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 Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:05 am
❥ Hallow Flames
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This is a private RP between The Prince "Kozue" ( Epine De Rose ) & Amaltheia ( Candle Wick Ghost ).
Please do not post without being invited to do so! Thank you.
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:35 am
 Where had they come from? Amaltheia had returned to her herdland to seek her family out of the cluster of members and from what she had gathered they had been completely unaware that trouble and disaster was brewing a short ways from where the vanaras were located. Her only concern at the time had been the walkers which she kept for the most part, tight lipped. She just missed them and after catching up with them and being interrogated about her travels she was off once more.
She had fed her triffids and was on a stroll to think about the most recent events. One meeting in particular which had not left her mind. The prince. He thought she was dirty, a half-breed and had dismissed her with a retreat. It had clouded the air for her and she had trouble keeping the frown from her lips ever since. To have disappointed the true leader of their kind by a simple misunderstanding. Yet she couldn't be held responsible by birth for a mere opinion. She was conflicted and whilst battling with that conflict she hadn't noticed the sea of monsters on the other side of the plain.
It was only when she came to that she noticed the uncomfortable and eerie silence. The wind froze. There was no movement and there was no sound... Bringing her gaze up higher, that was when she saw them. The curled lips and crimson teeth. Leathery wings that ate up the sight of the sky, pointed tails and eyes that held a gaze no different than the walkers. They were hell born creatures, creatures that did not come in peace.
Alarmed her ears raised, her eyes bulged and her breath escalated. She was too far from her herd now to bound to before getting caught by such a creature, they had the advantage of flight and would have no problem cutting her off far before she reached them. Her only option was to take shelter in the forest and hope it's twisted branches and obstacles would both slow them down and hide her from sight.
Setting off with a great leap in to the tree line, she darted through, hearing the cries and shrieks of the monsters wailing behind her. Thunderous hooves haunted her as she cleared logs, shrubs and boulders, she thought it was never going to end. She slowed at the sight of a tree whom's trunk appeared to be left ajar. She quickly tossed her gaze behind her to seek out the sight of the hunting shadow and when reassured that she was not in it's direct line of sight, squeezed her way in to it's embrace.
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:56 am
Much to his great pleasure, the doe had elected to leave him alone after their encounter. His life had returned to normal and he had not received any additional, unwanted visits. He had went about his daily business, kept largely to himself, and as a result no one had bothered him either. For all intents and purposes the buck's life had returned to normal - or so he had assumed until the fateful day when he had stood upon the precipice and stared down into the plain that had once been filled with bison. To his utter horror it was now swarming with Kalona; oh he'd heard of the rumours and whispers, but until this point they had never had merit. It should have come at no surprise that he had quickly backed away from sight and drifted into the forest to avoid detection.
Alas, fate had a way of throwing a spanner in the works and while his forest had been untouched until now, it seemed that time had run out. Something or someone had brought a Kalona through the tree line, the thundering hooves causing a ripple of vibrations to catch his attention. These beasts were not the most graceful in the world, particularly in regions where they were trapped and blocked by obstacles. Ah, but with every snapping branch and snarl, the creature drew ever nearer and the buck's amber eyes narrowed in distaste.
He preferred his home to be untainted, whether it be by violence or disease.
It was a rarity for the buck to make a stand, but on this occasion his anger drove him on. The beautiful song that often graced him had been silenced, the animals simply too terrified to speak. What he loved and cherished was now at risk, for this was his realm. Oh the buck might not have had a herd or even a family, but this forest was his and as such, he made a point of keeping it safe.
Unaware of the individual responsible for drawing the Kalona in, he bounded towards the sound. Undeterred by the possibility of death (at least for now), he leapt between the trees, over the fallen logs, and across the lush forest floor until the Kalona was at last within his sights. A bestial form covered in leaves, while the delicate leather wings had been slashed by twigs, there was no mistaking who and what it was.
"You dare enter my realm!" Kozue's voice thundered across the forest's eerie silence, the buck 'invisible' for the time being due to his coat. As he drew to a halt, he than began to approach in silence, a devilish glint in his eyes as he looked over his 'prey' - every vulnerability documented, including the location of the beast. Ah, but the spirits of this forest had graced Kozue with considerable luck today.
"You are not prepared," he snarled.
Again, he drew to a halt, observing as the Kalona looked here and there for the source of the voice. Disembodied as it might have been, Kozue had a scent and the Kalona could smell it. Only when the Kalona had looked away did the buck attack, lunging from his hiding place to slam his antlers rather unceremoniously into the Kalona's neck. Unsurprisingly the rebuttal was forthcoming, for the Kalona swung round and sought to plunge its own horns into his neck.
...But he hadn't lost his touch.
Gritting his teeth, the buck pushed his heels into the ground and caught the horns within his antlers - nose to nose the Kalona and Cerynei stood off, neither prepared to concede; and then Kozue dropped his head to the left, the Kalona stumbled and the buck sprang into the forest behind him. He moved at a most slower pace, a 'taunt' as it were and the Kalona took the bait - bounding after Kozue in a series of snaps and snarls.
It may not have been instantly clear as to where the buck was going, but to Amaltheia, she may have eventually caught on to the fact that the buck was taunting the Kalona towards the precipice!
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:37 am
She could hear it all, the hooves, the snarls, the snapping of twigs, the fact the Kalona was drawing nearer to where she was hidden. The horrible imagine of the beast finding her had drifted in to her mind, first it would peer slowly around the edge of the trunk, utter some sarcastic comment which didn't fill you any confidence or hope that there was a remote chance of escape or living and then as much as she kicked and protested against it's might, would trap her petite ankle in it's fangs and drag her out in to the open.
What would come next she couldn't bring herself to animate.
She was shaking like a leaf. She thought by now the fear of being in these situations would have faded but it never did, it returned with back-up and kept pushing her in to a corner. It was inches away. It knew she was there, was trying to suffocate on her scent which would initiate a glowing sign saying ' that's where she is, you've done it! Great job' and she could only look on from her pit of death with envy. How she wished to be out there, free from the fear, the trap and far from the thought of death chasing her down.
Would this be it for her again, would it find her?
Then her ears caught the familiar, deep and confident voice of a male. She stopped shaking, forgetting the fear. Now she was filled with shock, disbelief and following was concern. She wanted to look out, have her suspicions of who that voice belonged to confirmed but knew if she even moved a muscle the Kalona would sense her whereabouts immediately. She could only wait in the suspense and the most unusual encounter unfolded.
Don't do it. She pleaded inwardly. What if she came out in the aftermath to see her prince lying on the ground, bleeding out. No! She couldn't think that, couldn't believe that he would ever fall to such demonic forces. She narrowed her brows and listened intently. She could hear hooves both gently scraping the ground and thumping hard against it, and the whip crack in the air of movement. The grinding of what could have been mistaken of bone, which she cringed at. Then all too immediately the sounds were rushing from the area and away from her.
She Pushed herself from the crawl space, getting her back legs tangled and having to provide extra force to her front hooves to free herself. She sprang out of it and landed, ears twitching and eyes searching for the source of all the ruckus. She saw the flicker of wings and slowly stalked after it, keeping distance behind tree's and looking around them to see the two figures heading to a place she had been before.
The hill top.
And her suspicions were confirmed. It was him and her heart, in that moment, came to a crashing halt.
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:37 am
Run. Run. Run.
He didn't look behind him and focused entirely on reaching the summit. As he anticipated, the Kalona began to struggle as he climbed - unable to use his wings and with such a steep incline inbound, the bestial creature made much slower progress than the nimble Cerynei. This was what Cerynei had been made for, how the gods had designed them and intended them to be. If there had any doubt about the advantages of being a pureblood then they should have been dispelled in that instance, as it seemed that on this occasion, the encounter was in favour of the smaller buck.
Alas, once he reached the summit, he didn't wait for long - in fact, the Kalona didn't hesitate either. Scrambling to the peak, the winged beast then lurched forward and was met with much the same stance as before. Stonewalled, the Cerynei caught the Kalona by the horns once again and heaved. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he found a strength that was often afforded only to those much larger than he, and much to the surprise of the Kalona, Kozue pushed forward and made ground.
It was a rather peculiar dance to say the least, each creature pushing back and forth, the Kalona unable to make use of all the weaponry at his disposal, but then Kozue made his final move...one that was unavoidable. Granted it should have now been expected as he'd done it before, dropping his head and sliding to the side - however on this occasion he didn't run, instead he thrust his antlers into the Kalona's neck and plunged forward. Any grip he could gain from the rock face, the slightest cracks or pebbles, and he used it to force himself forward.
He drew closer and closer to the ledge, and much to the great distress of the Kalona, he couldn't push back. In fact, with every movement, the antlers bore deeper - the only choice he would have, was to take wing. This was precisely what he did, rising upwards; only to find that it came at great cost. Kozue's antlers were pronged and arched, as he tore away, they ripped through skin and flesh - an open wound that would be a death sentence without a healer.
...Ah, but the pure-blooded Kalona didn't need a lesser, did they?
Nevertheless, the buck fought to keep his footing and pull down, the longer he held, the more deadly the wound would become. However with a series of sickening cracks, his antlers eventually splintered under the pressure and the Kalona stumbled backwards. Unable to grapple the wind under his wings due to Kozue's actions, it wasn't long before he fell completely out of sight, leaving the now hornless Cerynei in his wake.
Kozue's expression was largely unreadable as he looked downwards, noting that the Kalona had not managed to pull up before it was too late. Impaled on the sharper rocks, his fate was sealed. With nothing further to say or do, the buck stepped backwards into the shadows of the trees and began to walk away...
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 10:18 am
Amaltheia covered ground up the steep hill, watching as the battle between the buck and the brute commenced. She had faith in the prince's capabilities but it didn't stop her from worrying about the 'what if's' if the encounter took a turn for the worst. She didn't have wings and couldn't sprout them to attempt to save his life, if it was him who was to slip over the harsh and inevitable fatal drop and even if she could, she knew he would find something to criticize about that as well as her supposed traitor blood.
It was nerve wracking and all she wanted to do was scream out but if she did, she was certain it would catch him off guard and the Kalona would find that a most gracious opportunity to strike him down. So she kept her mouth shut and let her eyes do all the talking as they switched from one daring move to the other, coming from both side. Finally the beast took to his wings, hovering little off the edge and the prince had the advantage. Her features lit up at the sight and she rooted him on in her thoughts, feeling like she was in the midst the battle herself.
Of course she wasn't and to see just a brave demonstration only made her feel more like a coward and a nuisance. She brought the Kalona here, in to his home and if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't of been in this mess to begin with. Wouldn't of had to risk his life. She narrowed her gaze away from the scene and only dared look back when the startling crack echoed through the forest. She gasped and watched as the creature fell from sight and left, stood there victorious was the prince.
And what an admirable sight it truly was. She couldn't take her eyes off the figure and now she had witnessed the power and the capabilities of him she was reassured that the prince did in fact still exist and she was confident in that.
When he took to retreat the scene, Ama panicked, she thought she would lose him in the darkness and in a desperate attempt to catch up to him and gain his attention she let her lungs lift the silence.
"Waaaaaait!" She called after him, scrambling up the hill and following in to the shadows. "My prince, please, stop!" It sounded completely and utterly silly as it fell from her lips and the heat had no problem rising to her cheeks. Was that how she was supposed to address him? She had no other option, she didn't even know his name! Did he even know hers..? What an awkward revelation...
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 2:50 pm
His eyes widened and he spun round in horror as the familiar voice caught his attention. He had been making a swift retreat, for the death of the Kalona, and so publicly at that, would attract attention if the one who caused it was still nearby. Yet he should have known that the creature that had caused him trouble was back again and she was going to get them both killed with her ridiculous outburst. Good gods did she have no common sense, was she so mixed in blood that she had lost her senses and become as batty as a unikalona?
He stared at her incredulously and it took all of his restraint not to snap back at her in what would have been a death knell. No, unlike her he did have survival instincts and he was putting them to use, hell, he even had more common sense than her but he was beginning to suspect that that wasn't particularly hard. Alas, he was all to aware that time was ticking by quickly and he no longer had any weapons at his disposal, his antlers were gone and they would not grow back for some time...if more found him now, he'd be dead and quite frankly, so would she.
Granted, that may not be much of a loss, but he was better than that.
"You," he hissed and gave an abrupt jerk of his head for the doe to follow. "If you have any sense in that ridiculous head of yours you will shut up," he instructed, his voice still low. "You're going to get us both killed with your stupidity," he snarled and with that, he turned and continued to walk into the forest, his strides long and progress swift. He hadn't asked her to follow, but in the same vein he also hadn't told her not to...all he seemed intent on doing was moving as quickly away from the forest's edge as possible...
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:37 pm
Amaltheia knew when she was being scolded, stranded motionless the doe picked an inefficient moment to break from catching up with the princes' strides. With pinned ears, she let out a quiet 'oh' and offered him an apologetic expression. She was wrong to call out to him though if she hadn't, she may have lost sight of him... Then again, she had endangered his life one to many times already this evening.
Wearing a wary smile, she bounded as quietly as she could after the prince and once finally at his side, cast him once over. "I thought I was going to die, that Kalona was so close to finding me. It may not mean much, since you hadn't asked for the trouble, but... Thank you." She whispered. "I was lucky you were here.What you did was very brave." Though what he had done may have not been for her sake but for his homes, and she had no doubt in the prince's capabilities even if he had let go a little, she was glad that a second chance had been granted in order to clear up the mess of the last meeting.
For now it would be best to remain silent and let her ears do the talking with the forest. They would take in the fear of the animals and the unsettling feeling that what they had witnessed just moments ago wasn't the last they had seen of the foul beasts. Once the others had caught on that their kin had been defeated, they would be coming to find whoever was responsible. She narrowed her brows and let out a gentle sigh.
If only she had stayed with the herd, if the monsters found them they would need all the man power they could find. They wasn't incapable of holding their own but she couldn't help but worry over them and fear for their safety which now brought her to wondering where in fact the prince would go now. She looked at him, eyes betraying her thoughts.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:23 am
Candle Wick Ghost !!!! Welcome back m'dear. <3
Nevertheless, though he might crave to raise his voice and howl at her like a ghoul, now was neither the time or place. The Kalona's death would not be without consequence and with that in mind, he needed to get into the depths of the forest where no wings could travel. It seemed that every other creature he deemed a neighbour had the same idea, for every now and then he would hear the scamper of tiny paws as they made for the inner 'sanctum', a world that held no regard for giant, winged beasts.
Eventually he did deem it safe to speak, and it was in a low rumble of disgust and disbelief that he spoke. "I protected my home," he said. "What I cannot fathom is why you would lead such a thing here, to my world rather than your own." He lapsed into silence, his gaze still critical as he cast a sideways glance towards the doe - glad as he was that there had been no fatalities (with the exception of his antlers), he wasn't one to forgive such actions easily. She had uttered nonsensical things about her own family before, why had she not brought the kalona to them.
"Why were you still here?" he demanded at last. "You were supposed to leave."
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:09 pm
Amaltheia found herself more comfortable in the silence than when the sound of his voice finally found her ears with a stinging ring of disgust. She frowned, taking the criticism better than she expected to. Eyes looking everywhere else but at him. She didn't find herself tracking their steps anymore but simply keeping distracted so that she didn't feel worse than she already did that she had brought evil in to his home.
She let the silence thicken and scrambled for the words in her brain to fall in to some kind of order before attempting to answer his questions. Finally finding the courage to look at him again, pulling out of the drowning sulk that had taken over, she sighed. "I'm sorry. I did leave." She sighed again, more deeply this time. He knew how to be mean and mostly make someone feel stupid and ridiculous in their existence.
"I went home." She replied. "After catching up with my family I was on my way once more. When I spotted the beasts, I darted for the closest shelter I could see. Unfortunately that just happened to be your home. It just wasn't logical to try reach my herd when this forest was closer. They had the advantage of flight and I would of been caught."
She started to question why he was so easy to dismiss her and wanting an answer she put on the breaks and turned, whipping her body around to his front so that her side blocked his path. "Prince, why is it that I am such a disgrace to you. I am the same as you. I may have grown and lived my life in a herd different from the one you lead, with different views on how we should live.. I may make mistakes and find there are things I am capable of which I'm ultimately not proud of. Aren't we all?" She eyed him seriously for a moment before lifting the weakest of smiles. "I'm not your enemy. You should stop regarding me as such."
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:28 am
It was as legitimate an excuse as any other - while he might want to snap further, to express further discontent, he could really find no reasonable way to do so. He might be angry, but the answers he had demanded had been given and in all honesty, he couldn't expect more than that. The doe had returned home, though based on the length of time he thought had passed, she mustn't have been far from here. He supposed that with that in mind, he couldn't place the full weight of a kalona attack on her shoulders - they were beasts, unforgiving and relentless, if they wanted to hunt then they would most certainly do so.
No, instead the fates had simply elected to remind him that life was cruel and no more than a game to them. Lead too quiet a life, don't act as interesting as they would prefer, and you would find yourself in for a raw deal. This was most likely what had happened...and yet it had all started happening when this meddling creature had entered his forest spouting nonsense about the stupid, blue cat.
Yes; that one.
The very one he had seen airborne, strung up by another bestial soquili.
With all of this in mind he elected not to vocalise further distaste or irritation, instead casting another look of disapproval on the mare as she attempted to stop him in his tracks. Fortunately this look was somewhat milder than the previous, but still equated to the same thoughts! Suffice it to say that her stubbornness could be met with his own and it wasn't terribly difficult to walk around the petite doe. "Any one who threatens my home is an enemy, or at least one to regard with extreme caution," he stated calmly.
He refrained from answering the outstanding questions, she might think she was the same, but the plant life in her mane said otherwise. Instead, he simply kept moving and would eventually reach the hidden grove in the depths of the forest - one guarded by so much undergrowth and foliage that any winged being other than a flutter, would have struggled to navigate...
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:28 am
Amaltheia let the stallion walk past her, not that she had any intentions of stopping him in the first place, she just knew that he had already branded her in his mind and whether she was going to stop him in his tracks or pry to her life's end, he wasn't going to change his mind. His pride and old state of affairs would make good on that. That didn't mean however that she was just going to up and give, no, she could never give up on helping someone find the truth. If not for who she was, then allow him to find the leader and the purpose he held long ago.
She wondered if by being sent on her original mission, finding the prince was part of the path she needed to walk. He may be cautious of her odd string of bad luck but she hoped she could bring light on their travel too. Wherever they were going, that is. Turning to follow, she gave a gentle shrug, a smile warming on her lips.
She could not fault his words or his decisions, she would merely follow and see how their meetings would play out. Assuming that there was going to be more after this, though it charmed her to think that he would run and buck all the way to the hills if he thought she was bringing any more shady friends with her.
Eyes flashing at the surroundings as they slowly closed in on them, she made certain to note aspects in which she could find a way back out of if need be or possible. They had already travelled for a good while by this point and the only thing she noticed which brought relief was the fact anything with leathery wings wouldn't be making it here...
She was walking a pace a touch slower than his, watching his back as he moved forward to lead them to an unimaginable safe haven. This must have been the sight the old herd would see as he lead them to safety. Looking to the corners of her eyes, she found the voice to make a proper greeting and now seemed a better time than any. "Amaltheia." She uttered quietly, moving her eye sight back on to his figure. "My name, it's Amaltheia." This time, she voiced it louder.
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:57 am
The sight that the old herd would have seen? A buck with broken antlers and a scowl capable of ending a small animal's life. It was hardly a pleasant or presentable display, but Amaltheia had rankled him, worse still, he felt obligated to ensure she didn't end up dead while on his soil. It was funny how that 'honour' thing worked out - he really should have thrown her under the bus a long time ago and left her to the wrath of the kalona but nooooo... he upbringing would never allow it and his ancestors would spin in their graves if they knew of his behaviour.
He couldn't leave her, even if he mentally pictured periods of time in which she would be removed from his presence!
Unsurprisingly he had nothing to contribute to the conversation, remaining one sided, her introductions fell to the wayside. Tight lipped, he kept his eyes focused on his destinations and dodged the various obstacles in his path. Bit by bit he reached his safe haven until at last he found his way to the smallest of groves. Just large enough for a small number of soquili (small ones at that), it was hidden by a tightly woven canopy of interwoven branches. Light scarcely reached the earth below, and yet there was a warmth to the place - there might have been no light, but the air was also still and mild.
While not immediately visible a faint trickle of a river could be heard, most certainly not a large one, but certainly one capable of being a convenient source for the buck.
It was only here that he settled, and with an exasperated sigh he spun round to eye the mare and her irritatingly warm expression. This idealism would be the death of her, and him, if she kept wandering into his bloody forest.
"It is not a pleasure to meet you Amaltheia," he said at last and snorted. "You bring trouble with every visit, and you will leave as soon as it is safe to do so," he stated flatly.
"Is that clear?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 4:23 pm
The lack of conversation hadn't phased Amaltheia as they continued to walk the path that Kozue had set for them and she followed him in the silence for a good long while until the surroundings started to cave in on them. This is when Amaltheia really started to feel uncomfortable, her sides clenched as if trying to make more room between herself and the elegant weave of branches that surrounded them. She dipped her head to the side and her smile fell crooked and uncertain.
This haven of the prince may have been beautiful and serene, it would keep them from harms way but it would also mean there wasn't any room for them to distance themselves from one another either and she got the feeling the prince had already had more than his fair share of the inquisitive and persistent nature of the doe. This was enforced by his abrupt rudeness, which he made no effort to conceal his distaste for her when he commanded her to leave as soon as he could possibly buck her off of his doorstep.
Ama sucked her breath in, it caught in her throat and the heat spread to her lungs, she could feel them burning. Was this anger or sadness, or a little bit of both? She bit her bottom lip, her ears were at first alert and set upright, as if trying to force the words from his lips again so that she could have clarity. When the words clearly weren't repeating themselves, they fell back to her head and her eyes widened with a glossy coat pulled over them.
She moved forward, taking one, clumsy step toward him. "You don't mean that, you can't." She shook her head, not wanting to believe that he meant what he said. All those stories her father had told her, of a brave, wise and honourable leader and now, here he stood, flat out dismissing every fibre of her being with what she could only describe as disgust and hate.
She respected this man that stood before her, had seen what he was capable of, he was truly good in his heart and he meant well;he had saved her after all even though he claimed she was nothing but a nuisance to him and while she wanted to turn and run from him, she couldn't. She couldn't just give up on him.
"No." She shook her head. "It is not clear. What is clear to me is that while you may have given up on your people, who you believe have dishonoured our kind, they have not given up on you." She snorted. "While you hide out in some forest, whose whispers can only tell your story for so long, to those that cannot speak, there are our people out there that still need you, who still believe you to be the true leader, to guide and protect us."
She stood in silence a moment and then continued with further determination firm in her voice. "So no, I cannot leave. I will not stand by and let you rot away in some forest, when you could be doing good out there in the real world, the one that really needs you."
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