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 Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:21 am
 Unlike most days, Neltharion found himself sated when he woke up. He was ever hungry for more of the mortals' delicious hate, but his recent escapades had given him a steady supply and more. Yes, much much more...He rose from where he lay in what was more like a self-imposed meditation than anything nearing real sleep, stepped gingerly around his sleeping children, and slipped out into the dusky light. With a creaking sound he spread his wings high and threw his head back. A gyeser of flame, silent but white hot, belched up out of his maw to light the area as well as any full moon or better. Ashes rained down as the flame cooled and dusted the den in an almost snow-like coating. Feeling quite alive, he sprang up into the air. He circled the den a few times from above before lazily catching a draft. It tugged at his ragged wings and drew him on, and finding himself in a good mood, he let it do so. The cubs, he knew, were used to his disappearances. Fleance padded along in the low light, his wanderings random as always. He'd just finished a visit with his more-or-less mate, and returned to feed his cubs. Now that they were full and happy, and his familiar and babysitter more or less calmed by his return, he left again. He'd gotten news that she'd had a litter. It was one thing for a god to have many women. After all, mortal lives were so brief, why should he only have one that was like a flash of light? But he knew it was a double standard, and the truth weighed down on him.
His dull red eyes looked up into the darkened sky and grew wide with surprise. A large form was flying in the airspace above him, and the immortal knew it was too large to be anything but another god. It looked massive, even from his place on the ground, and Fleance shirked back, hoping he wouldn't be seen or sensed by the other.Neltharion liked to think nothing was able to hide from him that he didn't wish to find. He was NELTHARION after all. Admittedly he hadn't gone looking for another god when he'd left the den, but perhaps he'd felt the subtle sensation of one nearby, and unconsciously gone to seek them out. Looking down he could barely make out the gray splotch against the darkening ground, but spot it he did. A god, a male. How disappointing. Perhaps he could be of use though. He made no intention to hide his direction as he shifted expertly in the wind and spiraled down towards the immortal below. What had he to fear? His maw cracked open in anticipation and a slow rain of soot marked his path in the tall grass below, raining down from him. He landed with a sound thump and folded his wings after a minute of posing monstrously before the younger god. He was indeed young, still not fully grown, not fully empowered...He could smell the stink on him; this one would never fully grow unless another god had a paw in it. Pitiful.
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:24 am
 Fleance's ears flattened on his head as he saw the larger god circle. It seemed he'd have a run in with him no matter what. His muscles tensed. Should he teleport? Fleance grimaced. He was (usually) no coward. And besides the god's massive bulk, he had no reason to fear him, right?
The adolescent straightened, as though it would make him look bigger. At least he was covered with thick fur that gave him a more fleshed out appearance as opposed to the lanky form lying underneath. It peaked his curiosity as ash floated down from the god's mouth. Fleance thought that was something restricted to him, and as a bit of the soot was swept in the air towards him, Fleance sneezed, and a dark ash cloud was spit into the wind by the god.
When the god landed, Fleance bowed his head in greeting, and he looked at the towering form… He looked like he was showing off. Or maybe Fleance was mistaken. "Hello, Immortal. How are you this evening?"Of course Nelly was showing off! Who wouldn't be honored to bask in his glory? The godlet even had the respect to dip his head. It might not be the grovelling he preferred, but it was a start. The younger god was shockingly unremarkable, gray through and rather poofy. "A fine greeting...I am sated, and curious as to what exactly you are." He was referring to the other god's domain as if that would define him on the whole. It was the truth, domains meant more to him than names. Names changed when gods died, but their domains did not. He'd seen it many times. "Also I would wonder what you are doing so close to my den." He wasn't overly protective of his cubs, but he was quite paranoid, and at once he concluded that this god must have come to try to steal them away. His eyes rolled for a moment before he regained control of himself, and smiled just slightly. He wouldn't give him the chance... Fleance blinked curiously. This god was large, and maybe he was so big because he was full of himself. Ah, but that was rude of him. Fleance's own hunger was satisfied, but only barely. Ashes were everywhere, but not many praised or worshiped- or even thought of them. Fires on the savannah were usually a buffet once they were done and all that was left in their wake the dark, black ashes as far as the eye could see.
"I'm Fleance- Ashes." He looked expectantly, waiting for the god to return the pleasantries. But oh- he'd wandered close to his den? Fleance shifted his weight. "Merely by accident, of course." He didn't quite look like the fatherly type, but Fleance supposed in his small size- neither did he. The smile looked very out of place on the other god, and Fleance tried to force one, himself.
"I'm sorry if I've worried you. I understand the stress. I've got three cubs of my own, you see." The teen was curious for a moment if the stranger's cubs were immortal, or just lions- like his own. But! He wouldn't ask. No, instead because of the concern the other one showed, they must be half-mortal, concluding that they were the more frail option and needed closer watch. "If you need me to, I can leave."
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:39 am
"Ohhh no, Ashes," He used the god's domain like his name. A simple domain for sure, though one he felt almost the tiniest bit paternal about. Ashes came from fire, not his stuff, but he was constantly oozing, and was near the stuff enough. "I'm sure it was a mistake. You couldn't possibly have known..." Of course he knew very well that the god HAD known. He couldn't hide it, but Nelly could pretend he'd not figured it out. If the god didn't mess up, he might even let him get away. Without the cubs, obviously.
"I am Hate." The idea that this god also had cubs...hmm. If they were immortal, that would be terribly interesting. If not, they could still be useful. Plaything for his own children, or converts to his 'cult'. He chuckled seemingly at random. Oh yes, he was leaving little buds of 'faith' in his wake, wasn't he?
"Now that you know, I assume you will be more wary. I will not run you off though. It HAS been so long since I chatted with another god. A long time since I had news of my fellows. Tell me," he seemed quite hapy to keep the youth here for now. "Tell me everything that's hapened these last years..."
Fleance nodded. He hadn't known at all. It was good the god understood him. Of course, he didn't really, but Fleance was unawares of that fact. He'd be plenty nervous if there was an immortal wandering around his den, too. Probably more than this god let on. And especially worried if it was him. The adolescent watched him curiously with his dull red eyes, and tossed his forelock from his face, bead knocking against his skull.
My, what an intimidating god indeed. And he probably fed from Fleance's own buried grudge, as well. Hate probably had limitless food, which meant near-limitless strength. Fleance wished he'd been so lucky to have a domain that fed from emotion. Especially one like happiness or love… Of course he didn't embody them in the least, and was probably one of the least bubbly gods, but that was more or less the gist of it.
Haha, as if Fleance wasn't wary in the first place! Wary was his middle name! Not really, and he didn't even have a last name, but the god was quite paranoid at all times. But Fleance had a strange smirk across his face as Hate asked of what had happened. He shifted his weight again and stirred an ashy footprint. "Well you see, Hate," using domains was strange for him, but he'd seen it done before, "I've recently come back, too. Except not from a slumber, I was recently reborn." It was embarrassing for him to say at the least, and he did not intend for it to happen again anytime soon.
"Ahh, pity..." Mentally the god was scoffing. To be reborn...he despised the thought. Being forced to flee one's old body and form a new one in the belly of some other goddess was a pitiful show of weakness, as far as he was concerned. True, younger flesh was more robust, more energetic, but what it gained in the briefest of advantages it lost tenfold in wisdom and memories that most gods left behind with their old bodies.
He'd learned far too much, knew too much to be comfortable losing it all. How he was, he KNEW what everyone else was after. They all wanted power, HIS power! He wouldn't let them have it, he would show them all, kill enough to put the rest in their places as his minions as they should be. HE would be the victor!!...
"Then we are both at a loss, aren't we?" He let out a rumbling sort of laugh. "A shame...Perhaps you retained some memories though?" He eyed the adol god as an inspector would some trinket or other potentially valuable item. "A god is reborn almost immediately after death, from what I've...seen...Surely you didn't die so long ago. Well?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:34 pm
Fleance could tell he was being looked down upon, and he felt the same way about himself. It was shameful to be reborn, especially as many times as he had been, but he had little say in the matter. He'd even once entertained the thought in a past life of giving his immortality to a normal mortal, but the god knew he was far too vain to go through with it. But from his past lives… He didn't remember much… Most things were assumptions.
Like he had probably had mates and cubs and done great things with his past lives, but they were vague. His memories were just pictures without sound, fuzzy and featureless. That too was a bit of a point of shame for him… But there wasn't real anything for him to do about it. Alais had told him some things, but it was usually just about how he died. Which… he didn't much care to hear of or relive.
Hate had a sort of booming laugh. It made him a little uncomfortable and he feigned a laugh with him. "No, I can't say I've got too many to share. Boring things, hunts, meetings… that kind of thing. Nothing spectacular." And he shrugged at the question of age, "I'm not quite sure of that either." This time, it was Fleance's turn for a laugh.
Goodness, this god was utterly useless. He was a threat to Nelly's own cubs, and worse, he couldn't even offer information as a way to apologize. "Shame..." For a while it seemed the hulking god was considering leaving. With nothing to gain here there was no point in staying. He could surely take the youth's life as payment for his tresspassing, but he would just be reborn. Ashes was, if you asked him, a fairly useless domain. A cub-like version would be pointless.
But maybe there was something else..."Your cubs. They are partly mortal, yes?" They must be. Most gods retreated to the gods' heaven in the coulds when their time to spawn came. "Do they often have visions? I find such abilities fascinating...Strange, isn't it, that mere mortals can see the future and past when we, their gods and very creators, cannot?" His motives were anyone's guess, but his tone wasn't all that friendly. He almost seemed to be plotting something evil, something quite vile...
Shame? Oh, Fleance had plenty of that too. He didn't know of Hate's darker thoughts, but he could sense they were there, for sure. He shifted his weight again, not from a physical discomfort, but from not liking the god's company. And the way he asked about his cubs… Fleance's eyes were filled with distrust.
"Ah, yes. Three of them, half-mortal and seers." He'd had his own ulterior motives in their conception. There was something- someone, he was looking for and he hoped to use their visions to find it. However, he didn't plan on being so attached to them. Especially little Kimo, his daughter.
"So far only one has Seen, but it's only been of me." Again, it was his daughter. He didn't really know what her powers would be, and he assumed that he'd been Seen only because of her limited interaction with the outside world, and that Fleance was the largest part of her young life. Slowly, he nodded in agreement. "Yes… Quite curious. But, I must be getting back to them. After all, they must feed." He took a step back and flexed his wings. "It was, uhm, nice to meet you, Hate."
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