevated position and looking back up at the melted sand structure before shaking his head. Takoda didn't like to permanently alter his environment but he had little choice last night. Tired and unable to think much beyond needing to rest he had desired he now was leaving the structure behind. Sighing as he looked down to see the large gaping holes in his shirt, fingering them slowly he glanced forward and decided to keep trekking. The sooner he could get home the better.

Why was it that trying to get home felt so much slower? The day progressed without much incident, the soul linker was noticing though the sand was starting to give way to more solid ground, dry grasses springing up in clusters here and there. Tale was soon becoming a reality and as the promise of familiarity hastened his foot steps. Mostly out of hunger as he knew he could find more edible plants in Tale than he ever could in sands of Oba.

Summoning water to drink he sipped from a globe being held in the palm of his hand. He was thankful he didn't need to carry flasks of water in order to survive, how lucky he was that he had magic in order to heal himself and make it through. As much as Takoda hated to fight he was thankful he had magic at his side to help him through the tough battles he had been forced into.

Cresting a rise a smile graced his lips for the first time since he left for Oba. Home. He was almost home. A spring entered his step as he walked forward, already spotting denser foliage and happily collecting a few dry edible grasses to chew on while he walked. Spotting a large rock Takoda was quick to climb and settle on to. Chewing on the dry grass he recognized that the temperature although still fairly warm had reduced since he entered the valley. He was certainly back in Tale.

Soon he would be home, soon he could give his mate a kiss and hug..that is if Jacinthus wasn't furious with him for leaving so abruptly. His spirits dropped, his stomach turning at the reminder that he had been really bad when he had left. Although Jacinthus was his lover not his father he still feel like a child who had done something wrong. He would have to deal with Jacinthus when he got home....he expected a long discussion would ensue. But still..he would be home..and he would much rather be there than bak in Oba for certain.

Word Count: 1052 FIN

Battle: Aysun vs Takoda X