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 Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 2:33 am
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:19 am
They had left under cover of darkness, something that was now familiar to the rabbit who had remained 'hidden' within the depths of whatever warrens he had stumbled in to. He hadn't managed to get much information out of the lioness, at most he knew her name, which she had provided after some gentle prodding. For the most part, she seemed less inclined to discuss who she was, what she was and where they were... It was quite the puzzle, but Durama's instincts told him that on this occasion it was in his best interests to simply let sleeping dogs lie.
Perhaps in time he would be able to ask for further details, hell, depending on the success of Chessa and Peregrine's treatment, maybe he would even be able to ask Spectre directly. Who was this strange black lioness and why was she so determined to avoid his questions? Destati had already warned him that he was walking into a world of great danger and while Adrastea seemed to have his best interests at heart, it was clear from her demeanour that this world truly was dangerous. He had yet to see those dangers, but there was certainly an underlying tension that he, as an outsider, couldn't put his paw on.
Nevertheless, they had approached the area in complete silence.
In order to secure his safety, Adrastea had instructed him to rest upon her back and while he hadn't understood why at the beginning, when she began to walk it became obvious. Suffice it to say that she didn't make a sound, not even a whisper, it was like she wasn't even there! Once again, Durama was reminded of Spectre's disturbed murmurings and of the monsters in the shadows - you couldn't see them, not until they wanted you to...and by then it was already too late. More and more the rabbit was beginning to suspect that he had stumbled upon one of the very beings in which Spectre might have been referring to. However, whether she truly was a monster or not remained to be seen, Adrastea seemed pleasant enough...
"We are here," Adrastea murmured gently as she lowered the rabbit to the ground.
The had arrived at an area bathed in moonlight and it was in those moments that the rabbit was finally able to see the pure black lioness clearly. Sure enough, she was the colour of shadow itself and it was no wonder that he hadn't been able to see her before. That aside, she still seemed to have kind eyes... She may not have said anything further at this point, choosing instead to move away from the direct light and into the shadows of a nearby dilapidated den, but she had at the very least done as he had requested. It was up to him to inspect this place, a now barren and deserted land, in order to determine if there was anything of use here.
His immediate observations proved that there had been a massacre.
"So he wasn't lying," Durama murmured slowly as he came to a halt near the shade in which Adrastea had opted to take refuge in. Evidently she was keeping herself out of sight, something that she seemed to do instinctively rather than having to be told to do so.
"About?" Adrastea asked.
"Our friend has episodes," Durama replied and shook his head. "He has fleeting memories of violent clashes, of absolute death, of carnage," he continued. "One of his other acquaintances indicated that this would be a given based on his profession but if this was truly the site of his home..."
"It was," Adrastea confirmed in the same soft tones. "I was there," she added.
"You were?" He seemed surprised.
"Yes, we all were," she murmured vaguely and shook her head. "He was not supposed to escape, but he did," she explained and pursed her lips. "He was supposed to go to sleep, then wake up and follow us, just as all the others were supposed to do," she added. "The others... they weren't supposed to fight, they were simply supposed to step aside."
"But that didn't happen either, did it..."
"It did not," Adrastea agreed. "They fought back to protect their own families and friends, their determination to protect their loved ones resulted in the destruction of their homes and the loss of their lives," she shook her head. "With the exception of your friend, there were no survivors," she drifted off into silence and cleared her throat.
"But why?" Durama asked and furrowed his brow. "Why did you need them to come with you?"
He detected the smallest of shrugs from the hidden lioness and returned his gaze back towards the wasteland, noting that none of the fallen had been buried. All around home bones lay strewn, lions left where they had fallen. They hadn't been given the honour of a burial rite as they deserved, and gods only knew where their spirits lay now. He was clearly missing a very fundamental part of this story, but it didn't sound like Adrastea was fully prepared to tell him this tale... at least not yet.
"Do you not bury your fallen here?"
"We only bury our own," Adrastea replied. "The burial rites of these lions is very different than ours, it would not have been something they would have wanted."
"And no one came for them...?" Durama choked.
"The destruction of this pride was only a chip off the block," she slipped out of the shadows and motioned for Durama to follow. He was never going to find what he was looking for while he continued to be overwhelmed by the graveyard he had stepped in to. "It was the beginning of a new age, for want of a better phrase," she continued and moved slowly towards another den that she remembered well - after all, it had been one of those her kind had watched with considerable interest. "The Prime made a push towards the surface and in doing so, he ignited a war that now stretches beyond even our own home..."
"Into ours," Durama murmured as he followed her.
"Yes, in pursuit of the one you now aid, we found your world," she confirmed. Coming to a halt by the den she motioned towards it with her paw and released a gentle sigh. "This was his home," she added. "I do not know what you'll find in there, but if you are seeking something material, then perhaps it will be there..."
"You seem awfully peaceful for someone who murdered an entire pride..." Durama observed as he made his way into the den to inspect the various possessions that remained.
"My role was not to kill, simply to lead those who were meant to come with us," she replied and cast her gaze over her shoulder. "And even then, I did that job poorly," she pursed her lips. "Is he well?" she asked finally, causing Durama to look up from the object he'd been inspecting.
"He's getting there, he was in terrible shape when he was found," Durama replied and placed the object to one side, it wasn't anything of significance.
"So all of this..."
"He doesn't really remember who he is," Durama finally elected to give her further information, while he couldn't quite put his paw on it, there was something strange about this lioness. "The only way to fix him, is to try and help him put the pieces of the puzzle back together. It's like he's been shattered into millions of pieces," he confessed.
There was a considerable pause from the lioness.
"They wear jewels," she said finally and nodded towards a tiny shelf where several necklaces and bracelets lay. "Every single one of them possesses those, it's a fundamental aspect of their culture," she explained.
"These?" Durama hazarded as he picked up the now fragile necklace. Age had severely weakened it, and he would need to be careful when handling it.
"Yes - it's a mark of the Al-Siq."
"The what...?"
"Our home, where you are now." Adrastea murmured and tilted her head to the side. "If there is anything that will remind him of where he came from, it will be the one thing that all of them wear as a mark of their kind," she pointed out.
"Well, here's to hoping..." Durama murmured with a sigh. "Uh, but how do I get out of here?"
"You will go this way," she picked the rabbit up and turned him in the right direction. "Just keep running, and eventually you will find the gate. You cannot go back the way you came," she warned and shook her head. She wouldn't say it to him, but they had been watched, someone was always watching, and for him to attempt to exit the way he had entered really would result in his death. "Be safe small one, and may your quest be successful..." she finished.
Durama could do nothing more than he was instructed, and so he ran...Words: 1503
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