Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
16 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
Alani waited in the cold night for hours, hoping that Nypha would return soon with Zef. She knew she had done the right thing in demanding release of Zef, because he had defied Arun, but what if they didn't let him go? What would happen to him? And the matter closest to her heart, her darling Enderr. She knew he would find her when he could, but he would first go to the camp, to find her there. They wouldn't tell him where she had gone, what they had done. How long had it been since she had seen him? So many moons, she had lost count. And he hadn't returned from wherever he had been sent, and the others who went with him had returned. They said he had told them to run, from a creature who was insane, and killed anything in its path. They said there was no hope. And yet still she dared, for she could tell in her heart he lived. And she was going to find him, when Zef arrived with Nypha. She would search no matter what anyone said- they loved, and that flame couild never be estinguished.
16 years ago
Fri Aug 15 2008, 04:54pm
---------------------------------
A Watcher came forward to bind Zef's hands. It seemed he would be led out of the settement like a dangerous criminal. Well, they need not fear. He would go to the forest, although it meant almost certain death. He only hoped that he would find Angie there.
He stared forward impassively as the Watcher wrapped the rope tight about his wrists. A second Watcher came forward leading a strong white horse by a rope. His heart sank as he recognised the obstinate animal that had thrown many riders, giving all his trainers broken limbs. Arun had given him a horse that was impossible to control. To make things worse, the shining white colour of the horse's coat would be like a beaken in the dark forest, attracting all manners of creatures to them. And Zef's hands had been tied so that he would be unable to defend himself. This truly was a death sentence.
He glanced up to see the Arun smirking at him. This was his doing. Zef would stake his life on it. Not that his life had much worth at the moment.
He tried to catch the Watcher's eyes. These were people who he had worked with, laughed with. And now they were assisting in his demise. They all avoided his gaze, shifting their feet uncomfortably. So he was on his own, then.
Five of the Watchers mounted horses. Apparently Zef would need guards as well as restraints. They road with him to the edge of the forest, and then one of the Watchers slapped Zef's horse on the rump.
The horse sped off into the forest, dodging trees and shaking his head wildly. It was all Zef could do to hold on. Branches scratched his face and arms, and he could see nothing in the inky blackness of the night.
Suddenly the horse reared and jerked to a stop, snorting angrily. Zef toppled to the ground, pantng heavily.
"Zef/Alanifriend", an amused voice said. "I have been searching/seeking for you. Follow me."
'Hello? Who's there?' Zef was frantic, moving in staccato motions, his lip quivering.
'Oh, do not worry, Alanifriend. I am Nipha, and I shall help!'
'And Arun might fly!'
Nipha's silver fur creased. 'There's no need to be sarcastic, you ingrate!' She appeared to compose herself. 'Hmph!'
16 years ago
Sun Aug 17 2008, 03:30pm
****
Angie crashed in to the small cottage behind them. She groand "im soo sorry" Arei said "there was no other way...if you had touched that..thing it would have,," she broke off. "is dax ok?" angie mumbled. Aeri looked up her gaze focusing on Dax. "i dont know" she whisperd.
Dax's eyes were open, but he wasnt seeing. Am i becoming one of them? one of the creatures? he thought. An ice cold feeling spread through is body. A pericing laugh rang through his ears. A scream escaped his lips. What was happening to him?
***
The creature had contiunued to run back towards the forest..it hadnt noticed how close the forest was before. It has bittent he boy. The boy was beging to figure out the secret of the laugh. THat why he distracted me by gasping, the creature thought. Stupid boy..well now he would become a half creature. It cackled as it rememberd doing this to a woman, how had cried out "Zef" as it made the change. The creature sprinted to throug the trees.
Alani was freezing her toes off in the spiritdwelling when Nipha arrived with Zef.
They didn't speak at first. Zef moved to help Alani shift the snow and gather the driftwood from the nearby frozen sea to make a sparkling, blue fire. Only after they had done this did Nipha break the somber, sobering silence.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
16 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
'I will go now,' Nipha said. 'But if you need me I will come when you call.' She disappeared through the snow.
'Now what will we do?' Zef asked. It was getting dark as they sat by the fire.
'I'm going to find Enderr. If you want to you can come. I'll be leaving in the morning.' Alani, said shivering.
'I will come and help, and look for Angie at the same time.' Zef was looking very determined and concerned now. 'But we need to sleep.'
The sun broke across the ice-capped hills, painting the valley to which Nipha had brought Alani and Zef in pinks and golds. The snow swallowed all sound.
Zef and Alani trudged acros the frozen field, searching desperately for Angie... Zef could swear that something was following them, however.
"What's wrong, Zef?" Alani turned to him, concerned.
Angie rushed to Dax's side "Are you ok Dax?" she yelled as he writhed on the ground" DAX? LISTEN TO ME!!" she screamed. Dax moaned. "isnt there anything you can do Aeri?" she asked, panicing. Aeri was close to tears, "noi..i cant i dont know what is happening to him." Aeri replied. DAx let out a low moan, he face seemed to tighten, his skin turing as pale as the moon. " we need help.Now" Aeri said "Zef! where are you?" Angie whisperd into the darkness of the night.
The feeling of ice spread through his body. PAnic took control of his mind, the creature's laugh still rung in his ears. It's horribly beautiful face etched behind his eyes. Dax could feel his skin pull tight over his bones. It caused him to moan in pain again. He felt the darkness take control, the pain became to much. He plunged into darkness.
"cant you take us away with magic?" Angie asked frantically "i-icant, i havent enough strength" Aeri whisperd her voice hoarse. Angies hands fluttered over her brother uselessly, wishing she could help him. She felt guilty for she kept wishing for Zef more. "Ugh" she spat out. "why us? why me?" she moaned.
******
"i think i hear footsteps" he murmerd. As soon as the words left his lips and dark figure appeard at the top of the hill. It began to shake with alughter, then the sound eruppted from its lips. Zef and Allani had been trained enough to know what it was. The smacked their hands over thier ears to bock out the high pitched laughter. " Its a creature" Zef spat out through his teeth. "its so far away fromt he rest" Allani siad. The creature stopped laughing and ran to the trees at the side of the hills. "over the hill! Zef said urgently, " why?" Allani asked, confused. "theres something over there, the creature didnt get there itsself they hate being away from the trees" he said as thet ran towards the hill.
16 years ago
Fri Aug 22 2008, 10:01pm
Angie leant over Dax as his body arched and contorted in pain. His teeth clenched tight in a grimace, and an inhuman keening was torn from his lips.
"What's happening to him?!" Angie demanded angrily, tears streaming down her face. She stared helplessly as her brother suddenly screamed piercingly and flopped down, unconscious.
* * *
Zef heard the scream and raced over the hill, a sense of urgency spurring him on. He saw three figures below. There was someone lying on the ground, and the other two crouched over him. Suddenly one of them looked up and stared directly at him. It was Angie.
They stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Zef drank in her features hungrily, and seemed to understand everything about her and what had happened.
Zef walked slowly down the hill and came to stand next to Angie. Without breaking the silence, they embraced, Angie still weeping silently.
"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered. "I was so afraid that something had happened to you. But - Dax..." she choked, "... he's - "
"He's not dead," Aeri interrupted.
Angie and zef jumped, as though only just remembering areri and Alani's prescence.
"He has simply... changed," Aeri said.
"Better that he was dead," Alani said grimly.
Aeri shook her haed, her eyes fixed on Angie's. "There may be... complications. I think Zef may be only partly changed. It may be that he will maintain much of his former personality."
Angie clung to this hope desperately. She buried her face in Zef's chest and took a deep breath, trying to gather herself. Suddenly there was a moan from behind them and she whipped around.
"I think he's waking up," she said.
Nipha heard all that was said above the snow floor that covered the plain. She turned as she heard Alani and Zef/Alanifriend reach their friends. But something was wrong. Nipha smirked and shook her head.
'Silly mortal beings!' she declared, as she summoned the north wind so that she could arrive faster at the scene.
There were dark creatures aplenty in the bare, stripped forests, and Nipha out a few out of their endless misery as she swept past, the snow ripping up beneath her wind with a roar. She could hear them perfectly now.
"I think he's waking up", said what could be construed as another Alanifriend.
Nipha glanced imperiously at the almost-corpse on the floor. She dropped gracefully off her wind, and walked over to Alani.
Alani gazed at the cat like creatured feeling a bit suspicious.
"I thought you were going away..." She stopped talking slowly, seeing the glare that Nipha cast her.
"Until you had need of me. And now you do. Or is that changling/AlaniFriend happy to be turning into a Hirish?" The cat sniffed and turned to cast her gaze on Dax. He was laying wiht his back arched and his mouth open in a silent scream.
Aeri eyed the cat up and down. "It's not often that we see Cyra's these days. Can you reverse the bite?"
Noticing Aeri for the first time the Cyra sniffed her, then turned to Dax licking his arm where he had been bitten, clearly pointing out that she would not be answering Aeris question.
"What's a Hirish and what's a Cyra? And what are you doing here Alani?" Angie looked like she was about to fall apart and Zef felt his heart wrench. He grabbed her closer to him, silently hoping someone would answer her first two questions. Aeri watched Nipha closely, sensing the magic flowing out of the creature. She sighed deeply before she began to explain.
"Cyra are winter spirits. They follow the snow. The spirits take on the forms that allow them to move around wiht the most ease. In this one's case white fur blends wiht the snow when it falls, and its form means ease of movement because us humans take no notice of cats. Add onto that the extra sensitive senses cats have and its a very useful form for a magical spirit.
"The other name, is the one none of us ever spoke in the house. I'm still a little cautious about saying it."She added wryly, "Its jsut a general name for all of the night horrors that run around. Depending on its creator each one has different characteristics. But all of them have the same laugh. I never figured out why. Nor was i ever told. I just assumed no one knew or cared. Who cares how they laugh after all, right?"
Zef's eyes widened. Yet another secret unravelled. Now he had a vague idea of who they were. And an unfortunate brush with one.
Dax wailed softly and Nipha bit him, hissing and muttering about staying still. Alani caught the look on Aeris face and she knew she was asking how she had come to know Nipha. It was Alani's turn to sigh, she really hated this story.
Five years ago, almost to the week, Alani hadn't yet come to the attention of a certain malevolent overlord, and was working her hands raw in the Winterthorn Orchard north of the village....
"It was a long time ago, and I was working, picking fruit for the stores, and to sell, and a snake slithered into the garden, across the path and it hissed at me, which i quite odd for a snake to do, even discounting the fact that it was Winter, and the snake should have been very placid in the cold.
But I soon realised that it wasn't just any snake, it was a Herpos, I could tell by the blue-green markings around it's eyes, and it's olive green tip...
I couldn't call for help, they disable speech you see... but then Nipha came".
Alani glared at the cat.
"She maintains to this day that she was only in the garden to steal pomegranates... but she killed the Herpos, she says by accident..."
"I dropped a pomegranate on it's head... how was I supposed to know that it would have an allergic reaction to the Persephone-Trapper."
Dax had fallen into a deep slumber as the story was told. Angie's eyes were wide with panic, while Zef tried in vain to calm her. The crya turned its hard gaze on her.
"Human sparkling, do not fear, he will waken and be safe, however he isnt evil but he will never be the same." It said.
Zef felt is jaw drop,
"sparkling?" he whispered.
Nipha nodded, "did you not know child?" she asked Angie.
Angie shook her head, her eyes still wide, but now with shock.
" I am a sparkling?" she asked.
Nipha became impatient with the obvious questions and hissed.
Aeri apologised quietly sencing the Crya was to go on.
"Human sparkling, you have the pottential to become a far greater witch than Aeri, and you will have a large part to play with the coming of days" the cyra said.
"Coming of days?" they all asked
"I will tell you not...it is a secret of sorts" Nipha said "we must not linger here" she continued. She then turned to the hills "i will find you in a days time, make sure you are far from here" and with that Nipha sped across the hills.
"Im scared Zef" Angie whispered.
Zef pulled her closer to him "i will protect you" he vowed.
16 years ago
Tue Sep 30 2008, 02:55pm
Nipha trotted north.
-No....a dignified creature of the Icesheets does not trot!-
Sorry Nipha...
Nipha flew across the blindingly white icesheets and snowfields, searching for her home.
It moved, you see, and while this was usually a useful quirk that Nipha appreciated, today it was just darnright annoying!
Nipha knew that her home always faced east, towards the sunrise, because of the Magick.
A whinny and a whicker caught her attention.
"Oh, it's you! I don't suppose you know where I could find my Irihel? It's quite disconcerting to not be able to find your own home, and I know you like to spy and snoop."
The dove-grey pony laughed at her.
"Some dignified Cyracryo you are! Grovelling at my feet!
Nipha's paw jerked out at the horse, who shrank back in pain and sudden deference.
"Nipha does not grovel!"
The pony cowered, but still had some stubbornness left in him, and told Nipha, "Only if you give me some Howlite!"
"You are not worthy of bearing Howlite, bue you could be if you lead me to my home. Lead me and I will give you a Howlite."
The pony suddenly regained it's backbone. "Follow me then! Oh, and a question; Why can't you find it yourself? You know the Snow like your own claws..."
"Too little time... I have found the Sparkling and she needs The Stone Crown..."
The group stood in the growing darkness arguing.
"We must rest the night Aeri!" Zef said
" We cant stay here! did you not hear the Crya? they are wise we should follow its instructions and leave!" Aeri argued.
" We cant travel in the dark" Zef yelled.
Aeri's eyes flashed "We can use magic!" she said
Zef snorted " you cant use magic, there is to many of us."
"I can help" Angies timid voice said. Aeri turned her gaze to her. "are you sure" she asked?
"i am certain." Angie said holding out her hand. Aeir grabbed her and and closed her eyes. She let the flow of magic engulf her from Angie. How could i not have notcied this? she thought to her self. She whispered a magic word and the group was surrounded with a blinding light. They disapeared from the clearing.
And Back to Nipha
The young horse stopped dead.
"You have found the Sparkling? The one to come and the one to live?"
Nipha looked smug. "I knew I would find her. It is my God given right to find and seek-and-find."
The young horse let loose a long shudder, and continued walking. He took Nipha to a rounded white stone, veined with black, from which water bubbled up through. He gestured with his head at a small hole in the ground, marked by interlocking diamond and snowflake symbols.
Nipha gave him a smll speckle of stone from the fountain, and the horse, as soon as the cat placed it in between his eyes and it absorbed, turned straight around and galloped straight back into the forest.
Nipha turned to the entrance, and entered.
The group landed with a crash in a place covered in a fine layer of snow. Aeri looked around searching for something.
"The laughing beasts arent here" she said.
The others looked around fearfully, they had forgotten about the creatures.
"Its ok" Aeri assured them. Angie stumbled to the ground causing the snow to rise in a cloud.
"Are you ok?" Zef asked her falling to her side.
"SHe is fine, just tired for the magic" Aeri said. She went over to Dax, lying him out flat. She felt his hands. "They are soo cold" she thought. Murmering a spell to keep him warm she placed her hands on his chest and let the energy flow through her to him. The others set about getting ready for sleep. Using her last bit of energy Aeri walked around the clearing placing charms to protect them.
Angie began to dream as she lay, curled next to Zef. The dream disturbed her.
"Come back" a voice yelled at her from the gloom. SHe felt desperate to get into the light.
" Dont listen, use the powers! save us!" a figure running next to her said. She wanted to let the powers burst from her but was afraid she would die in the process.
"Sometimes a person needs to die to save others" another voice said sadly. Angie felt a cold chill at its words. A high pitched laugh filled her dreams. She woke screaming to find Dax, lying on the ground his eyes rolled back in his head, laughing.
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
16 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
"What's happening to him?" Alani cried when she awoke. "Someone please make him stop!" Alani covered her ears as she spoke, silently pleading for the laughing to stop.
"Can't you put him to sleep with magic?" Zef asked Aeri. He was almost pleading. Aeri began to murmur, and slowly Dax began to drift off to sleep.
"What's happened to him? What is wrong with him?" Angie asked, almost in tears.
Alani looked to Aeri, in hope she'd have some answers, to save herself from having to answer.
"I am not sure, but perhaps Alani knows something, something a loved one of hers wrote about once..."
Alani put her head in her hands. I can't she thought. It's too painful to think about what my darling Enderr wrote so long ago. She began to cry, and Zef hurried over to comfort her.
"What is it Alani? What do you know?" he begged of her.
