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 Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 5:52 pm
((This is a RP to honor the soquili that died in " Plot X:" Avalokiteshvara, Scythe, Nirvana, and Bodhisattva. Anyone with a soquili related to either Vara or Scythe (or mated into the family) is welcome to post. People with unrelated soquili are welcome as well, but please PM for permission! There is no set posting order, so feel free to come and post as you like. Note: There is no set plot for this RP. Most of my soqs will just be posting once and no more. This will be very freeform and end when people seem tired of it.))
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 6:25 pm
 "We are taught that all life is impermanent and that all those who are born must eventually pass from this life. However, everyone has within them the seeds of their past virtues, which have the power to bring a fortunate rebirth in the future."
Amitabha recited the prayer with calm composure. In the seven days since the attack he had only rarely left the side of the departed. He prayed for them so that their souls might listen and move onto a higher rebirth. He was the only one among the herd who knew the words and the ceremonies, so he presided over the funeral of his sister and her family. Amitabha grieved for them, but perhaps not as much as the others. He had spent many hours and days over the course of his lifetime meditating on the nature of impermanence. Death came to all soquili in the end. It was not something to be mourned, merely the transition to another state of being and another life. He was sad to see them gone but knew that he too would die someday. Behind Amitabha stood a great fire. The healthy Padmapani members had spent the previous week gathering dry wood for it. Finally, the bodies of the slain had been laid to rest upon it and Hayagriva had gone out to fetch fire from the humans. Haya returned to the herd with a blazing branch and a burnt face. Now, the fire roared and sent great plumes of smoke into the winter air. Ashes of the dead rose upon that column, fluttering skyward and out of sight. There were still soquili slowly gathering, but he began the official funeral prayer. While his previous chants had been quiet, now he raised his voice loud and clear to be heard above the mutterings of the crowd.
"O Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
abiding in all directions,
endowed with great compassion,
endowed with fore-knowledge,
endowed with the divine eye,
endowed with love,
affording protection to sentient beings,
consent through the power of your
great compassion to come forth.
Consent to accept these offerings concretely
laid out and mentally created.
O Compassionate Ones,
you who possess the wisdom of understanding,
the love of compassion,
the power of doing divine deeds and of
protecting in incomprehensible measure.
Scythe, Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva, and Nirvana are passing from this world to the next.
They are taking a great leap.
The light of this world has faded for them.
They have entered solitude with their karmic forces.
They have gone into a vast Silence.
They are borne away by the Great Ocean of birth and death.
O Compassionate Ones,
protect them, who are defenseless.
Be to them like a father and a mother.
O Compassionate Ones,
let not the force of your compassion be weak,
but aid our departed family members.
Forget not your ancient vows."
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 6:44 pm
Hayagriva stared stonily into the flames. He ignored what Amitabha was saying just as he had been for the past few hours. All of the prayers began to sound the same after he heard enough of them. Life was impermanent. That was the basic meaning of them all, even if the words changed.
He had gone through a lot of rough patches in the past week. He had been ready to leave the herd in shame when Revyra talked him out of it. He now understood that it had been a stupid idea. He was the Protector now. That wasn't something he could ever let himself run away from. It was the last thing he promised to Scythe, to protect the herd. He would die before breaking that vow.
There were already many soquili gathered, some that he didn't even recognize. "How many more do you think will come?" he asked Revyra dully.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 7:45 pm
Revyra stood still at Hayagriva's side. She had kept near to him for most of the past week providing a voice of reason. These were hard times for the herd. Their leaders and loved ones had passed on in ways too horrible to think about for most of the peace-loving herd. In the face of this Revyra had witnessed many drastic changes in characters from soquili she thought she knew well. She was one of the few soquili that remained largely the same.
Revyra had known the deceased, even trained one of them in aerial combat, but she had not been so close as the others. She was not family. While their deaths had hurt they had not broken her and she needed to remain steady now more than ever. Too much had changed, one familiar thing could make a difference. At least, that was what she continued to tell herself.
"Who can say?" She replied the the new Protector. She couldn't even name half the soquili present. "A fire this size is bound to draw attention from even those outside of friend and family." She turned her face to look at Hayagriva. To lose his parent's and still be standing their watching, distant or not, showed strength that Revyra was not sure that even she possessed. There was a reason he was an elder but that only did so much. He needed someone to say the right words to help him but Revyra found she didn't know them. So she turned to look over those that gathered again checking for signs of aggression. It was all she knew how to do.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:27 pm
 Aria stood off to the side; for now, purposefully choosing isolation as she stared at the flames. In irony, the deeper embers practically matched the colour of her eyes. It was almost mocking, really, that flame could burn so bright and she felt ashamed and hollow.
She had no fighting experience, perhaps entirely too complacent with the peace the herd had enjoyed until recent events sent things spiralling out of control.
As the bodies of her father, her sister, and her great grandmother and grandfather burned, she could feel burning streaks of tears coat the fine hairs on her face. Gone. All of them, gone, and it didn't matter what Amitabha termed it as, they were deceased and would never return exactly as their former selves. She believed in the beliefs her herd did, but such a massive blow made it a hard struggle for the young mare to keep the unwavering faith Amitabha did. She acknowledged everyone and everything had a time and an eventual place in death, and that the cycle would continue as such, but that didn't mean she was ready for facing something like this.
But she had quivered in fear while they had fought. Perhaps they had done so without fear, but most likely fear was a companion in their struggle, and she could at least bear and face her own in this.
...it was truly difficult.
The normal aura of calm that resolutely settled around the mare was shaken and shattered, as evidenced by the occasional quiver along her hide. She cried freely, emotion undone and on full display, unlike somewhat veiled beneath the surface as per usual.
They had always seemed so permanent in her life; there for guidance and council and play and comfort when she needed them, or to offer her own in return, always. It was no surprise she felt utterly lost without them.
The only thought that resonated through her mind was: 'They're gone and I did nothing.'
Over, and over. Her head sank by degrees with each blow of the repeated thought. Occasionally her eyes squeezed shut, and spilled more tears. The mare's thick mane and tail hung limp, the proud plume of chocolate feathers bowed low, and despite it all, she mourned just as she loved them.
Deeply. Unconditionally.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:22 am
Aether had been away when the attack happened...he hadn't been here for his mother or father...he had let them down and now they were gone! His mother! Oh his beautiful mother!! And his strong and wonderful father! God what had he done. He flew in and stood to the side of the crowd and looked at them all. His mother...he smelled her there as things were burning....and the musky semifamiliar scent of his father. Tears fell down his face. He stood there and looked at them as he cried.
"Mother....Father...I let you down...I let you so down and i couldn't make things better....why wasn't i here for you! To help you!" He said as he trembled and then fell to the ground. His mother...father...He hadn't even gotten to say bye to them or that he loved them before he left to go for his little trip. How....how could he....Not even be there...He cried into the grass and wished he had been there!
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:51 am
 ((temper not evil )) Sgina galloped after the shadow that she knew was her love's. Her wings didn't work as they should so she often choose to run instead. She was falling behind Aether, but was not upset by this knowing the state he must be in right now. Sgina stopped to catch her breath before slowly approaching the group. She did not do so well in groups, but that didnt matter she had to be there for her mate.
Sgina made a concerned sound as Aether hit the ground. She went to him and place her muzzle against his neck trying to comfort him. Sgina felt guilty all the sudden she was the reason he had bee gone. Her fear of herds having made Aether travel to see her when she should have just been here.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 7:10 am
 Fur and feathers had slowly begun to grow back over the past week since the attack. But like so many others, Deva had other wounds that weren't so easily healed. He stood in the middle of the crowd of mourners, possibly the worst place to be. He could see and hear and feel everyone. Hear them sobbing, see their tears, watch as others, such as Aether, fell to the ground and feel the overwhelming sorrow. Try as he might, he couldn't keep them from effecting him. Their sadness only added to his already conflicted thoughts.
While others wept for not having been there to prevent these deaths, Deva struggled with what he had been able to he. He had been there. He had thrown himself between the herd and three of the attackers. He had killed one of them...
Others considered this a triumph, even if it had only been a wolf. To Deva it was a life, one that he had snuffed out with his own hooves. He was supposed to be a spiritual leader, supposed to be like Amitabha and understand that death was inevitable and all souls would eventually return to this world one day. He was supposed to be strong and help the others to understand this as well. But he couldn't even help himself understand, he had let his faith waver and it had thrown his soul into a turbulent storm of doubt. He looked away from the fire that was no consuming his fallen family members and hung his head in shame. It was now, after the battle was done, that he felt most useless.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:30 am
 Misaki stood next to her brother, Amitabha, in silence. It had seemed like only yesterday they and Vara and been reunited with one another...It had in fact been some years now. Her eyes looked out over those that were arriving to say their last good byes to Vara and the others that had passed in the attack. Calm, as always, Misaki was there to honor her fallen family, but also to help comfort those in need. Like her brother and sister, Misaki believed that the exit of this life was just to move to the beginning of another. While she was saddened by the fact that she would never again see her sister in this life, she was comforted knowing that she would meet her again when her own time came. She nodded quietly to those who were gathering.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:36 am
 Tuli stood with tears streaming down her face. She had been unable to stop them since the attack. She had left with those fleeing and had not been there with her parents in their final moments. She had come back to find Haya guarding their broken and bloody bodies. She looked for her brothers, Mel and Karma, she wanted to be with them now. They had grown distant in the years since the boys had started families of their own... Tuli didn't know what she would do now. While she and her mate were together, they had still stayed close to Vara and Scythe over the years...They had yet to create offspring... a decision that Tuli now regretted. Her mother would never see the children would come from her beauty. Her sobbing became louder, her eyes closed as she tried not to draw attention to herself....
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:50 am
 Quietly Sengdroma made her way into the gathering, her eyes calmly set on her family and friends. She wanted them all to know that no one blamed them for the loss of these loved ones... Haya especially. She knew that this would weigh heavy on him.. More than any of the others. She nodded in greetings to those she passed on her way to the fire and the family standing closest to it. Though there were tears in her eyes, she seemed calm... She knew that no one would think less of her if she openly showed the scars that this would leave on her heart, but she was trying her best to hold it together. Walking up next to Haya, her own eyes staring into the flames, she spoke gently to him, "Brother," she greeted him then paused for a moment as she tried to gather her words. "They have not died in vain...and we all know you are not to blame for the losses." she paused again. "These bodies that lie here, are but shells... The souls have passed on to greater and greener plains... Most importantly, they are together... all of them. They will be there to meet us when our journey in this lifetime ends." she began to get a little choked up as she spoke. "They believe in you.... and her," she gave a gentle nod to the new Alpha. "We must honor them all and live," She fell quiet, continuing to focus on the flames and smoke that danced before them. Behind her, more soquili were showing up to pay their respects:    
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:56 am
Finally, the smallest of Scythe's friends made an appearance....  Shilo had been Scythe's constant companion for many years. She had seen the birth of all of his children, had played with the grandchildren and greatgrandchildren...Shilo had listened to every concern...every happy thought..every debate that Scythe had.. and now he was gone. The small ferret had finally come out of hiding to pay respect to her friends... her friends that had become her family. The small blue rodent paced back and forth in front of the fire, lost. She didn't know where to go...who to turn to. She had never thought of a day without her best friend. Her normal happy and chittering self was replaced with a sad, confused, and lonely animal. There was no chittering to be done today.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:02 am
Glissando was another soquili that stood alone. He had barely spoken a word to anyone since the attack. He hadn't eaten and had barely slept since seeing his father get murdered by a skinwalker right before his eyes. He saw it replayed whenever he closed his eyes. He could still smell the sickly odor of blood and feline. He still remembered the way the blood-soaked mud sucked at his hooves as he went to stand beside Nirvana's body.
Hayagriva said no revenge. Glissando had always respected the elder up until then but he couldn't agree with that decision. His father and sister were dead and the only one of the enemies they had managed to take out was a wolf. Pathetic. He wanted to go after the Mahapadma and make them pay but everyone else just wanted to stand around and cry. Glissando had no respect for them. None at all.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:12 am
Malchediel followed his mother in. He was quiet, not knowing how to behave in the somber situation. He had never been to a funeral before. He had never even known anyone who had died. He looked to the fire and his brow knit in uncertainty. His grandparents were dead, but he couldn't quite believe it. He still expected them to appear smiling as usual with their old stories and advice. He hadn't grieved for them yet because he couldn't accept it as real.
The one he had spent more time with in Padmapani was the elder Hayagriva. Malchediel came to the herd fairly regularly to attend Haya's instructional self-defense lessons. The changes he saw in Haya really shook him. Haya was obviously recovering from many injuries. He looked so sad up there by the flames.
Malchediel felt a gripping in his heart. Seeing one who he had looked up to for all those years responding to Vara and Scythe's death made it seem more concrete. Mal didn't like that. The more real it became the more it would hurt...
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:26 am
  
Kakumei Tenjou limped to the gathering between his two mothers. Utena had been using her unicorn healing powers on him all week since the attack. His injury was now scabbed over but still gave him a dull pain whenever he put weight on it. His mothers told him that he'd soon be good as new again, but Kakumei wondered and worried. He couldn't keep up with his siblings anymore when they ran and played. Would he be like this forever?
Nervously, he looked out from between his mothers at the soquili around. There were a lot of strangers. He didn't like that. In his imagination, the strangers could be more enemies and followers of the skinwalker. He shivered and drew closer to Capriccia. He no longer trusted and believed that people he didn't know meant him well. Strangers meant fear now for Kakumei.
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