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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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 Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:56 pm
 Karloff was walking in the dark, he was lost in thought. Tonight, more than usual, the memories were agony. What would he give to not remember? To let it all end? He wanted to become the thing he pretended to be. Having no feelings, or just feelings as base as rage...anything would be better than this pain that ate him from within. He heard a sound, and his head spun to it. But there was nothing low on the ground, and with misgivings he looked up. "It's you!" His heart beat frantically.
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:33 pm
 Terra's grin grew wide. She had been tracking the little colt for a while now. It was only an accident that she had alerted the young foal to her presence. Letting her wings snap open Terra snickered. The skinwalker's wingspan was impressive but even so ... the foal was no match for her size and rage.
"So you recognize me do you? Pray tell me how this is so. I would suggest caution though in how you answer for I am feeling rather peckish."
Terra's right hoof pawed at the ground as she stared down - awaiting the colt's response. Her keen gaze took in the mask and apparent costume the Soquili was wearing in the meantime. Terra scented blood on the air and her stomach rumbled.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:55 pm
Karloff rubbed his neck, he could see the glow in her eyes...and he was bleeding again. Of all the times...but he couldn't worry about that. He needed to focus or he'd die.
"The carnival. I saw you there." He shouldn't lie to her, "I wanted to meet you. Be one of you."
Well maybe that hadn't been the most intelligent thing to say....
He tried to keep his body steady, his muscles taut and ready to respond at whatever she did next.
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:13 pm
Well she couldn't fault the foal for honesty. He probably had seen her at the carnival. Just the thought of that place had her grinding her hoof against the ground making a fairly large rut. It was the second and third pieces of information that the black and white foal imparted that shocked Terra deeply. Perhaps she had heard wrong. This foolish colt wanted to be like her? Cursed? Doomed to feed off the fear and flesh of other living creatures?
Terra's gaze narrowed to bore into the youngster's own. With more vehemence than she might have intended she spit out the words. "You DO NOT want to be like me! Do you think that it looks fun? You are WRONG!"
Terra reared suddenly and let her wings lift her a couple feet off the ground. Giving a few experimental flaps she blasted the colt with cold, powerful bursts of air. "Don't take me lightly. Even as we converse - I can smell your fear. It's intoxicating ... like something I can't ever get enough of."
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:19 pm
Karloff fell to his knees, he could feel himself shaking as the gusts blew over him. "I want to stop feeling. I'm tired of the guilt! I want to lose this humanity, be unfeeling..."
Maybe he had said too much. Calling her unfeeling hadn't been the most brilliant move. But she was, and he wanted to be. He didn't want to live with the guilt forever, he didn't want to hurt everything he loved...He wanted to stop feeling, stop caring.
If he had to become a monster...
A monster, a monster like the one who killed his mother. He hadn't' thought of that before. Was that what he wanted? Was facing death face to face what made him question the decision? Or was there still something in him fighting to be saved?
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:26 pm
Terra's keen ears caught the words spoken and eased up enough so that her wings were once again tucked alongside her flank. Stepping closer to the foal Terra nudged at the colt's mask before speaking. It wasn't a gentle nudge either. Terra was tired but intrigued by the admission that she had just heard.
"Get up. I haven't really hurt you yet. Perhaps I won't. You talk about guilt and being unfeeling. What have you done to make you feel this way?"
Taking a moment to scan the horizon Terra paused. "If you saw me at the carnival then you should know my name. However I demand that you tell me yours."
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:34 pm
He stumbled back to his feet, but nearly lost his balance again when she nudged him. It was more like a push really, and he was much tinier than her.
"My mother. She died, murdered. I sat with her body for days after my father left. He couldn't handle it. And there were others...others who tried to help. But they shunned me too. There's evil in me, they said. I've destroyed anything that could ever love me."
He didn't let his eyes stray from her, he had to be alert and ready. He could see her gleaming teeth through the darkness. "Karl, Karloff. You're, You're Terra Stryker."
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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 1:47 am
Terra didn't indicate that the colt, Karloff, was right about her name. Considering he knew her full title it seemed that he had indeed been to the carnival. This was definitely an odd twist in fate. The mare sighed softly before digesting Karloff's story. Such a tragic thing to happen for sure - but even she had a tragic story. Shaking her head to dislodge the unpleasant memories of her life in the carnival Terra grimaced.
Without being too extreme how could she reverse Karloff's desire. Much as she detested the idea Terra would have to be somewhat gentle in her persuasion. Shouting and pushing Karloff around wouldn't work. The only way she could figure out how to get her point across would be to show the youngster the life that she led. But first ...
"You have had something terrible happen. I'll agree to that. However those others who have said that it was your fault are wrong. Your father could not see truth either. It was mere fate that your mother was killed. You could not have stopped it. If your father was here he also could have died. For some reason you were spared. Think about that."
Here Terra paused. "If you really wish to be like me ... you will have to learn to eat meat. Could you do that?"
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 3:06 pm
Karloff took a deep breathe, he hadn't expected her reaction to be like this. He hadn't thought about the fact he had been spared...He had been, it was true. But was that accident or fate?
He couldn't know. Maybe he'd thought of things wrong...Her question brought him back to focus. He needed to focus, "I..I think I could." He'd only ever tried fish before. He knew it was different, but maybe it wasn't as bad as it sounded. But wouldn't the desire for it, wouldn't that overrule the repulsion he felt for it now?
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 7:37 am
Terra heard the hesitation in Karloff's voice. There was the first indication that the colt did not wish to become what he said he did. However the batwalker pushed the issue a little further. "Okay. So you think you could eat meat. Let me ask you this ... could you eat other Soquili? People you might call friends now - could you willingly extinguish their lives in order to find your next meal."
This would be the coup de grace if you would. If there was any hesitation on Karloff's part than the colt would hopefully realize that this was not the path to choose. Of course once you became a skinwalker - friends didn't seem to matter. Terra hid a smile of malice. She was still quite hungry it seemed.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 3:04 pm
Karloff couldn't hide the shudder of repulsion, and without meaning to he didn't answer the question. "I have no friends." It was true, there had not been anyone he'd called a friend...He'd had a few friendly encounters...Amelina....Solieanna...but had they been his friends? He didn't think so, but the though of murdering them...of eating their flesh made him feel sick.
What was wrong with him? He'd spent his whole life trying to forget, to obliterate all feelings of remorse or guilt. But now, now he was questioning it. He was loosing ground.
He looked at Terra trying to see himself as her, as what she was. And for the first time in his life, that vision faltered and failed.
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 5:53 pm
Ah. Hesitation. It was lovely to behold. Terra's grin grew as Karloff was seemingly distracted by her words. Maybe even though it loathed her to admit it she had actually dissuaded the colt from a disastrous decision. However as distracted as Karloff was ... the colt should remember in whose company he found himself in.
The skinwalker was still hungry and well here was a perfect sized meal just standing in front of her. Stepping forward carefully Terra put on an aloof expression before speaking softly. "So Karloff ... do you still wish to become like me?"
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 11:37 pm
"I'm not sure. Maybe not." He didn't like that look in her eye as she was closer to him. Then he knew it, this was a trap. This was not a discussion. She was wanting to snack on him, to kill him...
He had to think fast, "I think I should go now." He took a tentative step backwards.
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 7:50 am
Terra sighed and made a tsking sound as Karloff started to back away from her. Advancing on the colt she snapped at the ties that held the mask to his face. Although he hadn't mentioned what had caused him to cover his face Terra was sometimes a mare driven by curiosity. She wanted to see what he had hidden underneath. She hoped that by snapping at the ties she would cause the mask to slide off ... and perhaps startle Karloff enough that he'd stay put for a while longer.
"You fear me now that is wise. You will do well to remember this lesson. Even though I hunger ... I will not harm you, at least for today. You have shown courage in remaining for this length of time ... but the price is that you must leave your mask when you leave. No more hiding Karloff."
The batwalker shuffled her wings gently as she waited for the colt's response. And just to top it off she spoke softly. "You do not have what it takes to be something like me. It is not a lifestyle I'd wish on anyone."
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:09 am
Karloff was stunned as she snapped at him. He felt terror, but not bite or sting. He hadn't closed his eyes, but it seemed impossible he was still alive. She could have crushed him...
But then he felt the strings snap, and the mask slipped down his face and to the ground before he could stop it. He know she'd see his badly scarred face, the terrible visage underneath. He couldn't hide it now.
He tried to keep his head up, to not be ashamed of the scars which were now a duller red then they had been at first. But it wasn't worth it to fight for the mask, he needed a new one anyways.
It wasn't worth the fight. He wasn't sure what to say, could you even say thank you to a skinwalker? Instead he said carefully, "I've seen it's not the life I want."
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