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 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:36 pm
The ruby-pelted mare jerked her weight to the side, swiftly missing the connection of the deadly kick that was aimed to shatter a shoulder. Her head whipped around as she bit down and tore at the flesh of her enemy, biting and tearing it in one keen movement. The Kalona, his hide already rich with blood, screamed out and kicked again. Tattered wings spread out wide as Aleksei swung in once more. His leathery wings flapped, colliding with her body and twisting around as she pushed off with all of her weight into them. He slammed them into her sides and she snorted and gave a squeal, the little hooks biting into her. She backed off for a moment, long enough to untangle herself from him, the disgusting creature that he was, and threw her weight up against him. The Kalona stumbled, wincing and tried to take to the air. She landed a kick to his knee, grinding her teeth as she heard bone crack. His emerald eyes glared furious daggers at her as he tried once again, flapping mighty wings. Well two could play this game. Her own Angeni wings beat at the air, rising her faster than the enemy stallion could manage. She flew out to the side and he gathered speed, but she was faster. Always a step ahead of him. That's how a good fight was won, afterall. Aleksei collided her body against his in middair and together they faltered, a dance gone wrong. She screamed out as his horns sliced into her neck, deep wounds that would take weeks to heal. Her teeth grasped for his throat, fighting him for the win. They sank like weights in water, crashing into the earth with a massive thud of dirt and broken bone. The Kalona, his spirit weakening, shrilled a cry and tried to get up on his knees, but she would have nothing of it. Her jaws closed around the windpipe of the fallen stallion, holding her muscles taut as he thrashed. Struggled to breath. And then fell still underneath her. Aleksei, panting and her red coat shining with sweat and blood from her own wounds, dropped to her knees, closing her eyes as her skin touched the tainted earth. She had killed another. How many more deaths would it take before the world was rid of the evil bane that the Kalona existance created? How many more could she down before she, a skilled assassin and a huntress, would be felled? Tears welled in her eyes and she lowered her head to mourn for the blood she'd shed today.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:33 pm
A scream pierced through his thoughts, a cry of pain that although sounding far off, echoed with him just as loudly as if he had been right there. Pulling in his haunches, he slid to a stop, driving his legs into the ground. Alexiel stood straight, ears pointed in the direction the sound had come, and nostrils flaring. Another sound came, a feral snarl, followed by a cry. And very faintly, a scent on the wind...familiar, unpleasant. It was metallic, sharp, burned at his nose and made him instinctively wary. It was the smell of blood.
Not wasting another moment, Alexiel checked the distance, and in one fluid motion, unfurled his wings and sprang into the sky, quickly catching a fast current. From the sounds of it, there was a fight, and it did not seem to be going well. If something was happening, if someone was being hurt, he couldn’t very well stand around and do nothing now could he?
His wings, supple and strong carried him rapidly towards the source of the conflict, just in time to see two bodies clash, and one fall. The fallen did not rise. He landed a little ways away, obviously the fight was over now, and as such he had time to assess it better, instead of just rushing in. The stallion’s silver eyes narrowed in on the pair, both covered in bright red blood. He snorted, appalled, the standing soquili’s hide was not only bloody, but every inch of it was convered. He snorted in alarm, but, as his eyes adjusted, he saw better. No, not blood. Rather, the hide of his mare was itself, the colour of blood, her own blood and the blood of her enemy mingling on her crimson coat. She was an angeni, just as he was, but her proud wings and beautiful hide were stained with the blood of the kalona that lay dead at her feet.
Alexiel approached slowly, concern evident on his face as he took in the many gashes crisscrossing her body, some that seemed to be bleeding quite a bit. And yet, despite her injuries, a faint shimmer at the corners of her eyes told him that she mourned for the life that had been taken. But that was what separated her from the creature at her feet. Compassion. He moved slowly, making no attempt to be silent, wanting to make sure she was aware he was there. He frowned, taking in her state. Obviously she was not okay, but she probably knew the extent of her own injuries better than he.
“Will you...be all right?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:00 pm
Her heart was tired, not just physically but emotionally drained. It pounded in her ribcage, strong, as she was a young mare of five or six, but in her mind there was a timer chained around it, counting down to her own demise. It was only sheer will that the mare pushed onwards with her tasks. She didn't enjoy this life that her grandmother had created. Sure, she took pride in the extinguishment of the evil, but she wasn't proud of the lives she took in the process.
She shook her head, ear-wings rising upwards instinctively, always alert. She gazed back at her sides, to where her own wings drooped like they always did, tiredly after battle. They weren't injured, thankfully. The extent of her wounds were gashes and lacerations from the horns and fangs of the demon. The throbbing of her neck was the worst, but she knew she'd favor her back hock for awhile as well. Thank god for flight.
Suddenly she was alert, tears dried and her wings pulled tight to her sides, the scent of another on the wind. She smelled feathers, so unless there was a rarity of Walker with wings, she was safe. Ear-wings flickered and focused, like little radars, sweeping sound into her ears.
Her crimson eyes rested on a young Angeni of pale gray pelt as he moved towards her, swift but cautious. His muscles rippled under his hide, proof that he wasn't just another stallion. He took care of his body and probably ran for miles on end. Aleksei wondered briefly if he was running from something other than for the fun of it. The thought passed as she slowly heaved herself to her feet, faltering for a moment before bracing herself. Her gaze met his and she pulled herself together.
"I'll be fine." She gazed back at the fallen Kalona behind her, then back at the young Angeni. "I suppose you noticed our battle."
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:02 pm
He nodded wordlessly as she brushed off her injuries. Had it been another soquili saying the same, he might have protested, insisted upon getting them some help, but the red mare seemed as if she knew what she was doing. Though she was still quite young, her eyes almost weary, old, as if they had seen far to much for one lifetime.
"Yes, I heard the battle while I was...running." Alexiel told her, deciding to omit the word "Training." It sounded strange in the context anyways. "I heard noises, and then caught the scent of blood. I was on my way to see if there was anything I could do...but I see it's already been...taken care of." He glanced at the lifeless body of the kalona, and then reverted his eyes back to her.
It was strange, but for some reason he got the feeling that this wasn't just another random encounter. The way she acted was not exactly weird, but certainly unusual for someone that had just been attacked by a kalona. Most would probably have been at least a little freaked out, but she was calm and collected, as if this were just another day. And her injuries...she didn't really think much of them, simply assessed them and then accepted them. Not to mention the fact that, considering the brutality of the fight, she was remarkably sound. Perhaps she was indeed used to this sort of ...lifestyle. How curious.
Alexiel was about to ask about cause of the battle, before realizing he didn't even know the name of the ruby pelted mare. "I am Alexiel, by the way. What is your name?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:15 pm
He wasn't as naive or as innocent as she'd first thought. Sure, he looked it. Or maybe it was just because he looked young that she'd assumed he was simple. No... The stallion was more complex. Perhaps moreso than she herself. She smiled slightly and wondered for a moment what else there was to him.
'I see it's been...taken care of.' The mare pricked her ears at his words, watching him gaze over to the demon's lifeless shell. Something flickered in his gray eyes. Curiosity..?
Curiosity at what she was doing. What she had done. And with curiosity usually came doubt then judgement. Her gaze fell to the ground, to her hooves, to the hooves of the fallen Kalona. Everyone judged something. People judged each other. It was natural. Especially over death. And murder. But Aleksei was used to the judgement. The horror and disgust in others' eyes as she told them what she was. If she hadn't been raised with a family such as her own, she would be the one passing judgement on them.
The truth was that she was an assassin. A silencer of evil.
If that meant judgement. So be it. This stallion could do what everyone else did. Judgement was an opinion, after all.
Her head rose once more, a flash of steeled pride in her crimson gaze and she smiled. Alexiel... "It must be destiny that we've met, with our names being so similar," she murmured lightly. "I'm Aleksei. And whether you accept it or not, I'm a protector of the innocence."
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:00 am
Alexiel watched her eyes drop as his comments fell on her ears. She looked...uncomfortable. No, not really uncomfortable, more as if she were expecting him to deliver some kind of bad news. Or bad judgement. She stood like that a minute, mane blowing lightly in the soft breeze, before her head rose, an unmistakable arch of defiance in her neck. Aleksei...protector of the innocent.
It took him a moment to process it through, what it meant. Her name was indeed similar to his, but that was not by far what interested him. Protector of the innocent? Meaning...she killed, she had killed this kalona and most likely plenty more like it. She was a murderer. And though his initial, instinctive reaction was to recoil at the thought of killing anything, he found that he was unable to be disgusted, unable to judge her actions. Though he mourned the loss of a life, any life, that same thought kept flickering through his mind. Maybe if someone like her had been around when he was born, the skinwalker Wyrm would have been killed long ago. And if Wyrm had been killed those many years ago, his family would still be alive. Had that happened, perhaps he could have had a chance at a normal life, a true family. Happiness, even. Happiness...it seemed like such a distant memory, more like a dream than anything. Before he had discovered the truth of his family, his past; now his legacy to carry, forever tainted by the blood of his family. Forever tainted by Wyrm.
No, he could not judge her, not when he understood her actions so completely. She killed, none could deny that. And yet by killing one, so many other lives were saved, so many dreams salvaged. So many families left whole and intact because of the death of one who would seek to destroy that. He understood that many would look upon her with disgust. But he understood. It was hard to protect the things you cared about, and sometimes, you had to do whatever necessary to protect those things. She was not just a killer. As she had said, she was a protector. Perhaps those others that judged her did not understand her own sacrifice. Giving up her own dreams, her own future, to protect the dreams and the future of the innocent. A noble cause, nobler than any other he had met. Far nobler than his own.
She fascinated him. Her ideals, her cause. It echoed somewhere deeply inside him. To prevent what had happened to him, from ever happening again to another.
“Aleksei...” He murmured her name softly, turning it over as he spoke. “Perhaps it was indeed fated for us to meet. Though it may be hard to believe just words, I...understand. I understand what you do, what you mean when you say you protect. I have great respect for you. I myself seek to kill a certain skinwalker. Had someone gotten to him long ago, then perhaps...” He trailed off, wondering how to say the words. “My life, I’m sure, could have been very different from what it has become now.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:14 pm
She truly expected him to recoil in digust or at least in defiance. She was waiting for the same reaction her existance normally recieved; a raised lip, a furrowed brow. Perhaps a spitting of foul words, cursing her for what she did. And ultimately, the frigid cold of being shunned as her fellow soquili turned tail and strode away. Leaving her alone, once again. It seemed that she was destined to be alone, but after so many years of it, she didn't let it show that it bothered her.
The fights were strenuous; engaging in full-body war with mares and stallions who not only had fangs and horns, but sometimes biting claws as well, was a hardship she'd learned to endure. She kept her body in top physical condition and she was always on the lookout for bloodshed. Surprisingly, it wasn't always easy to find, but she never faced an enemy unless she was certain he'd fallen an innocent.
t was hard, this life, to keep on moving, one foot after another when all you wanted to do was run in the other direction. But it was worth it in the end, when the little foal you'd just saved clung to your side like a hardy snail, her wide eyes full of newfound hope. It was worth the reuinion of family Aleksei had been the cause of many a times. It was worth tossing aside your own dreams, just for them.
Her ears pricked up at her name, his voice soft like velvet. Understanding... In all honesty, Aleksei was surprised he was still standing there, facing her. And then he spoke again.
In her mind she saw a village destroyed, carnage splayed across the ground to paint a picture of morbidity as a great pelted beast finished his meal of equine flesh and blood. Blood red eyes gazed around, the Walker's appetite finally appeased but his need for cruelty still lurking in the shadows. And Aleksei saw a tiny colt, a winged gray foal who watched from within the wicker walls of his basket, hidden away but the sight before him plain as day. Those blood red eyes forever haunting the innocent mind...
The mare shuddered and shifted her weight. Alexiel. Such a young stallion was seeking to kill... but Wyrm? The name was like acid in her thoughts. Wyrm was well known... Not even Aleksei herself had grown bold enough to track something as vile as that. "You wish to kill him for revenge?" Her voice was hollow, curiously cold. Revenge was a one-way street down a poisonous alley. Revenge swallowed you up and never let you free. It was one thing this mare refused to get into.
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:51 pm
He saw her interest as he showed no hostility towards the path she took, but he also observed as she grew suddenly distant, staring at him with cold eyes as he voiced his own opinion on the matter of killing. Yes, he sought Wyrm's death. Revenge? Her words, not his. But that was it, that was his goal exactly. No getting around it, he knew that. His cause was not noble, as hers was. It wasn't intended to be. He sought to kill Wyrm not to help out others, though he liked to think it would do that as well. But his reasons were purely selfish, centered wholey on himself. He knew that, had not really expected her sympathy. But instinctively his own eyes and tone grew more reserved in response to hers.
"Yes." Alexiel met the crimson mare's cold stare with a firey one of his own. The firey gaze of a still young stallion who had never truly fought, had never had to kill another, had never experienced the terror or hardship or a real fight. His tone was not apologetic. He knew it was stupid, probably a doomed mission. He knew Wyrm was strong, and that there was a possibility he would die in the process. No, more than likely he would die. Aleksei knew this mission was a death sentance for him, was probably much smarter than to enbark on anything of the sort. Her disproving tone basically told him he would probably die trying. That he was ignorant, inexperienced.
Alexiel knew this, recognized the truth in his own thoughts and in hers, and yet something in him refused to listen. Refused to believe that it was a lost cause. Aleksei knew better, that much was obvious, but somehow he didn't quite believe that he would fail. He had never really thought about moving on with what he had, had never stopped to consider that as a possible option.
"Wyrm does deserve to die. You can't deny that." His tones was slightly defensive, though he didn't quite know why. He felt like he had to defend his reasoning. Most likely because it was highly flawed, but also because he sought reassurance, someone to tell him that he was doing the right thing. Well, he wouldn't get anything that that from Aleksei, he had figured that out. She dissproved. Greatly dissproved, as was evident from her tone and the look her eyes. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to defend his cause to her. Perhaps because she was the only other he had ever met to believe in the same sort of cause? He wasn't sure.
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:00 pm
Aleksei stood there, watching him. Regarding his intentions to kill the skinwalker. He gave her a gaze full of fire, full of youth and defiance at the fact that she didn't approve of revenge plots. Yet it was a gaze she knew so well... Her heart, however warm it might've been under the self-raised wall of protection around it, swelled slightly. He was alot like her.
But if he went after Wyrm in the mindset he was in, he would fail. Wyrm was strong, unerringly so, and it seemed like it would take an army to bring him down. Alexiel needed training and plenty of it. He needed to grow stronger, to grow quicker, and perhaps a bit smarter, or at least in knowledge.
He wanted to bring his enemy down, but he needed to do it for the right reasons.
"I don't deny it. You're right. He does deserve death; he deserves to burn in the throes of Hell." She quirked a soft smile at him. "But do you think you could win? If he were here, standing in front of you unstead of myself, would you be able to take him down. Would he end up lying in his own blood? Or would you end up sprinkled across the grass in tiny little pieces?"
Aleksei turned her head, to gaze at her downed adversary once more, then brought her determined gaze back to young Alexiel. "You have to kill him because of what he does, not who he is. Because he has killed..." She fell silent for many minutes, thinking. She could help him, if he would accept it. "I like you, Alexiel. I don't want to see you fail."
(I am soooo sorry this is so late >.< My muse completely died out XD Don't hate me, lol!)
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:42 pm
Her question made him pause a moment from his insistent stance and he faltered slightly. In the state he was in right now? Could he defeat Wyrm if the beast himself stood before him right now? No, he knew the answer to that. He was far from ready to take on Wyrm, even he would admit that. Alexiel knew he was still far to full of blind rage, blind hatred. Were he to face Wyrm right now, with his lack of training he would surely fail. He knew it, Aleksei knew it as well. Syrm would find it only amusing probably, that this young impetuous stallion who had cowered as a foal now sought to challenge him. No, she was right, she knew he would fail. He recognized that to.
Alexiel sighed in admission. "No, you're right. I can't defeat him right now, and I can't defeat him while if I'm in a blind rage. I'd walk right into his trap." If he were to fight Wyrm, Aleksei was right, he would have to learn to kill as she killed. Not out of hatred or revenge, but out of a duty, an obligation she felt to protect the innocent. And yet...it was so difficult for him. Easy to recognize what he had to do, but in practice, far harder for Alexiel to actually view Wyrm that way. But he would have to learn, he supposed. Would have to learn to fight Wyrm not because of what he did just to Alexiel, but what his lifestyle entailed.
His head lifted, headwings fluttering lightly as she spoke again. She liked him, didn't want to see him fail. Then perhaps...she would help him. Alexiel knew he couldn't do it alone, couldn't overcome his hatred of Wyrm, couldn't train well enough to be able to defeat Wyrm on his own. But maybe with her, maybe then. She was strong, knowledgable, and she could do what she did because she did it for the right reasons.
"Then help me. Please. I can't...you're right that I can't defeat Wyrm on my own. But maybe if I could train with you, learn from you, maybe then..." He looked at her, wondering if she would accept him.
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