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Post by darklight on Jan 31, 2010 3:51:41 GMT -5
(Celestia - )[/i] Black claws, ragged and rough, scraped rhythmically over the surface of a gray boulder. The pace wasn’t musical, it was one of impatience and annoyance, it’s maestro sick of whatever he waited for. The rock’s gray surface was worn white where the edges of the hard talons carved their pointed ends into it’s body. If the thing were alive, it would be a slow and painful torture one that would be found in Hell – to slowly have one’s claws dig into you. The first scratch wouldn’t hurt as much as the second, or the third. The first one was only tearing the surface – every one that followed would be digging into the body, tearing more of the flesh and innards. But the pain probably wouldn’t be the worst part. No, it would be the anticipation. Knowing the pain of each slow scrape, and knowing that the next one would be even worse. And worse still with the one after that, and the one after that. That would drive any soul to the edge of insanity and back. The maestro stopped his rhythmic beat, knowing all too well what the tortures of Hell were like. A black wolf, strong and noble in appearance, lay perched atop the gray stone. His black fur stood out like a wolf among sheep against his surroundings. Snow, everywhere anyone could look. It was practically ridiculous, like some magical fairy land that the Ancestors decided to place right in the middle of the land of waterfalls. It had snowed all night, steady and thick. And the result was thick, heavy snow that covered everything. Everything. It was the sticky snow, the kind that would cling to a wolf’s fur and bite down for dear life. It even bit down on the trees, covering their trunks and branches with thick heavy snow. Snow was even clutching the sides of the trees. It made the world seem small – smaller than he already viewed it. The heaviest of branches would droop beneath the weight of the heavy snow. Even the rock walls scattered throughout the land appeared as if they might buckle beneath their wintery burden. The brute sighed, impatience. Waiting was just something that never sat well with him. High above, perched upon a branch that nearly touched the canopy, sat a lone snow owl. And it it’s clutches, a limp snow hare. Lunch. Well, whatever the bird would drop when it was finished would be. This was what he had to look foreword to all winter. Scraps. He didn’t even bother hunting. There would be no point. His black body caused prey that he couldn’t even smell yet to take to fleeing. So, scraps it would be. All winter. He was simply overjoyed. Red eyes watched as the owl picked and swallowed, picked and swallowed. At this rate, there’d be only bones left. The brute sighed again and rolled to his side upon the rock. It was going to be a long winter.[/ul][/ul][/ul][/ul]
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Post by Celestic on Feb 1, 2010 2:06:34 GMT -5
At long last Celestia had arrived at the Fukai Waterfalls after her relatively long journey from the Sacred Circle---her experience with both Angel and Harlequin seemed fresh on her mind still so it kept her thoughts occupied during the flight. The shifting changes in Aelyn gave her great concern. No matter how much she referenced past experiences, nothing seemed to provide any answer to the predicament. Every piece of information required endless effort on her part.
Celestia's rainbow-hued moth wings shined out amongst the falling snow flakes. If there was anything she abhorred, it was flying during the winter months. The snow played hell with the gossamer material of her wings, they didn't function very well under ice and cold temperatures. The fae's antennae twitched as she detected the presence of another wolf far below. Beneath the snowy freeze Celestia glided through, she could see a black wolf resting on a large boulder. He seemed motionless and inert, Celestia prayed that he was not Winter's victim. She instantly recalled one of her past lives involving a deadly Winter where the temperatures reached lows beyond any wolf's imagination. It was the year so many young adolescents perished in the frigid snows. With stealth, Celestia made her way back toward the ground and pranced across the snow until she reached the boulder. Her wings stretched around her like magnificent aurora-like blankets. She eyed the wolf, and attempted to assess his vital signs from a distance. Slowly she moved forward.
"Are you alright?" Celestia kept her sapphire eyes focused on the brute.
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Post by darklight on Feb 1, 2010 2:59:33 GMT -5
[/b] Jerked from his peaceful state, the male (in his grogginess) attempted to sit up and roll over to his feet at the same time. Neither movement worked as he nearly slipped off of the flat face of the boulder. He caught himself only by the corner of his wing, hanging onto the opposite edge of the boulder as if his life depended upon it. His eyes squinted shut as the painful white surroundings stung at them. Pulling himself upright onto the rock, he sat upon his haunches. Not entirely trusting his own balance yet, he kept a firm grip upon the rock with his wing – just in case. Bringing a paw up, he rubbed the sleepiness from his head and brows, helping his sight to adjust. He shook his black mane lightly, ridding his mind of sleep entirely as he looked to the voice. ”Yes, I’m fi-“ His words cut off as he felt his chest tighten. Celestia. Quickly he turned from her, bringing his dull-gray wing up to hide his face from her. His mouth hung open with a complete loss of words. Nervousness over swept him. Did she recognize him? His eyes darted aimlessly about as he looked for an answer. Finding none, he shook his head from side to side in disbelief. How was it, in an entire realm of wolves and two guardians (one of which he searched for) that he would chance upon the opposite. A low pit in his stomach told him that the ‘jig was up’, but he refused to believe it. From behind his wing, he spoke with an odd robotic tone, attempting to hide his thoughts behind it. ”Uh, yes, I am fine, thank you for your kindness, stranger.” He flinched at his own words and how stupid they sounded. Not like it would make any difference anyways. Celestia would simply feel any emotions with her empathic powers. The large feathers of his wing expanded slightly, hiding him like the thick curtain of a stage – and he was the jester. [/ul][/ul][/ul][/ul]
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Post by Celestic on Feb 2, 2010 2:07:56 GMT -5
Celestia moved his wing out of the way with her own, revealing his face. A wolf stranded out in the middle of the pack lands in the cold with nobody in sight had nothing to hide in her eyes. As soon as she came into physical contact with the brute a rush of images surged through Celestia's mind. Images depicting love, heartbreak, betrayal and pain---things that the fae had known from her past all too well. Celestia could feel his tension rising as soon as both wolves came into eye contact. An odd sense of fear washed over her like a wave of glacial water, causing her to remove her wing from touching his---memories began to surface, feelings that made her feel very uneasy. Out of all the wolves she had encountered up to that point, none elicited that sort of empathic response from her. This definitely sparked her curiosity.
Carefully Celestia scanned this brute from head to tail. His pitch black fur was as dark as the night surrounding them. Fiery red markings graced his body, which immediately caught the guardian's attention. The insignia seemed burnt upon his flesh by some unknown force, Celestia didn't know whether this mysterious brute was born this way or if someone inflicted the brands. Despite that though, Celestia found an odd familiarity with these markings---it was something she had seen before in her existence. Unfortunately a significant amount of her past was still shrouded beneath a vague fog. The answers were at the edge of her mind and she was so close to reaching them but they continued to elude her like a clever mirage on a desert plain.
"Do I know you? You look awfully familiar, and that insignia on you also rings a bell, but I can't exactly put my paw on it." Celestia questioned before being met by another bout of awkward silence. Again she addressed him:
"I'm Celestia. I am one of the two Aelyn Guardians gracing these lands. Who might you be?"
Celestia tried her hardest to ensure that this brute was comfortable around her especially after the hesitant and nervous response her presence aroused in him. She did not want to be feared.
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Post by darklight on Feb 7, 2010 19:11:14 GMT -5
[/b] He stepped down from the rock he was perched upon, looking to her gently. The male closed his eyes slowly and bowed majestically before her, his single wing spreading out with the gesture. ”Celestia, for now you may call me ‘Hungry’.” he chuckled as he looked up to her, ”For as wonderful as your company is, it has spooked the owl who would have shared it’s leftovers with me.” As if on cue, his gullet roared fiercely. The black male motioned to the half-eaten rabbit hanging off the high branch with his one wing. His eyes pleaded subtly, hoping she’d pick up on the cue, ‘I cannot fly to reach it.’ [/ul][/ul][/ul][/ul]
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Post by Celestic on Feb 8, 2010 0:31:14 GMT -5
Celestia threw her head back and released a howling laugh that seemed to shake the setting around them. Of all the times to be making jokes, this mysterious wolf was doing a great job at making his predicament seem less critical. Celestia quickly regained her composure and focused all her attention on the black wolf, staring deeply into his eyes. There was something that seemed so familiar...to her it seemed like she was hearing a melody that she had heard in a dream in the form of a wolf.
"You are indeed an amusing fellow.." Celestia chuckled in the depths of her throat as she wrapped her tail around her hind legs and sat down, her pelt matching the intense white of the glittering snow around her.
"There's just something that seems so familiar about you. I feel as though...you are the echo of a friend I once knew...some sort of forgotten voice that was cast from a chorus. I do not understand. Do you not know your own identity? Are you bereft of an actual name or purpose?" Celestia smiled inquisitively while playing with a pile of snow in front of her with a paw. So many questions rushed through her mind but she did not want to bog him down with an ocean of curiosity. Celestia was intrigued by this individual, and she was determined to figure out his identity.
Celestia retracted her attention back toward her mind in order to find an answer to these questions. Sifting through the endless archive of images seemed an impossibly tedious task, but she needed to do it. The guardian fae also could sense this brute's emotions---while he was difficult to read, Celestia could tell that he was experiencing a great deal of angst as well as uncertainty. There was something he was hiding, or something that he was afraid of revealing. For a brief moment Celestia wondered if the black mystery was connected to Lucid in some way, but after pondering the thought for a few moments she forgot about it. No, the familiarity she had with him was far from negative.
"You can trust me."
Celestia fluttered her wings a couple time, releasing glowing scales that trickled upon the snow below her. Her sapphire eyes exuded enough incandescence to brighten the night around them, causing their looming shadows to rest across the snowscape. Celestia sought an answer, and she was going to wait until she got it.
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Post by darklight on Feb 18, 2010 10:28:20 GMT -5
[/b] He spoke slowly, testing the word as it rolled from his tongue. "That's where I must confess," He looked away from her, into some distant trees, not wanting to feel the burn of her prying eyes as she dug for something he had buried. "that your are correct. I have no purpose, I have no identity. But not just in the sense of being a loner..." His voice drifted, losing itself in memories. "Who are any of us to have a purpose? And if we are here for a purpose, who's to tell us what it is? Higher powers?" The last two words came out unintentionally bitter. "If those great ancestors give us purposes, reasons for our existence, then what is the point of free will? What would be the point of living your own life, if it was meant for something else?"His steady gaze had turned into a violent glare, directed at the distant snow dusted trees that he saw as pain dusted memories. The male hadn't intend on putting so much heat to his words, but once he had started he found it impossible to stop. Though, knowing Celestia, he supposed that he was digging his way into a guardian's lecture. He had a mind to just get up and leave, less this gentle greeting become a heated debate about life, free will, and gods.[/ul][/ul][/ul][/ul]
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Post by Celestic on Feb 20, 2010 14:58:59 GMT -5
Mystery was evident in this brute's voice, and Celestia was bombarded by an onslaught of several various emotions like a sea wall feeling the ill-effects of a storm surge. Uncertainty, anger, and pity struck her like a blade of lightning from the heavens when staring into his deep eyes. Celestia could not imagine how it felt not having a purpose, granted part of her knew that he had to have some sort of purpose in Aelyn---she sincerely believed that all wolves found the pack lands for a specific reason. That thought didn't stay in Celestia's mind for long once she became aware of this brute's opinion regarding the Ancestors. While part of her felt insulted by the claim of her not having freewill, she definitely understood his point. Celestia could recall several instances in her past lives where she questioned the Ancestor's motives. The fae's intuition argued with her like a child arguing with its parent. Even though Celestia wanted to agree with him, she could not simply dismiss her reason for existing.
"I don't necessarily think the Ancestors have deprived us of free-will, unless you know of something that I don't know?" Celestia asked as her mind wandered toward an explanation she could give in regard to her respect of the Ancestors. "I feel that I have free-reign of what happens in my life to an extent. The Ancestors have no control over what I enjoy or what I hate and I don't think that my life is pre-destined by them completely; however, I do acknowledge the fact that I was created to assist in keeping everything in Aelyn in balance. That's the reason why Angel and I were sent here." Celestia explained while putting a particular emphasis on Angel as she gazed off at the same tree-tops the brute seemed to be glaring at.
Celestia felt her past creeping up on her in some fashion that she could not explain. Like the shadows before dawn, Celestia was feeling some sort of memory hiding in the back of her mind that would not come out. To her it was like trying to find something that did not exist, or trying to recollect something that was ripped away from her.
"There's something there...but I don't know. I just don't know. Who are you?" Celestia turned to him with intense perplexity in her eyes, she wanted to know. Could it be that some higher power was preventing her from knowing this wolf's identity?
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Post by darklight on Mar 10, 2010 20:10:38 GMT -5
[/b] He turned from her with a snort, his large paws crunching in the fresh snow. ”And since you haven’t even offered to help a starving fool, I’ll be on my merry way to find food elsewhere." His bushy tail dragged on the high snow as he walked away from her. ”Some guardian you are…can’t even feed the hungry…” he called over his shoulder, not looking back. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, damn mortal emotions, he cursed himself for ever wanting to feel them in the first place… But one thing he knew to be true, his worry. He worried that if he stayed any longer, Celestia would find the answer that she sought, and would reveal the ones he desperately needed to keep hidden.[/ul][/ul][/ul][/ul]
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Post by Celestic on Mar 14, 2010 0:09:55 GMT -5
Oh no, the mysterious brute was leaving which instantly triggered something in Celestia's mind. She had completely forgotten about his well being while focusing on the peculiar sensations she felt from him. Part of her felt so regretful, it wasn't usual for the fae go lose herself within curiosity. Instantly Celestia galloped up to him and placed her ethereal wing in front of his, preventing him from going any further. While staring directly at his face Celestia could see the pain and frustration in his eyes.
"Please forgive me!" Celestia shouted nervously, with compassion in her eyes. "I didn't meant to disregard your hunger and fatigue. I'm still getting used to this guardian-thing, sometimes I get a bit carried away with my own curiosity."
Celestia pondered to herself in an attempt at coming up with some sort of solution for this brute's predicament. She thought about hunting with him, but she had never hunted in the current life time---she had no idea how to do it. Her only hope is that he had such experience. Celestia felt awkward when she began thinking of ways to ask him about it. It was a relatively stupid question since all wolves who weren't pups or elderly hunted. This brute didn't look too young or too old, he looked pretty strong. Celestia sucked up the nervousness and just blathered out the question.
"We can hunt together. As we get closer to the lake the chances of finding food is more likely. I've never eaten before...nor do I really know what it is..." Celestia seemed a bit perplexed at the thought. Ever since she was born not a single piece of meat entered her maw...was...that normal?
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