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Eco-friendly Shapeshifter
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 Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 10:36 pm
His tongue lapped at the orange blood that seeped from the cut on his palm. Every step on the uneven ground was a chore. Parts of his small body ached and burned with a deep fire. It would be so nice to lie down and rest. This was not the place to do that, though. He didn't know much, but he knew that the more distance he got between the caves and himself, the better. Plus, far in the distance lumbering white creatures grew larger and larger, drawing closer and closer to the gaggle of kids. His feet scrapped the earth, and his head doggedly bounced with every move.
Instinctively he knew that getting to the white things was going to be the right thing to do. He needed to get to one of them. All around him the other children fled, screeching loudly. Someone was here. Something was here. Turning on heel, his sharp voice joined the cacophony. He fled towards the cave, to the horrors. Every fiber of his body was saying to escape. In the distance he could hear the call of monsters, and the ground vibrated with the combined urgency of their run.
One minute the troll was up, and the next he was eating dirt. Lying dazed, the child struggled to turn over and get to his feet. His hands dug furiously into the hard rocky floor. One knee screamed in pain as it connected with the very rock that had tripped him. Gritting his teeth, he stood for a singular moment before pain, sharp and hot, jabbed directly through his ankle. Crying out, he crumpled to the ground. Panic pounded down every vein of his body, shaking him to the core. Whipping his head back, he searched desperately up for the threat. Where was it where was - Oh. It was right there, striding quickly towards him. He cried out again. With eyes so wide, he watched at what he assumed was his death. "P-please.."
Without energy to flee or move, he curled up into a ball and shook. This was the end of his short existence, wasn't it? His body prepared for death, sending out new hormones to relax him, to numb the eventual pain. He felt the touch of flesh on his back and flinched. It was... It was... rubbing his back? He kept tense, waiting for the finishing blow as the thundering of the lusii drug closer. It felt tortuously long, but it was no more than a minute, before he unwound sluggishly. Nervously his eyes, bright and shiny from unshed tears, met the trolls face that had chased him.
She was smiling, offering him her other hand. Was... He didn't know if he could trust her, but maybe... Just maybe... Worrying his lower lip, he reached out and took her hand. With ease and what seemed to him phenomenal strength she lifted him, cradling him in her arms. "Who are you?" he croaked, but she only shook her head. Before he could protest, they were on the move. She ran swiftly, a look of pure determination painted across her features. They climbed and moved out of the cave and away from the charging lusii. He watched it all happen, too tired to understand. Too worn out to care, really. They ran, and ran, and ran, until she slowed down to a trot. She was panting and sweating from exertion, but whatever threat had chased them on their heels from the cave must have given up pursuit. He had been unknowingly watching her intensely, and now the troll smiled again at him. She raised her hand and he flinched. Hesitating, the older troll committed to the action and stroked his cheek. Such a soft, gentle touch... It soothed some panic inside of him.
Eventually the excitement was too much, and sleep took over for a while. When he awoke again, he was back in new tunnels, but these were reddish and well lit. They were visibly cleaner. They even smelled cleaner. He twisted his head around to get a better view.
I don't know where I am. This wasn't too weird, though. After all, birth and life had been a weird mish-mosh of memories. Most of them were hazy blurs. First was hatching. That was hard to recall.Then wiggling around, eating things on the ground or in shallow puddles. That wasn't the clearest, but it was certainly easier and clearer than hatching had been. Eventually he grew and grew until he was fat enough to spin a cocoon. Things got even hazier then and was replaced with a black, painful mesinesss that made his head ache. Eventually, he broke from the darkness, with brand new arms and legs. The very ones that were scratched and bruised now, that had carried him through the cave systems filled with things that he didn't understand, but instinctively knew to avoid. Monsters, vermin, traps, and other nefarious things that the small troll had watched others fall to and stop moving. Even remembering it made his skin chill and his heart race.
But this by far was the weirdest memory. His savior troll was still silently carrying him. She hadn't said much, or rather, anything to him. Sighing, he contemplated running. He wasn't as worn, so he could possibly fight her. No, there was no way. Plus she didn't seem to be a threat. Before a final decision could be reached, the tunnel ended and brought the pair into a cavernous room, light by flickering candles and covered with chairs and tables arranged haphazardly. A large troll was at one side of this room, and the one carrying him was... Carrying him towards her? He felt nervous again and snuggled into the quiet troll's shoulder. If he didn't look, it would go away. Yes, that had to be right.
Eventually she stopped walking and he shyly peeked from the safety of her shirt. This... This troll had a piercing gaze and a air of seriousness that made him anxious and stiff.The one who had held him now set him down on the ground. Blind panic coursed through the little troll as he scuttled behind her legs, only to peek around them to stare at the new serious troll suspiciously. Who was this? Was she dangerous? "Who are you?" He demanded. "Where am I? Who is this?" His voice gained volume and strength after each word. Something inside stirred, setting a restlessness in his soul. No longer tired and not hurting as bad, he stood and shakily moved to stand in front of the troll who had taken him from the others.
"Where... Where am I?" He held his chin up, eyes still afraid but set to stare at Byakko. His stance was firm, only deterred by the faint quiver that ran through his body.
---
Milieu stepped back, her mission and part of this adventure almost complete.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:32 pm
Ever since the mutant orange egg had been found in the rebel's brooding cavern, it was all Byakko could think about.
She found it nigh impossible to tear her thoughts away from the egg and focus on anything else; even the Initiative which she had poured every fibre of her being into for the majority of her existence. Another mutant. It had taken her by complete and utter shock, sending everything else in her life to a screeching halt. Byakko had never even heard of another living blood mutant, let alone met one.
At first, she was ecstatic to the point of uncontrollable tears. What kind of troll would they be? Just thinking about it made her gut twist with a nervous excitement. She tried to tell herself it was a waste of valuable time to fixate on the possibilities, endlessly musing on what could be- but she couldn't stop herself. Akko didn't consider herself lonely, per say- somehow she had managed to make a few friends and she valued those bonds deeply. But still, none of them could ever truly understand or relate to how she felt as a social pariah and the pressure that came with it. This troll would. Neither of them had to go through the dangers alone, and the promise of having someone to relate to left her selfishly euphoric.
Then, an overwhelming sense of 'what the ******** do I even do now' enveloped her, leaving Akko shaking with uncertain horror for the child's future. They would have no lusus. Who would raise them? Her? Unless they decided to cruelly leave the orangeblood's fate to whatever lay beyond the brooding caverns, someone had to step up and take over the parental role. She was the only one that would really understand the child's plight, that could honestly prepare them for what the world had in store for mutants. But what on Alternia did she know about keeping a young troll safe? Byakko hadn't even been able to protect what little had been left over of the Initiative, thanks to Errade. There were so many dangers for anyone stepping into the world for the first time, especially for a mutant. So much to teach them. Byakko could only imagine how much help Trolldad had gotten from his own lusus, but she didn't have him to turn to for guidance. At least by the time Zhuque had found Akko crawling around in the caverns, she already comprehended that she was different, that she was hunted by the lusi for it. How was she to save the mutant from that same fate, yet also indoctrinate them in the dangers of Alternia for mutants? Keep them alive? Akko wondered if the same endless cycle of fear and anxiety had left Trolldad as crippled, too.
---
The pinkblood had been seated on a rickety old chair at the end of a table facing the doorway, hands folded tightly in her lap while she waited. Byakko simply sat there, silent, staring at the candle light dancing across the cave wall. It was nerve wracking, just waiting, but she didn't know what else to do with herself. She felt like she was suffocating.
Eventually, footsteps. she immediately rose, scraping the chair across the rocky floor. Milieu entered, clutching a small blood stained troll, and Byakko gaped incredulously. Despite all the time she had to prepare and compose herself, she still found herself balking at the sight of the child.
This was happening. It was real. They were real.
Byakko met the other mutantblood's stare, although hers was widened into one of bewilderment rather than her usual piercing gaze. Until that very moment, Byakko hadn't completely allowed herself to believe that he would even live to see the end of the trials- it seemed all too surreal, no matter how much time she spent staring at the bright orange wriggler. Seeing him breathing, moving, speaking, made everything that much more concrete. The pinkblood was slammed back down into reality, blinking back her swelling tears.
"My name is Byakko." Barely managing to choke the words out, her voice was low and soft in contrast to the child's, attempting her best to force a soothing tone. Akko slowly gestured over to the other teen, careful not to make any sudden movements to startle the child. She remembered the confusion and fear. "That over there is Milieu. I asked her to bring you here so I could have a chat with you." She wanted to ask his name in return, but he didn't have one yet, huh?
"You're still in the brooding caverns, where you've been your whole life- just a different part." Cocking her head as she spoke, Byakko allowed her eyes to dart up and down the orangeblood, examining him as if he was one of the first creatures she had ever seen, too. Snapping out of her brief daze, she continued.
Byakko lifted a claw to gesture towards one of the nearby chairs. "Why don't you have a seat?" Settling back down onto a chair herself, Byakko turned her attention back to Milieu, nodding firmly.
"Good job- as always, thank you. You're dismissed." Akko was grateful for the tealblood's help- she really, really hadn't wanted to go anywhere near the chargeless lusi. Mili had been the perfect candidate, being unable to verbally communicate with the child; Akko wanted to be the first. But she also wasn't ready to out her own blood mutation so casually to her subordinates, and waited for the other girl's departure before diving into the matter at hand.
Reaching into her robes, Akko fiddled around inside her pockets before fishing out a small grey cloth. She placed it gently on the table, sliding it over towards her fellow mutant.
"I'm not going to hurt you, little one."
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Eco-friendly Shapeshifter
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:37 pm
The child flinched at the voice, having not expected the softness or the warmth. If the one that had taken him from his home had not hurt him, would this one? It was unclear, and after all the challenges that he had faced after pupating, he was not willing to lower the guard that kept him standing stiff. When Byakko motioned, an involuntary snarl slipped from his battered throat. She was... motioning to the person who had taken him out of the cave? Milieu? Oh, well at least she had a name. Yet there were more questions rising to the surface. Chatting? What was that anyway? And why did this troll want him?
Byakkos reassurance that they were still in the brooding caverns visibly calmed him. Oh... Well then, this wasn't too bad. Still confusing, and still irritating. And the way that her eyes inspected his body made the little troll worried. Who... What... What was going on in this crazy mixed up world? Swallowing, he stepped forward quietly and climbed into the chair, his legs folded below him as he sat against the back of it.
She was speaking to Milieu, and he watched curiously. His curiosity was starting to take over the wariness, as the energy of the nap rang across his body. What would happen now? Would he be killed? Would they get food? Food sounded great. Was there other smaller trolls here? Or was it just him? How did he not know of this part of the caverns, his home where he had lived for so long? Relaxing, he began to look around the cavernous room. It was large and definitely carved of the same type of stone from his own cavern. Maybe the big troll wasn't lying?
His attention snapped back at Byakko when she pushed the cloth across the table. Not going to hurt him? Well, her calmness made him relax. Slowly, wearily, he swiped the cloth off the table and began to wipe at his face and hands. It felt soft and welcome, removing all the dirt, blood, and grime. It quickly became stained with the mix, and when it would no longer remove any grime he placed it on the table used, "Thank you." He whispered and returned both arms to his lap, eyes locked on the cloth.
Each feature contorted into a frown of focus and confusion, as if through metal power the cloth would burst into flame. "You... wanted to chat.. with me? Who are you?" The words came out slowly, but now that the dam had been removed, it burst out like a rushing river, "I'm at the brooding cavern. That's where I was born. That's where everyone else is. Why did you not let me see the white things that were coming? What about the others? Are they dead? Are you actually as nice as you seem?"
He turned to speak to Milieu, but finally understood that the troll was not coming back. Oh. The only lifeline in the sea of confusion was gone. The one thing he felt he could trust had abandoned him. He didn't know her well, but knew she was safe. A faint tremor shook his frame.
Turning over his hand, he examined the cut that had since coagulated with dried dark orange blood, "I'm scared." he breathed out the revelation, eyes widening slowly, "I'm scared and I don't know what is happening and I... I'm really hungry too."
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:36 am
At the orangeblood's snarl, a vague smile flickered across Akko's face. She liked his initial, defensive reactions- his spark bode well. Naturally, their survival instincts needed to be sharper than the average troll's. The orangeblood seemed cooperative enough, something Byakko couldn't have said about her own situation when she had been found by Trolldad. She likewise noted his body language subtlety ease as he calmed down, seemingly soothed even if only a little. At least that made things slightly easier.
Remaining silent as the orangeblood groomed himself, she regarded him with a wide stare. Akko simply nodded at his thanks. Elbows propped up on the table, her hands were tightly folded together in front of her chin as her thinkpan raced to figure out a way to break the ice.
Luckily, the orangeblood was anything but at a loss for words.
"I- uuh." Akko stammered, thrown off by the sudden onslaught of questions. ********. She hadn't even thought to bring any food- idiot. Internally slapping herself, she shrugged apologetically. "I don't have anything to eat here. But I promise I'll get you some as soon as we're done talking, okay?" She rubbed at her temple, trying to replay his words in her thinkpan, ranking them by importance. She wasn't sure how to address the one about her being 'nice'... no one had ever used that word to describe her before (unless it was Zeffer referring to her legs).
"I know you're scared. This all must be very overwhelming for you." Lowering her hands as she spoke, Byakko's vision also slid to the cloth. Swallowing hard, her expression remained stony. "I'm another troll, not so different from you. The thing is, we're not exactly like everyone else." Her eyes narrowed on the mutant orange stains. "The others you speak of should be fine, considering what they've been through. Those 'white things'- they're called lusii- weren't a threat to them. Quite the opposite, actually, a lusus usually serves as a guardian once they pick a troll. Usually." Tapping one claw quietly on the table absentmindedly as she spoke, Byakko returned her attention to the child, ever studying his slight motions.
"But as I said, we're not like everyone else. The lusii would have attacked you. Tried to kill you. It's... it's hard to explain." The words caught in her throat, pointing at the cut on his hand. How did you explain the world's viewpoint to a mutant who had never seen the world? "I'm sure you noticed that other trolls in the caverns were bleeding different colours. Lots of different colours- but sometimes, a troll is hatched who has a colour that isn't normal. Mutants. Like you and I." When Byakko had played this conversation over in her head, she imagined drawing her own blood to prove her point. Now, it seemed like it would only scare the child... if he could even comprehend what she was saying. Or if he believed her.
Drawing a shaky breath, her gaze softened. "Things will never be easier for you than back at the brooding caverns. Unfortunately, that ends tonight, with the arrival of those lusii. And outside... most trolls would try to kill mutantbloods on sight. We're viewed as a natural abomination- but not to everyone. That's why you're here. I wanted to make sure you were safe."
Byakko fell quiet, realizing the lengthy explanation characteristic to her duties as a rebel probably... wasn't the best way to approach a newly hatched troll. She sighed, deflating into her chair. She was at a ******** loss of what to say to drive her point across, to be honest.
"That's just the way the world works."
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Eco-friendly Shapeshifter
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 2:54 am
At least the promise of food helped quell some of the worries that he was facing now. There was going to be something after talking. Food, to be exact. His stomach grumbled in appeasement. It could wait a little longer. Still, his fear was sticky and not easily shaken. Swallowing down a million questions, the young troll watched the table carefully, not yet making eye contact with Byakko. It had little to do with fear OF Byakko. As a matter of fact, his opinion of the other troll was quite positive. Right now, he wanted to focus on her words and commit them to memory, to really think over it all closely. Scrutinize it for the meanings.
Of course, being able to scrutinize things meant you needed a base of reference, and that, as Byakko quickly realized, was lacking. When she pointed out that they were not like the others, he looked up at her and watched closely at her features. They looked like the others. She sounded like the others. her horns, eyes, teeth, nose, face, hands... all of it seemed identical to the others. The young troll looked back at himself, at his hands and legs and torso, the only parts easily visible. It didn't look... Weird. Nothing was glaringly wrong. So why would the others be safe with those lusii, the white monsters, but he would have been attacked? Why?
Frowning, he kept staring at his legs, struggling to understand what this meant. Things would never be as easy as the brooding caverns? But... But that had been challenging. It had been dangerous and painful. So much blood and pain and... Blood. She said their blood was different. He looked t the cut upon his palm again. It was just blood. How could it be different? How could he be an abomination? He hadn't done anything other than be born!
"That's just the way the world works."
He remained quiet, not yet making eye contact. None of this made... Any sense. How could he be hated for just living? How could she be hated for just living? What was so different about their blood? The caverns proved one thing - everyone bled and bled a lot when you were unlucky. Those who had died young, never seeing the world.. And if what she said was true? If death had waited when the white monsters came to collect their children...?
"I'm... I'm really lucky." He whispered as if the very notion would shatter what little stability was around him. It didn't. Looking up at Byakko, with eyes blazing with intense appreciation, he pressed forward "If... If you're telling me the truth, then I'm really lucky. I survived the caves, which a lot of trolls died in... And I.... And I was saved from the Lewsee... Lousey? Lusii...? Lusii. You saved me from them."
He fell silent again, searching her face for something. Meaning maybe? Understanding? A hint that perhaps the woman was lying? "You're like me, and our blood makes others want to kill us... I don't understand why... Why that matters, but I believe you." There. It was settled. He didn't have any reference to work off of, and life was decidedly too complex for a young troll such as he to handle. If he kept trying to peer under every rock and poke out every shadow, his luck would run out! One day he would look, his curiosity demanded it, but for now he could believe her. Relief swept through his heart. The fear that had plagued him was gone. A brighter, warm grin spread over his worried features as he laughed, "I'm super lucky! Look at all the bad stuff that coulda happened, but instead I got to meet you! This is great...
"Thank you."melona-pan accidental kitty feels oops
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:31 am
Akko tilted her head, face furrowed in confusion as she studied the orange mutantblood. Lucky? What about his situation was 'lucky', exactly? They were mutants. Regardless of your personal stance on the matter, 'lucky' hardly fit the description- it was an arduous life, with the ever looming threat of being exposed and then promptly culled hanging over your horns. Did she... did she not communicate that clearly enough? Did her long winded explanation completely miss the mark? Perhaps she should have chosen smaller words- but Akko had no experience talking with trolls that freshly pupated. She had no other tools at her disposal but her long winded explanations. Fingers laced together tightly in her lap, Akko fidgeted faintly and rolled her palms against one another, pricking her claws into the backside of either hand.
When he elaborated further, her brows slowly slid up across her forehead, completely taken aback by the small mutantblood's rather... optimistic perception of his situation. It was surreal. Everything was surreal- finding another mutantblood's egg, his survival, his starking perkiness despite being told he was, essentially, going to be hunted by everything for the rest of his life for simply existing. Even the fact he was so compliant threw her off. She had expected much more resistance, more explanation needed, tears- something. Anything else but this. The complete flip in his demeanour left Akko herself reeling. He was just a kid after all- but she hadn't expected him to digest the information so swiftly, either. Akko balked under his enraptured smile.
"You're welcome..." her voice sounded distant, lost in thought. She wanted to clarify that he really understood the harrowing truth, but pressing the matter further right now when he seemed satisfied seemed... cruel.
"I... I'm glad you're content, then." Rubbing at the back of her neck, Akko let out a long, tense exhale. "Not everyone is a threat, though, like Milieu. We're part of a group of trolls that want to make the world safe and fair for everyone, including mutants like us. Things aren't all bad," her attempt at reassurance, "but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. We can help protect you." Byakko was hit with the oddest sensation of deja vu, as memories of Zhuque explaining the Initiative flooded the back of her thinkpan. Only, this time she was on the other side of the court.
"Someone needs to take care of you, someone who understands where your life is headed. There's a few options, but..." She was losing her grasp her prepared words now, drying up in her pasty mouth. "I guess, what I'm trying to ask is-" the words hitched. Her nails dug deeper into the backside of her sweaty hands, leaving small pink half moons.
"Do you... do you want..." Just spit it out already. She blinked from across the table at him, clearing her throat. "I mean, I'm prepared to take you under my wing, if that sounds acceptable to you. We're both mutantbloods, after all."
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Eco-friendly Shapeshifter
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:48 pm
Byakko was right, the sudden change in demeanor was odd, and perhaps unsettling to the older troll who had been through so much. Was it a sixth sense that allowed him to accept Byakko's words as true? Was it something about her calm, commanding demeanor, and the way she had promised him not only food, but also camaraderie, that had sealed the deal? Perhaps all of that, but the most profound element was that he had no other experiences to base his judgement. The brooding cave was a memory rapidly fading, like a daymare from long ago. It still licked at the back of his mind, bringing up horrific memories and the terror of pain and blood, but it could do nothing to shake his nightly life. Byakko's experiences, as devastating as they were, and as forming as they were, were as far removed from him as the dual moons orbiting overhead. Violence, danger, death - those he understood. Hatred based on a caste system that he had never seen nor would never participate in directly? How could that be scary?
And that possibility, of understanding and really grasping the danger he was in, by just being himself and living, was further yet removed when Byakko explained that he would be protected. That, by some amazing twist of fate, by his luck, he had been born into a group that was trying to make the world safe and fair for everyone. "Thank you..." He had so many questions now about this group. Why had it formed? Who were the members? Was Milieu in it too? Did she, like him, have mutated blood? What was a mutant, anyway? Would everyone know he was a mutant?
His thoughts were broken when Byakko mentioned a caretaker. Frowning, the young troll scooted closer to the table. Something about what Byakko was saying was very, very important. Life altering, even.
I'm prepared to take you under my wing.
.... He frowned, squinting at Byakko's features as he tilted his head this way and that. "But.... You don't have any wings."
Maybe not all things were easily understood.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 3:08 pm
"I don't..." Byakko blinked once, then twice. The dim candlelight played across her features. She stared across the table blankly at the orangeblood, in her realization finding it ironic that of all the things he decided to question, after that longwinded explanation about things he couldn't quite possibly fathom yet, was a mere turn of phrase. Her cheeks stung with a faint pink flush, the embarrassment of her foolish stumble sending her already jittery nerves over the edge from having to ask this so forwardly in the first place.
Then Akko let out a light laugh, nothing more than a few empty chuckles. She shook her head slowly at herself, staring down at her whitening knuckles. He couldn't possibly have understood. Sucking in another nervous breath, Byakko shifted in her seat and tried again. "What I mean to ask is," she locked onto Maneki's eyes once more, trying her best to even her voice. "If you want, I can take care of you. Be your 'lusus'."
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