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Post by Thorn on Aug 18, 2018 18:21:52 GMT -5
I would like to stay a while longer, Kohimu thought. I welcome the chance to embrace home and those I’ve lost, but there are creatures here I would very much like the chance to farewell. There are stories I still need to share. Spirit, Mochi, I shall cherish your gift. I do not know how many years this will grant me- perhaps only the few stolen when the water claimed my first life. But I want to try this, and hope it will work.You don’t have to. Kohimu, don’t let me force you to stay.This is my decision. Tai, I don’t want to leave like this. I can’t just burn up and- and then run off like some frightened pup! Perhaps I’m too far gone, but maybe not. Maybe I can return to the island. I want to enjoy Naelus again- I don’t want to remember it as the place where I was betrayed and burned. I could see all my friends again. I could say goodbye properly.I love you, Te Tai said quickly. I didn’t say it enough. I’m sorry.I love you as well, but let’s do this later. If you get emotional, I will too, and that will make this next part harder. I need you to let go.What?Let me go. My spirit is bound into yours. Its strange, but I think I understand it. You couldn’t bring me back to life like in the old land, but when I tried to leave this world you subconsciously pulled my spirit close. You need to let me go, so my spirit can actually make contact with this water. I’m sorry for lying, I didn’t want-I’m so sorry.I didn’t want precisely this reaction. It’s okay, we would have found a way eventually. But right now I need you to let go, and trust that it will be okay.He squinted at his reflection, barely visible through the water’s glow. But you might disappear. I don’t want to keep you against your will, but I’m so scared, Kohimu. I don’t know what will happen. And that makes it hard, even though I know this is what you want.Dearheart, please trust me. You don’t know that this will work, you want to save me yourself, but I’m so sorry. You can’t this time. You kept me close, but this is the only chance we have to get our lives back, even if it’s only for a little while. Think of everything we have to look forward to. I can show you what the island’s like, after all these years.He laughed, a desperate harsh sound. I’ll try. Okay.It went against every instinct to find that warm spot inhabited by Kohimu’s thoughts and force them out. A cold lump solidified in Te Tai’s gut. His mind buzzed and his heart raced as the thoughts grew fainter and further away. A sudden surge of panic made him grasp for them- please, don’t- and then he let go again. The thoughts were gone now, replaced by a building, aching grief. He’d done it. He was alone again. Truly alone, as he had been after the murder. Te Tai hadn’t been alone in hundreds of years, even when he was at the bottom of the ocean, even when hibernating. There was always a reassuring presence in the back of his mind, but now it was gone. It’s okay, it’s fine, Kohimu wanted this. He wanted to do this, it’s okay.Te Tai closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. He didn’t want to look. If this failed, he would survive. Kohimu was right- he’d lived alone for centuries beforehand- but knowing that he would make it through either way didn’t make this any easier. The water lapped lazily about the taniwha’s legs, and then something broke noisily through the surface. “I’m me!” He opened his eyes to see Kohimu splashing towards him, grinning broadly. The shine had gone from his carvings, but his eyes were as bright as ever. The now relatively same-sized taniwha (that was going to take some getting used to), once he was close enough to stand, pressed his forehead to Tai’s own and closed his eyes. “Hey, Tai,” Kohimu murmured. Te Tai and Kohimu are separate entities once more! Also irrelevant but I'm noting it anyway: Kohimu has around thirty years left, the time he lost the first time he died.
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Post by June Scarlet on Aug 18, 2018 21:43:17 GMT -5
You can lie to yourself and say you are absolved because your sister forgave you, but that doesn’t make it true.Svar's words still rang in Roda's ears, even a day later. It didn't matter that she felt bad for what she'd done, she'd still done it. It was too late now. She was dead, and her actions spoke more strongly than her words ever could. The island had been set fire not long after her conversation with Svar, and the birds said that he started it, he was the final sower. It was over, except it wasn't, because the forest was aflame. And then the Spirit of Naelus herself rose from the ocean, the island a shell on her back, and she breathed golden rain that put out the fire and started healing the forest that had burned. Then Mochi shared once last story with them. About an elixir that granted immortality and divinity to one, or granted life to many restless spirits. Roda surged with hope, but then the Spirit of Naelus cautioned that there was a caveat. Know also that the souls of those who you call sowers, the servants of Mother Nature, will receive no benefit from the elixir at all. A fragment of Her power clings to them even now, and it always will. Death is Her domain, and Her chosen cannot cheat it.She couldn't be granted a second chance at life, as others were already doing. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. She had changed, she had decided that Mercy was the way to go. Svar's words rung once again in her head. You can lie to yourself, but that doesn't make it true.Still, it was worth a try, right? She crept to the river where Mochi had poured the elixir, and stepped in. Nothing happened. She crept further, until she was completely submerged. She remained a ghost. A fragment of Her power clings to them even now, and it always will.Dejected, she walked back out of the river. She would remain a ghost forever. She didn't get a second chance, because she had blown her first chance completely. The long neck of the Spirit of Naelus watched over them. Roda decided to say something to her, while she was there. She was tiny, and the Spirit huge, but that had never stopped her before. Roda went closer to the Spirit, knowing this was a momentous occasion. Not even Denzell could have claimed to have spoken to the Spirit of Naelus in the flesh. She jumped to get the Spirit's attention, then spoke. "Excuse me. I'm Roda, I'm a scimon who lived on this island. And I didn't appreciate it. I wanted more. I wanted predators to stop killing my family. So I joined Mother Nature in hopes that the predators could go extinct. "What I failed to realize was everything you had provided me, and everyone else with. Traveling to the Heart of the island, I saw how that spark of Mercy changed everything, and made life so much better for everyone. There will always be predators. But there will also always be friendship, and life, and food, and everything else that makes this island a paradise. "So I guess what I wanted to say was sorry. I'm sorry for my part in things. I know it's too late to change what I've done. But I truly am sorry. And thank you for making this island home for us." Roda will have to live as a ghost with what she's done. She tries to take part in Mochi's blessing, but as a sower, it doesn't work, and she remains a ghost. She goes to the Spirit of Naelus Shinko, and apologizes for her actions, saying that the island is great the way it is, she sees that now.
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Post by Tiger on Aug 19, 2018 0:57:07 GMT -5
(warning that this is close to 4k words of material and none of it super-relevant to a game, it was just a plot thread I wanted to close off. Why I thought I could do that in story form, I don't know. No, I'm probably never going to learn. If you want to skip it, I understand.) The All-Hunters story so far: "When the raptors came to Naelus, they learned from the older creatures that this was a place of peace. They told the raptors that the price of safety from the cold, dark world they had left behind was a simple one; do not kill except for food or in self-defense. Though the island saw them as fearsome and dangerous, the raptors were not unhappy with this rule. They wanted what most animals do - to be safe and to live in peace. And knowing the world that waited for them outside was so bleak, the raptors were especially not going to disagree with the Spirit’s law. The matriarchs learned the rules, and they taught them to their children, they to theirs, and so and so on. "And life on Naelus was very good. There was food to eat and water to drink, trees to climb, places to run and hide for fun, and safety for the hatchlings. For most raptors for most generations, this was enough. "But not for all. "One year, two raptors were born to a nest infected with a terrible illness. There were five eggs laid in the nest; only two hatchlings survived. The elder, who had never become sick at all, was named Purefeather, and her minutes-younger sister, who had been sick but survived, was named Deathbreaker.” Shadowstep couldn’t suppress a snuffle of amusement. “I wonder if that is a made-up name, though. It is so dramatic it is almost silly. She was probably called...Blackback or something. Named after her feathers like most of us.” “You think she had black feathers? I always pictured red.” “...But then she looks like Redclaw.” “Not in my imagination she doesn’t.” “...All right. Purefeather and her sister Redback - “ Shadowstep dodged a nip from Driftstone and continued properly. “The two chicks got an unusual amount of attention as they grew up, and combined with praise for surviving what had killed their siblings, the sisters became very… confident. Confidence is good, of course. They were told they were strong, and strength is good. They had so much attention that they learned faster than nestlings who had to share their parents and older siblings, so they were told they were smart. Being smart or learning a lot is good. “But there was one thing they were not told, and one thing they were not taught - not when they were chicks, not when they were fledging, and not even when they were almost adults. “Purefeather and Deathbreaker were not told that they had been lucky. It is often the weak and young or old who become sick - but it is not always so. And so they thought all survival was all strength and intelligence, and that strength and intelligence were born traits, when of course, luck can give some animals better and some animals worse. “But more importantly, Purefeather and Deathbreaker were not taught that being strong or intelligent, even innately so, was not the same as being better. Raptors are impressive. But raptors do not deserve more than other species. “The sisters, however, were not taught this, and did not learn it, and so when they looked out at Naelus, they saw laws they were strong enough to break, and creatures they were intelligent enough to outfight. When they shared these thoughts, other raptors were uneasy and told them to hush such talk. The sisters did not try to find why these words made others so uncomfortable; they assumed there was an explanation that they would find.” Driftstone said, “Not so smart after all, were they?” “I said they were intelligent, not that they were wise. And they were smart enough to learn to keep their thoughts hidden, and spoke only with one another. And together, the sisters decided that they were meant to survive the plague on their nest so that they could bring more power to the raptors. They decided they could become the dominant predators on the island...just so long as they got rid of the one thing in their way. “The bigger predators. “Of course, this was easier said than done, especially with the very largest carnivores. Two raptors, even two strong and clever raptors, would have to be very lucky to defeat an animal like an amphycion or a cave bear in combat. An entire pack, even, would stand no chance against a tyrannosaur. “But there was another way; it would take a lot of coordination, and a lot of planning, but the sisters were determined to pull it off. They attempted a kill on their own first, to test the idea. They carefully gathered and cached several dozen flowers, stored them in places where they would dry and crumble, and used small seashells to transfer the crumbled leaves to the remains of an animal they had killed - they had eaten most of it, but left enough meat to hide the crumbled flowers. “When morning came, they made sure the birds and little dinosaurs knew about the meat that had been left uneaten, and also made sure there was a good chance the lone hyaenodon who lived nearby would hear about it, too That part was easy; any animals who wanted anything from the bones would need an animal like a hyaenodon. Sure enough, it heard about the food, came to the body, and ate the meat. The sisters watched from a distance, pretending to be napping in the sun. They followed it later, and found that, sure enough - it had grown sick from the crumbled flowers they had slipped into its meal. “Remarkably, the hyaenodon did not die. The sisters could certainly have fought and killed it, but they could not disguise an attack with claws and teeth as anything else. But they now knew about how much poison it took to cripple an animal the size of the hyaenodon; a few flowers more would do the trick, and from there they could guess how much poison would be needed to kill still-bigger predators. “They tested it, and within a week, a different hyaenodon and a cave lion died after eating from a leftover carcass. ‘Bad meat,’ the other animals guessed, though it was very odd that none of them had sensed it. “Though pleased with their success, the sisters were running into a problem; it took a lot of the poisonous flowers to make enough powder for poisoning, and a lot of time for them to grow back. There were other poisons to use, but still only so much, especially when confined to their own territory and the open areas of the island - which were not good places to be a meat-eater gathering large amounts of plants. “Deathbreaker suggested they could begin poisoning raptors and taking over other packs’ territories, but Purefeather disagreed. It would be too obvious that they were up to something. It would be far better if they could convince other packs to help them. Or at least….to convince other raptors. Their whole pack didn’t need to know one of their own was bringing poison to the sisters. And with two kills to their names and a much more cautious approach, they went on the hunt for allies.” “While learning about poisons and plants that certain animals couldn’t eat, the sisters had to learn about covering their tracks.” “...Actual tracks, or talking-tracks?” Driftstone asked. It was the first time he’d interrupted in a while. Shadowstep considered. “...I think they meant talking-tracks, since the next part is about finding raptors who would join them. But probably they had to cover their real tracks, too. Otherwise, why would they need an Eagle Eye? Any raptor could follow tracks to poisonous flowers.” Driftstone seemed appeased, so Shadowstep went on, “The sisters had to learn about covering their tracks - and not just the ones they made in the dirt.” Driftstone clicked approvingly. “Their early mistakes in talking to their pack had taught them how to look innocent after saying something suspicious, and of course, they knew how to look for warning signs now. Their search for lone hunters had also taught them how to spot animals separate from a pack - and so when they looked at other raptor packs, they noticed ones who did not fit in, much like themselves. These raptors were their starting point - if these raptors were like them, maybe they were dissatisfied, too, and maybe they would see something logical in the sisters’ plans. And of course, nobody would question a loner disappearing for a time, so long as it was not clear they were out gathering plants. “And from these raptors, the sisters learned even more about how to manipulate, and how to spy raptors who would agree with their cause, and within a year, they had many, many raptors across the Highwind Woods and through the Shadowed Pines supplying them with all sorts of dangerous poisons. “‘Bad meat’ returned to the island. Predators died - mostly big mammals, some big reptiles, too. The sisters were trying to mix poisons, hoping that different types would be stronger together than apart, but they had not yet done more than make a large dinosaur sick when the matriarch Redclaw first saw darkness flash over a raptor in a visiting pack. “Redclaw was blessed by the Spirit with the powers of the Eagle Eye, a power used to see great evil or to confirm innocence. Redclaw had become a matriarch without much need for it, but to spite the Spirit’s gift by not using it would have been foolish. And she was grateful it was her habit to sweep her Eye over members of packs that were new to her or whom she hadn’t seen in a long time; never had she seen a shadow so dark as she did on that raptor. “She could not, of course, take action then and there; the shadowed raptor’s pack would certainly object, even against the Eagle Eye, if Redclaw didn’t get proof. When the other pack had left, she told her own children what she had seen. She and one of her daughters decided to try and find the raptor themselves that very night. It was an arduous, dangerous task, and involved a great deal of trespassing. They had to stay very far back to avoid being heard or smelled themselves - and they were not sure their efforts were worth it they found nothing more than a bush where the raptor had spent much of the night. "But they followed him again, and again, and by day, Redclaw went among the other animals to find out what evil might be being done upon the island. And when she and one of her daughters finally spotted their raptor handing a shell full of strange berries to a raptor across a territory border, they knew they had certainly found something suspicious. The other raptor was wreathed in shadow as well - but he smelled of another pack, which told Redclaw that this evil might go farther than she had expected. "One of the berries had fallen from the shell as the raptor was handing it over. They took it to the birds the next morning, and they told her it was, of course, poisonous. The conclusion (mild suicide trigger warning - a lackey getting out of giving information, very brief, and nothing graphic, but just to be safe) “Redclaw was not sure what raptors would want with poison, but she knew it could not be good, and so she set herself to finding the raptors involved. She had to be careful in this; she was already known for uncanny ability to know when animals were lying or thieving, and so she guessed that these raptors would try to avoid her. And they did - but they did not know all of her children by sight, and so Redclaw was able to use one of her sons and two of her daughters to help track one of the suspicious raptors, until she could get him on his own.
“He refused to answer any of her questions, of course, so Redclaw told him outright that she had seen the exchange of poison berries. She would tell his pack leader, she warned, and no pack leader would look upon a poisoner with any goodness. But if he could tell her what was going on, she would help him seek forgivenesss.
“But the sisters had been more careful than that; the raptors they chose did not want forgiveness - they wanted power. And if they could not have that, they would rather have nothing - and so, the raptor threw himself out of the tree he had been cornered in.
“This very much disturbed Redclaw, and not only for the obvious reasons. A cause a raptor would die for was a large and serious one indeed, and so Redclaw knew she had much work to do. But she would have to be even more careful; one raptor death could be considered an accident, but more than that would bring the leaders to her, and make other pack leaders mistrust her. She would need to track her way to the top of this group of poison-carrying raptors, without them even knowing she was tracking them.
“Eventually, she came up with a plan. She spoke to her eldest daughter, who had never wanted a mate, and asked for her help in a deception - if Redclaw claimed to be traveling amongst raptor packs to seek out a mate for her daughter, it would draw a great deal of attention and many raptors wanting to be suitors; she would have been an impressive matriarch of her own pack, if she’d wanted such a thing. Her daughter agreed, for the sake of bringing the raptors to justice - and even suggested she pretend to be angry about the engagement to add more dramatics, so that the gossips would focus on something else and the ruse would seem less like a rouse.”
Driftstone lifted his head with a cackle - “She did what?! I’ve never heard that part of the story!”
“That is ironic.”
“At least...that isn’t what I’ve heard the rumors from the coelophyses were.”
“No, they were not,” Shadowstep agreed. “The scheme worked as Redclaw had planned - raptors from every pack she visited showed up to offer the merits of themselves or their children, and while pretending to listen, she would look for any more shadowy raptors. And she found some, and always, when she was able to look, she found oddly stripped or torn plants. At the same time - the coelophyses were spreading rumors, but not very much about Redclaw’s journey - more about deaths, about carnivores refusing to eat from carcasses, about meat being left to rot for fear it would be contaminated, and spreading sickness to the earth around it.
“But finally, Redclaw found herself face-to-face with a shadowed raptor, as he tried to worm his way into being considered as a suitor. Redclaw pretended to see promise, and guided him somewhere they could talk without being overheard. This time, instead of questioning, she used her wits - plying and prying and flattering and tricking - and while she did not, of course, pull the entire plot from him, she got an idea where he might next meet another raptor to pass poison to. Two nights later, poison was passed on, and Redclaw declared her decision that her original target was not suitable after all, and moved on to the next territory to find the next shadowed raptor.
“She found that the raptors hid the poison each night, and she checked the hiding spot each time to be sure there was nothing else of interest there. And finally, one night, she found an old tree whose hollow was filled with all sorts of terrible toxins - poisonous berries and flowers and vines and dead insects, drying or draining or already crumbled up into powder, gathered in seashells and curved bones and carefully hollowed fruit peels.
“And when Redclaw saw this, she suddenly understood exactly what was going on. The bad meat, the shadowy raptors, the hunger for power - it was all connected. Her next move was now clear - she would wait for whoever came to the tree next, follow them to the next carcass they poisoned, and confront them then and there. A call would bring more raptors to see, but she would have to survive until then. Redclaw wished for her pack, but she had left them too far behind.
“That was a fact she regretted even more when she saw not one but two shadowed raptors come to the tree.”
Driftstone gasped and said, “The sisters!” with mock, exaggerated shock. Shadowstep shot him an unimpressed look, and Driftstone protested, “That’s what the fledglings always say! I’m trying to make this feel like an authentic experience!”
“All right, all right. So, how should I respond… ...Yes!” he said, abruptly dramatic. “The sisters! Purefeather and Deathbreaker had come to the tree to select a poison. What, Redclaw wondered, was their plan?
“She followed them, and sure enough, there was meat ready to be poisoned. This time, though, it was not one large animal, but many very small ones. Redclaw waited until she was certain one of the sisters was adding the poison to one of the bodies, and then she struck - bolting from her hiding place, charging into and tackling Deathbreaker! She was about to let out her summoning call, when Purefeather attacked, and suddenly, Redclaw was in a fight with both sisters, unable to spare enough breath for the call.
“‘Why are you killing other animals?’ she did manage to ask between breaths. ‘This is wrong, and against the Spirit’s law!’
“‘The Spirit’s law will not matter,’ Purefeather said, ‘When we are the strongest predators on the island!’
“‘If we can outsmart them,’ Deathbreaker agreed, ‘We should be in charge!’
There was not time for Redclaw to explain that this was wrong, and even with all the time in the world, she might not have been able to. The sisters fought brutally, and it took all of Redclaw’s experience and cunning to keep herself from being bested.
“But eventually, the sisters backed her up against a large mound of earth. Redclaw was confused, but at first did not pay much attention to it - until she took a breath to try and call, and smelled the scent of whose territory they had stumbled upon.
“She made the summoning call, and before the raptors could strike, a loud rumble made the sisters freeze in terror. It was only for a moment, but it was enough - the nest of tyrannosaur chicks at Redclaw’s back began squeaking and stirring, and their mother appeared out of the darkness, teeth bared in a snarl.
“‘They want to poison your chicks!’ Redclaw shouted, having just realized the sisters’ plan - tyrannosaur chicks would not be aware of dangerous meat, and would succumb to even less poison than an adult animal. Perhaps there was not enough poison to kill an adult tyrannosaur - but killing all the young would do the same in a few decades.
“The tyrannosaur did not hesitate to knock the sisters aside with her snout, and blocked their escape with her foot. ‘Proof,’ she demanded of Redclaw.
“‘I See animals who cause harm,’ Redclaw said. ‘They were going to poison several animals and feed them to your chicks. Look at their claws! They were bloody from tearing the animals open, and they should still have powder or poison stuck to it.’
“Sure enough, when the tyrannosaur demanded their claws, flecks of powder still clung to the partly-dried blood. The furious mother sniffed at them, and her lip curled. Purefeather tried to protest that this was a misunderstanding, they had been stopping Redclaw - but the mother would not hear it. In two swift snaps of her jaws, the sisters found the death they had escaped as chicks. Killing in self-defence is not against the Spirit’s law.
“The rest of the pack arrived soon after - they did not want to believe Redclaw at first, but they also could not deny the powder on their claws, or the strong scent trail leading to the tree. And when Redclaw took them to the raptors who had helped the sisters, and they were told what had happened to the sisters, enough confessed to vindicate Redclaw’s story.
“It was only then that they learned what the raptors had called themselves - all-hunters, raptors who could hunt any and all of Naelus’ creatures, even its largest predators, at their whim. But by forgetting the Spirit’s law, they evoked one of the Spirit’s Guardians, and just as any creature here who kills for reason other than hunting, they met their end, just as they had brought an end to so many others before them.
“With help from the Island’s herbivores and elderly beings, the raptors of Redclaw’s pack removed some of the poisons from the broken tree, and a dragon used its breath to set the tree aflame, burning the poisons it was safe to burn inside. The remaining poisons were buried near their original source; no herbivore would eat grass that could have been contaminated by the poison already growing near it.
“And so, Redclaw and the island defeated the all-hunters, and brought peace back to Naelus.”
For a long moment, the two raptors were silent. Shadowstep was starting to think Driftstone might have fallen asleep when he said, “It’s a grim story, isn’t it?”
“It is. But it is part of our history, and our history starts with the sun falling from the sky. ...But, if it makes you feel better...my mother always said that it was not just a story about raptors wreaking havoc simply because they were smart enough to find a way. She also said it was a story about fighting raptors wreaking havoc simply because they could. Obviously being Redclaw is difficult without her powers, but really, it was her cleverness that won her the battles. And her packmates had no abilities, and they helped very much. So did the tyrannosaur. Even the birds helped - they told her about the first poison Redclaw found.”
“Hssaaaaaaah, I suppose I can see it that way,” Driftstone admitted, flopping heavily against Shadowstep. “You told the story well - I don’t think you’ll have any trouble telling it to the pack.”
“I am sure not - I think they’ll be a less disruptive audience than you.”
The two raptors play-fought for a moment, acting as if they were going to bite the others muzzle but never actually closing their jaws, until Driftstone ducked under Shadowstep’s chin and nudged the bottom of his jaw. It wasn’t long before the two raptors had curled up together to sleep.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 19, 2018 8:50:23 GMT -5
The Spirit turned its head towards the Scimon, gazing down unblinkingly at the little ghost. She listened as Roda spoke. And the, once Roda had finished, the Spirit answered, her voice somehow low enough despite her size that only the scimon could hear. “Little one, there is one aspect of your sin you still fail to comprehend, and that I believe is what traps you; even if you regret trying to destroy the island, you only regret it in the sense that it would not have ended in what you wanted, but would have led the scimons to suffer as much as the predators. Because no, Mother Nature would not have merely driven all of the predators extinct on your behalf.” The Spirit sighed. “But where you went wrong was not in rejecting mercy, little Roda. It was in assuming you and yours had more right to exist than the predators who cannot help how evolution has made them. Even now, you speak of the predators as a flaw. I do not fault you for being wary or fearful of those who eat your kind; you should, however, try to understand them and see things from their perspective. Not just the predators who abstain from anything save fish, but those who hunt other meat as their ancestors once did.” She leaned down and breathed golden mist onto the scimon. “Touch and be touched, as I allowed the thylacine and the octopus. Use this gift to walk among the predators, know their loves, lives, and sorrows. Do not just speak of a change in your thinking, but act upon it. For it is not truly my forgiveness your soul is craving.” The spirit smiled, regretful but kind. “Do this, and maybe one day you will find true happiness, and find peace.” June Scarlet The spirit answers Roda, giving her some advice and a blessing of corporeality
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Post by Tiger on Aug 19, 2018 11:45:46 GMT -5
“When I first healed you, I felt your power still inside you. I saw your light when the guardians called out for Spirit to find us when we were skeletons. If the Eagle Eye is still within you after all of that, it will recover and you can use your powers once more.”Taakeyrr bobbed her head a little. “I hope so. There’ve been signs it’s still there, obviously, it’s just a matter of if they can grow anymore or if it’s just a scar at this point. ...I’d like to find out, though.” Kopi agreed that spreading the powers out again was a good idea, and that he wanted them back. So...now there was just the matter of talking to the Spirit. Taakeyrr looked up the long neck stretching high into the sky above them, up to the Spirit’s face. “Do we have to go up higher?” she wondered. “She can probably hear you from here,” Xsabaskis said. “Just try saying it; if she can’t hear you, she’ll probably give you some sign where to go.” Taakeyrr felt a little foolish, but Xsabaskis had a point. She led the group a little away from the other animals at the river, so at least if she looked like an idiot talking to the sky, she would only be doing it in front of only a few animals. “...Spiirt?” she said, in a voice slightly louder than usual but that still didn’t feel like it should reach the head of the giant above them. “Kopi and I wanted to ask you about something? I know you’ve given me a lot lately, and I’m glad I could help when the island needed another healer, but...is it possible to give Kopi his Healer powers back? To keep the powers spread out, and...well...you’re a god, you probably already heard our whole talk…” Taakeyrr and co leave the immediate river gathering, and Taak Very Awkwardly asks the Spirit if Kopi’s healing powers can be returned to him. ( Rabbit ♠, Shinko)
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Post by Shinko on Aug 19, 2018 14:38:41 GMT -5
The great head of the Spirit turned to regard Taakeyrr, blinking slowly. In a voice that was audible only to the dilophosaurs, Kopi, and Tash, she replied, “I had wondered if you would ask- I did not wish to assume yours and Kopi’s desires in this matter, however. You have fought hard and long, and it was possible Kopi would want to take his second life and live it in peace and quiet- and of course stripping you of the Healer’s power would have seemed cruel when you used it to save all the island.” She shook her head like a dog shaking off water, the great frill on the back of her neck flopping to and fro. “But if that is truly your wish, it is one I am happy to grant.” She brough her head low, so close to Taakeyrr they could have touched, and took a deep, long breath inward. The feathers and fur of the animals ruffled in the breeze created by her inhaltion, and a stream of golden light was drawn from under Taakeyrr’s skin. It hung in the air in a formless cloud for a moment, then the Spirit breathed out again, sending it flying towards Kopi. The light gathered around him, then sunk into his body and vanished. “While I am working on restoring powers-” The Spirit smiled, and this time did touch Taakeyrr, her broad nose booping gently against the dilophosaur’s. Taakeyrr was overcome by the sensation of falling, of soaring, of vast wings carrying her up high on a warm uplifting thermal, and when she blinked her eyes were filled with halos of gold wherever she looked at the animals around her- except for Kopi, who shone like a small beacon, and the Spirit, who didn’t just shine but was light, so much light it was practically blinding. “You have done well, my dears,” the Spirit said, rising up again to give them space. “This is the very least I can do to thank you.” Tiger Rabbit ♠ Spirit obliges Taakeyrr and Kopi, returning healer powers to the pupbun, and also fixes up Taak’s eagle eye powers.
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 19, 2018 17:28:59 GMT -5
Kopi and Tash looked up at Spirit as she talked, entranced by what she was saying. It was incredible. The Spirit of Naelus was talking before them right now. Neither of them could have ever imagined it happening. Spirit got close to Taakeyrr and took a deep breath. Golden light emanated from Taakeyrr. It lingered in the air for a brief moment before it was flung at Kopi. Kopi flinched, defending himself for whatever he might feel from the light. However, he didn’t feel anything strike him like he thought he would. Kopi looked around him. The light lingered around him, then seeped into his skin. Kopi felt a spark from inside. It was warm and familiar. It was his powers. It was his healing powers. Spirit did it, Spirit actually did it. Spirit gave Kopi his healing powers back. Kopi looked over at Spirit and Taakeyrr. Spirit pressed her nose up against Taakeyrr. Kopi wasn’t quite sure what Spirit did, but he knew she did something. “You have done well, my dears,” the Spirit said, rising up again to give them space. “This is the very least I can do to thank you.”“Thank you for protecting us,” Kopi replied. He bowed his head down. “Thank you for giving us a home. Thank you for everything. You’ve done so much for the animals here. Everyone can’t possibly thank you enough.” He stood back up. “I came back as a ghost to protect you and the other animals here. I don’t intend to change that, even if I am alive again. Even if you didn’t give my powers back, I would still go around and help wherever I could.” The cunicanine puffed out his chest. “I am a guardian, no matter what happens.” “How do you feel, Kopi?” Tash asked. Kopi turned to Tash. “I feel the same as I did for the majority of my life. I’ve had this since I was young and I’ve grown to living with it. I feel it inside me, but I’m used to it.” He looked back up at Taakeyrr. “How do you feel, Taak? Do you feel any different without the healer powers?” Kopi's got his healer powers back. \o/ He thanks Spirit ( Shinko ) for everything she's done and asks Taakeyrr ( Tiger ) how she feels without the healer powers.
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Post by Tiger on Aug 20, 2018 0:29:09 GMT -5
Taakeyrr stood very still as the Spirit lowered her head toward them. It occurred to her this ought to be terrifying; the Spirit absolutely dwarfed anything on the island and this was like being approached by a few hundred Thunders all combined into one. But, despite going still, Taakeyrr wasn’t really afraid. Awed, certainly, this was the island’s god and apparently, the very island itself - but it wasn’t as if the Spirit was going to hurt her. It felt on some primitive, maybe even child-like level like the lack of fear she’d felt toward her parents as a hatchling. The Spirit took the powers back, and though Taakeyrr would have expected pain, it actually didn’t feel as bad as she would have predicted. It wasn’t comfortable - it reminded her of the slight strain of resistance while plucking a bad feather, except tinier and spread across Taakeyrr’s sense of her magic. It all went away the moment the gift hung in the air in front of the Spirit in a tiny cloud; Taakeyrr stared, entranced by the idea of their powers in a semi-solid form like this; somehow it seemed more tangible than the lights from their emblems. The Spirit then passed the gift back to Kopi, where it belonged; Taakeyrr thought the cunicanine looked more energetic already. Then, to her surprise, the Spirit turned back to her, and with a simple, ”While I am working on restoring powers-”, she touched her nose to Taakeyrr. Taakeyrr would probably have either gone into shock from sheer amazement or had to convince herself this was reality, because the idea of the god of the island casually bopping her nose to Taakeyrr’s muzzle was not the sort of thing that happened even in the most fantastical nest-stories - if the feeling of flight hadn’t overwhelmed her senses instead. The sensation was gone in a blink, and that very same motion suddenly revealed the animals and god around her with an Eagle Eye clearer and more permanent than she had ever even imagined. Her jaw actually dropped - was this how true Eagle Eyes like Redclaw had seen the world? “You have done well, my dears This is the very least I can do to thank you.”Taakeyrr managed to pull her sight back to normal - it was almost difficult simply because she’d never had to do it before; she had always had to chase her Eagle Eye; even her first use of it had been a glimpse more than anything. This...this was something else entirely. Kopi thanked the Spirit for her protection, bowing his head. Taakeyrr followed suit, bending her knees and bowing her own head; not a gesture of submission, precisely, but certainly the sort of dip one did in the presence of a respected matriarch. “Yes - what he said. Thank you - thank you so much.” For a moment, she was silent, all the emotions of what had just happened washing over her at once. The Spirit had spoken with them, she thought they had done a good job, Taakeyrr’s Eagle Eye was not only repaired, but amplified, it was all over, the sowers were gone and they didn’t have to worry about more corruption or more murders anymore - “How do you feel, Kopi?” Taakeyrr looked up, almost startled even though the question hadn’t been directed at her. She focused on the answer, though; she did want to know how Kopi was doing. Fortunately, it seemed like this had been a good decision - it sounded as if Kopi had been aware of his lack of powers, and only now felt completely normal again. Then Kopi asked her, “How do you feel, Taak? Do you feel any different without the healer powers?”“Not enough to notice - I only had it a few days. ...Or maybe I would feel it, normally, but - my Eye’s covering it up, it’s - I didn’t even know it could get this strong! I can see you’re a guardian just by looking at you, Kopi!” She took a deep breath to get some control of her giddiness. “I’m glad we asked her, if this is what your healing powers feel like to you….you definitely needed them back.” After allowing time for any more conversation, Xsabaskis stepped closer to her sister, her expression tight and her tail swishing nervously. “Ah. Speaking of things from the Spirit...there’s something I need to talk to you two about.” She looked down at Kopi and Tash. “And I’m sorry, but I need to take them somewhere else and talk to them about it alone. Nothing to do with trusting you or not, it’s just...something we need to handle privately. You’ll probably know about it soon, anyway.” She lowered her muzzle until it was at about equal height to a cunicanine or articat. “Glad you got your powers back, though. The Spirit’s right; you did a great job, Kopi. Thanks for everything.” Taakeyrr is awed by the Spirit, by the Spirit taking and giving the healer powers, by the Spirit nose-boop, and by getting her Eagle Eye back and better than before. After an appropriate pause to allow for any replies from Kopi or Tash, Xsabaskis says there’s something personal she needs to talk to Soaitsae and Taakeyrr about, hmmmm! ( Shinko, Rabbit ♠)
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Post by Celestial on Aug 20, 2018 5:18:48 GMT -5
It was amazing! All her years and Morag could never imagined that the Spirit was a great creature just like the rest of them! She put out her fire with a single breath and banished the Sower mother who had been so destructive! Not even the stories from the old country matched that! All the excitement of the day did serve to make the little old haggis sleepy. As the mist closed in, she found herself yawning and curling up against the dog who had rescued her, her ears flicking occasionally as sweet dreams flitted through her mind. She woke up later than everyone else. Looking around with a great yawn, Morag saw the Spirit still looking down. Many of the animals had gone, though the joyful atmosphere that permeated the whole island told her they were probably gone for a good reason. Even so, the little haggis could not help but feel a little lonely. She snuffled and looked up at the great head of the Spirit above her. "Err...hello there?" she really had no idea how to talk to a god-like being which she had lived on her entire life. "Good job getting rid of that Mother Nature. She was a nasty, rotten beast if you don't mind me saying. Good riddance to bad rubbish." Morag looked around. "Thank you for putting this fire out too. We'd all have been toast without you, quite literally. But now there is not much to eat. I don't want to eat these lovely new shoots and stop the growth of the forest. And it is rather lonely without everyone else around..." the haggis snuffled and pawed at the ground with her claws. Should she do that? This was the body of the Spirit after all. "You are rather big, Spirit. Could you please take me to where everyone else is? I would really like to see all the lovely dearies and celebrate with them the removal of these awful sowers from the island," she pondered something, her ears flickering. "And could you give me some of that lovely water of life that I got from your blessing? I could share it with that wonderful Renpi again, and everyone else who wants a bit. We'll have a party." Morag wakes up rather lonely. She is grateful to the Spirit for taking care of everything but feels awfully lonely so wonders if she can be taken to the action, and maybe be given a bit of booze to party with? ( Shinko)
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Post by Shinko on Aug 20, 2018 6:57:59 GMT -5
The Spirit cocked her head, looking amused as the haggis addressed her. “You are most welcome. Though Mother Nature cannot help but be as she is; she is death as much as she is life, and death is a void which can never be made full and satisfied.” “As to the grass, fear not. You and yours will be able to eat, though you may have to eat more insects and worms than plants for a year or so until the island has time to fully recover. Just mind that you don’t strip any areas bare, that’s all. Eat a little, then move on.” She gave a small, bell-like giggle. “As to ‘the water of life’- you’ll find, if you ask taller animals nicely to draw them down, that the berries still clinging to bushes after the first frosts in winter will give you the same feeling. But very well- just this once.” Morag was enveloped in a warm, golden light, and when next she blinked she was standing in the silty soil of the riverbank. There was a crowd of animals milling about her excitedly, though at the moment none seemed to have noticed her presence yet. And on the ground before her, cupped in two halves of a walnut shell, were two helpings of golden whiskey. This matter settled, the spirit turned her gaze towards the trees at the edge of the meadow. Her voice very, very soft, she murmurred, “I know you’re there, son of the sun. I know your final rest has been denied you. And though you have done my island and its children great hurt, this is and always will be the place for creatures with nowhere else to go. So you may stay. But this time, mind the law that governs this place. If you try to trick animals into harm out of spite, you may find my guardians growing wise to your antics… and I’m afraid a sin-steeped soul forged of fire of all things will take far greater pain from salt water than you have the capacity to imagine.” She closed her eyes a moment, then turned her gaze back to the celebratory crowd. “I hope someday, you find some measure of peace within yourself.” Celestial The spirit humors Morag’s requests for joining the other animals and also for booze, tips her off to the fact that she can get drunk off winter berries if she really wants to, then turns her attention to a certain firebird. She tells Svar he may stay on the island, but that he has to behave himself, because he’ll find his firey body takes even worse damage from salt water than most ghosts. (‘Cause yanno, water.)
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 20, 2018 13:23:06 GMT -5
“Not enough to notice - I only had it a few days. ...Or maybe I would feel it, normally, but - my Eye’s covering it up, it’s - I didn’t even know it could get this strong! I can see you’re a guardian just by looking at you, Kopi!” She took a deep breath to get some control of her giddiness. “I’m glad we asked her, if this is what your healing powers feel like to you….you definitely needed them back.”Kopi hopped up and spun around. “That’s amazing, Taak. I’m happy to hear that.” He sat back down and nodded. “I don’t know how strong your powers are now, but I think I understand how you’re feeling right now.” As Kopi and Taakeyrr talked, Xsabaskis grew uneasy. Her expression was tight, as if something was on her mind. Eventually, she spoke, “Ah. Speaking of things from the Spirit...there’s something I need to talk to you two about.” She looked down at Kopi and Tash. “And I’m sorry, but I need to take them somewhere else and talk to them about it alone. Nothing to do with trusting you or not, it’s just...something we need to handle privately. You’ll probably know about it soon, anyway.” She lowered her muzzle until it was at about equal height to a cunicanine or articat. “Glad you got your powers back, though. The Spirit’s right; you did a great job, Kopi. Thanks for everything.”Kopi and Tash tilted their heads. What could Xsabaskis possibly be talking about? She did say that they were going to find out soon enough, but if that was the case, why would they wait? She did say they had to talk about something, though. Maybe she wanted to talk about that. “Huh? That’s okay, go right ahead,” Tash said. “We understand,” Kopi added. He hopped up to Xsabaskis and pressed his muzzle against her’s. “I hope everything’s okay. If you need anything, let us know.” Kopi shares Taakeyrr's ( Tiger ) excitement about her powers when Xsabaskis says the family have to go off in private for a talk. Kopi and Tash are confused, but they say it's okay and Kopi tells them he hopes everything okay.
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Post by Liou on Aug 20, 2018 14:47:29 GMT -5
[[Collabed with the delightful Tiger ]] Duskrunner, Dara, and the rest of the raptor pack who had stayed behind with the chicks had not especially enjoyed the fire. Their territory wasn’t in the Highwind Woods itself, but that didn’t matter too much with the fire spreading as quickly as it was. They moved instantly and still, by the time they got Nettleback to his feet and got the chicks onto Windteeth and Duskrunner’s backs, they could see the flames licking at the treetops and smell the smoke. The heat bore down on them, too, oppressive in a way even the hottest, least-windy summer day had never quite managed. They relied on Dara to lead them through the forest, since the tree octopus wouldn’t be affected by the smoke or hurt by the flames. Dara raced through the trees and glided as much as they could to find cooler air, narrowly avoiding dangerous areas. Dara had never seen such bright light at night. It seemed wrong, it seemed almost malevolent for reasons they could not explain, and they just wanted to find their way out. They could not launch themself too far ahead of the pack in search of safe ground, however, for they'd risk losing the raptors far back in the inferno. When the heat and the acrid smoke became too much even for their dulled perceptions, they had to double back very fast and pick another path for the pack. Duskrunner was certain it was the only reason they got as far as they did as safely as they did, with the fire determined to lay traps and dead ends in their path as often as possible. Very distantly, Duskrunner was aware of Quicksnap’s guard also fleeing in the direction of the beach. She didn’t know if that meant that the fire had spread that far, or that Quicksnap had escaped, or if had something to do with the scream that had preceded the fiery explosion - and she didn’t pay much mind to it until she realized two of them were turning back toward the forest (the other two were darting back and forth over a short distance; she wasn’t surprised to sense that was Driftstone and Shadowstep). But one of the returning raptors was Yellowtail, and Duskrunner hoped that meant her mother knew a way out and was coming back for them. Trying to explain the directions to Dara was difficult, mostly because of the fire they had to keep running from, but they were getting closer, and then, just as Duskrunner saw a bit of yellow feathers - patches of light burst from the earth, the entire island lurched, and when Duskrunner dared a glance upward, she saw the neck and head of a huge sea creature, and just past it, the giant beast Dara had likened to a jellyfish. She didn’t entirely understand what was happening - but the voice coming from the long-necked creature sounded like the voice she had heard in the Heart, and Mother Nature disappeared beyond the reforming wall of mist, so...she thought it was probably a good thing? Yes, definitely a good thing, she decided, when the huge head turned toward the burning forest and created a rainstorm from nothing more than their breath that finally extinguished the blaze. When morning came, the raptors joined the gathering at the river. They watched as the moon rabbit Mochi shattered the vial of life elixir, and when Beech emerged from the water as a living animal rather than a back-from-the-dead spirit, several pairs of eyes turned to Dara. Yellowtail, however, clicked in soft, mildly amused disapproval. “Yes, I think they realize the implication,” she said. “It is Dara’s decision; let’s let them make it in peace.” And she and most of the other raptors drifted away, within quick attention-getting distance but not so close they could overhear a quiet conversation. Duskrunner didn’t leave, not just yet; she had the feeling Dara might not be certain what they wanted to do. “So,” she said, “it seems like the water could give you your body back.” "What?" said the octopus, still goggling at where Yellowtail had walked off. "But how? My body's not in that water. It got, you know, all heavy and stiff, and by now it'll be buried under ground after those giant thorns grew everywhere, and that'll be buried under debris from the wave and lots of compact mud, and more debris from the fire. I can't dig it out. It's all right! If I stay like this, the pack will know anything there is to discover about back-from-the-deads." “Well,” Duskrunner said. “First off, I think the thylacine’s body got set on fire. The Healer died just before the storm, right? So it was probably buried, too, but…” She nodded toward the cunicanine emerging from the river downstream. “It seems like the water can get bodies back and fix them all by itself. Second off...” She looked right at Dara, tilting her head. “Why does that matter? It’s an interesting thing to learn about, but there are lots of interesting things we can learn about, that don’t mean our packmate misses out on a chance to get their body back.” "That is true. I've studied and learned about lots of things before, and I had my body back then, and it was fine, yes. I could keep on learning." The octopus was alternatively sinking through the ground and hoisting themself back up in an absent-minded little game. "It might be a waste, though." Dara gestured towards the water. "It didn't take any corruption to kill me. I just died because a lot of creatures wanted me to. Not because the sowers were poisoning them. It'd be a waste to make another body just for them to kill me again," they said flatly. Duskrunner bared her teeth. “ Hsssaah, I would like to see them try! If they’re so stupid - they thought you were a sower, but that obviously isn’t true, and the Spirit said sowers can’t get their bodies back; so if you go in the water, and get your body back - you aren’t a sower. That’s simple logic. And only a very stupid animal would attack a non-sower right now. And besides,” she lifted her muzzle high. “Fght in self-defence and in defence of your pack is allowed, so they would have to fight raptors. Which would be at least three times as stupid!” "Raptors are good at logic, too. I've always liked logic." Dara's mantle puffed and shrank a few times while they fiddled with their arms. "Thanks for defending me, Duskrunner." They stood hesitantly, drumming their armtips on the ground as some animals would tap their claws. "May I still visit you sometimes?" they asked in a small voice. "After finding a new tree to settle in? Being back-from-the-dead was really good. Not because I was made of this thick-water. The good part was just being with you and the pack. And minding the chicks. And watching you chase creatures. And watching you all... help each other and stand up for each other. It was like being in a family." Duskrunner gave Dara a light nudge with her muzzle. “Of course you can come visit! You could settle in a tree on our pack’s land if you wanted to, even - though I wouldn’t blame you for wanting a private tree away from the chicks squawking at odd hours, especially since you’d need sleep again. Either way. We’re pack now, and that’s really the same as family if you don’t worry about species or relatives.” She gaped her jaw open in a grin. Dara petted her beak in response to her nuzzle. The octopus's mantle was still ventilating in wordless excitement. They twirled their arms around them in a spiral and let out a delighted squeak. "Squawking chicks are better than sleep! You mean that, that I can, that I'll see them grow up, and I can still be with you and, and keep this family, but, but I'll be able to make my next family also!" They took a few hops towards the water, paused and looked back at her. "I promise I'll keep any good gossip I hear for you first!" Another skip and step. "And any new tricks I learn with plants as well, that goes without saying!" They began to run on two arms and skidded to a stop. "I'll fix up the creche nicely any time you need. And everyone can get free preening on request, of course!" Duskrunner made a noise like an alligator attempting a pigeon coo. “We will settle all the arrangements later! Get in the water and get your body back! Don’t think I won’t push you if you stall for silly reasons!” "I'm not stalling," shouted Dara, tottering on their armtips, just before toppling backwards into the water. The life-giving water felt no different to them than average water. So Dara swam as they usually would, like an average non-tree octopus. Their mantle filled with water and glowed a brilliant white. They expelled it and zoomed backwards. The fluid coursing through their translucent form began to leave a stain. After a dozen jets of water had been expelled, a more opaque form began to block the bottom of the water from sight. It moved swiftly far below the surface, until a russet-red head suddenly emerged, spouting a stream of water out of their siphon like a fountain, and Dara the tree octopus climbed back onto solid land. Duskrunner, who had gone to the river’s edge as soon as Dara had, gave several happy squawks that had the nearby animals edging away and looking a little concerned, probably because the noises sounded quite ferocious to unfamiliar ears. “It worked!” she crowed. “At least, it looks like it did. You’re all solid again? You’ve got all of your legs?” Dara slapped their arms experimentally against the ground, revelling in the neat clapping sound and in the streaks of brighter colours that rippled over them. "Everything tastes so much better! I'm solid, Duskrunner - but just solid enough, not heavy. All my arms are here, I won't even need to grow anything back. That potion of the moon bunny's was excellent quality, I say!" “Yes, it was a very good potion!” Duskrunner made a pleased noise that actually bore more resemblance to a pigeon than a toothy reptile. “I’m glad you’re back the way you want to be, Dara!” The octopus draped a velvety arm over her foot. "I'm glad I have you to share this with." The home-team of the raptor pack is fleeing from the fire! That includes an injured raptor and a bunch of hatchlings! They are being guided through the flames by their pet ghost tree octopus. They hang in there, sensing that Yellowtail is returning from the Quicksnap-guarding team to help, until the Spirit pops up to cool things down. Whew! Sleep time. Goodnight raptors. In the morning, they witness the miracles of the ghost-reviving potion, and logically deduce that it might be of interest to their pet ghost. Dara, however, waffles. Being a raptor pack's pet ghost was a very cozy existence. And what if they get mobbed again? Will Duskrunner be able to reassure the ghost octopus enough for them to become alive again? Of course she does! She's adorable. Pack spirit 5ever. Dara goes for a dip and IT'S ALIVE!
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Post by Celestial on Aug 20, 2018 16:03:27 GMT -5
Every single word the Spirit spoke was comforting, and not just becuase of their content. While Morag was delighted to hear about the berries- though she suspected they would not have the same depth and richness of flavour as the uisge- she was just glad to hear this great, powerful being go down to her level and speak to her without deafening her. Large dinosaurs and other such creatures often boomed- she had once almost been deafened by an indricotherium- but the Spirit was not like that: her voice was as gentle and sweet as the tiniest songbird. In a flash, she was out of the burned Highwind Woods and amongst the crowd, who were splashing joyfully in th water of the river. For some reason, the water smelled amazing: like the sweetest, richest peaches that had ever existed. However, even that could not compare to the lovely, rich smell that wafted from the two walnut shells by her side. The haggis snuffled. Within the walnut shells, the liquid was a deep amber and smelled of fruits and spices with just a hint of smoke. Heaven. Of course, the Spirit had given her two. One did not drink fine uisge alone, and Morag knew just who to share it with. Picking up one shell by her front paw while simultaneously grabbing one with her teeth, she looked around. A familiar face caught her eye: exactly who she was looking for. She was different: smaller, less red and more floppy-eared but it was clearly the same creature. Morag's mind might not have been sharp but she still remembered the Sha from that night they spent together after the blessings. If that had been a reason to celebrate, then this was an occassion. She waddled up to the Sha and put the walnut shell she clutched in her teeth in front of her. "Excuse me, dearie? Do you mind if I join you? Perhaps we could have a drink again to mark this occassion. The Spirit has blessed me again," she took a sip from the water of life clutched in her paw. "Let's let the youngsters enjoy themselves while we old things relax and take it easy. Celebrate in our own way." *** As the Spirit spoke, within the trees, a translucent, flickering flame appeared, black streaking through its otherwise golden form. It lifted up the two black pits that passed for eyes up to her, and though they were essentially voids, the sorrow in them was unmistakable. For a while, it remained motionless even after the Spirit finished speaking before giving a single, deep nod. It was not going to try anything now: there was nothing left for it to do. Whatever anger had kept it going in life, in death, it had dissipated. There was nothing there anymore. Once the Spirit had addressed it, the will o'wisp rose into the air, disappearing from sight. It appeared just on the edge of the Waterfall Basin, hidden against the sun, in a ray of light that pierced its translucent form. It gazed down upon the joyful splashes of creatures who had died and the happy cries of those alive who they were reuniting with. Carefully, so nobody would see it, it fluttered down to the water and dipped its beak in. Nothing happened, as promised. With some reluctance, the ghost lifted its beak back up again. Sorrow filled the wisp again, but not for the reason one would have thought. It did not want to live again. In a way, the Spirit was right: it had found some measure of peace. No longer did the wisp have to fear being stolen for its beauty: it was an ugly creature, incorporeal and corrupted, a literal shadow divorced from the light of its creator that made it beautiful. No, what it regretted was not being able to taste the water. Even if they were not apples, it would have given anything to try the fruits of immortality again. Turning, the wisp looked upstream, towards where the other animals were gleefully celebrating their new life and old friends. Its black eyes flickered from one familiar face to another. Mochi...Kopi...Renpi...the dilophasaur family...Kohimu. No doubt every single one would turn their wrath onto it the wisp they saw it. Every word and every emotion they felt towards him would be justified a hundredfold and yet, it still could not bear the thought of facing them. Not yet. For now, it took off, back to its perch where it disappeared into the light and simply watched them though the invisible wall that had fallen between them, a wall raised both by his allegiance towards Nature and his status as a dead thing. Will o'wisps could not cry. But they certainly could feel like they would. Morag is delighted by everything the Spirit( Shinko) says and is especially pleased by the whisky. She looks for somebody to share it with and decides upon Renpi( Liou). Let's let the grannies party for a bit. Ghost Svar, meanwhile, takes in the Spirit's words and goes to the Waterfall Basin. He drinks the water, or at least tries to, just to try to taste it but he cannot. So he goes to watching his friends be happy and feels awful grief.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 20, 2018 22:37:37 GMT -5
* * *Collab with Tiger* * * It came to pass that well before Yellowtail and Sunspeckle returned from fetching the rest of the pack, the situation abruptly changed. Quicksnap had gawped openly as the Spirit fended off Mother Nature, and though part of him wanted to object when she put them all to sleep- he did not have the pack-sense the raptors did and wanted absolute certainty that the others were okay- her magic didn’t give him a lot of choice. When finally they woke up the following morning, Quicksnap allowed Shadowstep and Driftstone to guide him to where they sensed the others. This meant heading toward the river, which Driftstone was quick to point out he didn’t mind. “I don’t know about the two of you, but a nice long drink after all the running and the smoke will be very nice.” Quicksnap rumbled in agreement. “My mouth and throat taste foul. I may just swish and spit the first few mouthfuls to get the coating of ash off my tongue.” “We should do the same,” Shadowstep agreed. “Let’s just be sure to spit it on the ground and not back in the river; I do not think the other animals would be grateful for our ashy backwash.” “And the Spirit would probably see it and disapprove.” Driftstone looked upward, where the god’s head was still visible in the sky. “I wonder what else she wants to tell us. Do you think it’s good news, or bad?” Quicksnap hissed softly. “These days, it is seldom good news. Every time it seems like things are getting better, they get worse again.” Shadowstep sighed and has to agree, “That does seem to be the pattern. ...But she chased the sower-god away last night, and the mists are back. All the sowers must be gone, and clearly, so is any leftover corruption. If there is more trouble than we’ve had already, I am going to be very cross with it.” He snapped his teeth on the air to emphasize his point. After a moment, more subdued, he turned to Quicksnap. “We did not get a chance to ask - how are you feeling now that the corruption’s gone?” The kaprosochus was slow to answer, his gaze turned inward. Finally, as the trees began to thin, he rumbled, “I feel weak. Dirty. Twice; as far as I know, I am the only one who succumbed twice.” “ Hssaahhh - who says that you are not the only one the sowers attacked twice?” Shadowstep replied. “I did not hear of anyone else being attacked more than once; it is possible anyone would have been infected again.” “If they wanted to make everyone afraid of everyone else, using the same animals wouldn’t make much sense,” Driftstone agreed. “They probably went after different animals at different times. ...Do you remember why the longma attacked you a second time? You said she was talking to you about...light? But it wasn’t all clear.” He growled bitterly. “She said I seemed unhappy- which was because I was planning to tell Beech the whole truth- and insinuated I was unhappy because I’d been healed of corruption the first time. ‘Lost the holy light’ or some such. And that she would ‘help’ me by restoring the light. By the time I realized what she was getting at, it was too late.” “...Odd,” Driftstone remarked, tilting his head as he looked over at the kaprosuchus. “That must not have been the usual way of corrupting, or someone would have known the longma was a sower much earlier.” “Maybe they were desperate?” Shadowstep offered. “She was the second-to-last; desperation can make you act irrational. ...It seems like it was a bad idea for another reason, anyway. You were much easier to deal with than I would have expected; maybe it doesn’t work as well a second time.” “Or maybe you got her in your teeth before she finished it all the way,” Driftstone said. “I’m glad you got her. She deserved it. A look at what she did to the rest of the island right before she died.” “Driftstone,” Shadowstep said chidingly. “...But getting forced to kill is not right, either, no matter who it is,” Driftstone said slowly. “So I’m sorry you were forced.” Quicksnap shook his head. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, Driftstone. And I appreciate it. But it’s hard to find any part of this funny.” He looked down. “And… if it really is all over… what happens to Beech? And the other back-from-the-dead animals? What if…” his voice cracked. “She goes away before I can apologize?” “Hopefully that is not the case,” Shadowstep said. “I know when Beech first came back, there was talk that perhaps she was supposed to do something to help the island. But then so many other animals came back. It seems to me it was less that the Spirit had some special purpose for them, and more that the violence of their deaths made them come back. So…their death would have to be resolved before they were to disappear. ...I would guess?” He clicked with displeasure. “I do not know much about them. But I do not think Beech’s death feels resolved to her. She wants to talk to you; I think that would keep her here.” Quicksnap rumbled softly. “I hope so. She deserves at least an apology.” He lifted his head, peering out past the edge of the treeline. “Hrm. Why’s everyone crowded around the riverside? ...And is that one of the moon rabbits?” “It must be,” Shadowstep said, lifting his head high. “It is a rabbit and that looks like a moon on its head.” He looked over at Driftstone, who was studying the rabbit shrewedly - but he eventually looked over at Driftstone with a slightly baffled expression. Shadowstep understood; he didn’t see the oddly predatory-looking skull shape under the rabbit’s soft face, either. “Let’s go see what they’re all talking about,” Driftstone said. “And we can start asking if anyone’s seen Beech once the rabbit’s done.” The three of them did indeed head over to where the rabbit was talking- and Quicksnap gave a noise very like a bark in his surprise at what the small leporid and the Spirit revealed. “Alive?” he whispered to the raptors, watching as a spinosaurus towed Mochi out into the middle of the river. “This can… can make the back-from-the-deads alive again? For real? I didn’t think death was something you could take back. And Beech’s body got burned up by Svar!” He gulped. “I hope it works though- I really do. None of them deserved to die like they did.” “Agreed,” Shadowstep said, stretching his neck out as far as it would go. “I hope Dara uses it, too; I do not think they are entirely happy being a back-from-the-dead.” “They’re here,” Driftstone said simply. “Or at least, the raptors are, and I hope they didn’t manage to lose the one member of our pack who can’t be killed by fire.” “That would be rather inept of them,” Quicksnap teased, the first time he’d managed to slip a bit of humor in a while. He couldn’t see much over the gathered heads of the crowd, but after a few moments he heard a tremendous splashing, and a cheer went up amongst the animals. “I’m going to take that as a sign it worked,” the kaprosochus noted dryly. Bumping his nose against Driftstone’s shoulder, he said, “Should we go look for Yellowtail? If Beech is here I imagine she’ll find me in her own time; she has a lot of other friends who will actually be with her and want to congratulate her on coming back to life, and my presence would just throw cold water over it.” “I don’t know about that,” Driftstone said. But Shadowstep clicked softly and said, “It may be best to wait. They have a very serious conversation to have that would be best with some privacy. And we can keep an eye out for Beech and Yellowtail at the same time. Raptors and their packbrothers are very talented in that way.” “Very humble as well,” Quicksnap noted, giving the crest feathers on Shadowstep’s head a light muss with his tail. Shadowstep squawked and hastily shook them back into place. Grinning, the kaprosochus added, “Though perhaps that’s for the best. It would take very confident animals indeed to decide to try and keep a corrupted crocodile easily twice or thrice their weight under control, and I owe you all a debt for that.” Driftstone sighed and said, “We have to teach him how packs work.” “We did neglect to explain pack-basics, didn’t we?” Shadowstep opened his jaw in a grin. “In a pack, you do not owe debts for helping out.” “You help out, of course,” Driftstone said. “But it’s more of a ‘you help the pack members so you’re part of the pack’ sort of thing. Like you kept us from going to the High Hills and choking to death on smoke! Very helpful!” Quicksnap chuckled softly. “Fair enough- I’ll need time to get used to the idea, but I’ll do my best, promise.” At that moment, a sivatherium ambled away from the water’s edge, revealing the rest of the raptor pack making their way over. Yellowtail was at the head of it, a fluffy raptor chick on her back, trailed closely by the other raptors, with the exception of Duskrunner. With a greeting trill as she closed the distance, Yellowtail said, “Good, I’m glad you three made it.” Shadowstep clicked. “We were out of the forest; it was you we were worried about!” Quicksnap ambled up behind them, sniffing critically at the raptor chick on Yellowtail’s back and chuckling when it gave a small hiss of fright. “That’s right, these ones haven’t met me yet. Don’t worry, small one, I’m a friend.” He tilted his head. “Are raptor chicks supposed to be black-grey, or does these babies need a soak in the magic water more than the back-from-the-deads?” Coming up on the chick’s other side, Driftstone said, “They could use a bath. ...Probably not in the magical water, though. Look at you,” he said to the chick, gently poking it with his nose. “I can’t even tell which of my baby siblings you are!” “Wolfthorn, obviously,” Yellowtail said. “Sunspeckle has Hightide, and Snowstorm is with Nettleback.” “ Obviously,” Shadowstep parroted. “You can say hello to them, Quicksnap! Tell them how impressive their names are, and you could get on their good side early!” Quicksnap laughed, booping Wolfthorn on the end of his snout. “A very fearsome name indeed. And I’m sure you will grow into a fearsome raptor to match it.” He paused, amused. “But just now you are doing rather a better impression of an owl, kiddo. Please stop puffing and hissing at me, I’m not going to hurt you.” “In his defense,” Yellowtail said, “the last time he saw a strange predator that close, he was snatched up and carried off into the woods.” “Come see the girls, Quicksnap,” Driftstone urged, heading toward Nettleback. “They are much more confident!” Quicksnap grinned, following. “Of course, of course. Have to do their mama proud, hm? And they also weren’t briefly abducted by idiot wolves.” He lowered his head, blowing gently into Snowstorm’s feathers to ruffle them. “Maybe next season you will let me see the hatching, and they will grow up not thinking to fear their strange, featherless uncle.” “Maybe!” Driftstone said. “Though you may regret it when they get to their ‘claw and bite everything’ stage.” “He would know; he was a terror at that age,” Yellowtail said. Driftstone squawked in mock offense - but he didn’t look like he felt particularly guilty about his biting days. Shadowstep asked, “Dara is with Duskrunner, right? They are considering using the water, right?” “I think so. We left them to their choice; I let Duskrunner stay because I think she’ll talk Dara into doing what Dara actually wants.” “That is good. ...Speaking of back-from-the-deads - none have disappeared, right?” Yellowtail tilted her head. “I don’t think so. There are some I don’t see here, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone. The sower-ghosts especially wouldn’t want to stay here, I wouldn’t think.” “Have you heard anything of Beech?” Quicksnap asked, trying not to sound too desperate. “The little thylacine?” “Heard about her?” Yellowtail chittered. “Even better - I saw her come out of the water just a minute or so ago. She was the first one in.” Quicksnap’s head lifted, and he looked over his shoulder towards the river in surprise. Then again, he probably shouldn’t have been- of course Beech would’ve charged right into the river. “I… I should… go find her,” he finally stammered, turning back to the raptors. “This’ll only get harder the longer I put it off.” Shadowstep made a clicking noise almost like a purr, and gave Quicksnap’s shoulder a light nudge with his nose. “It will be difficult, but I think it will end all right. You are doing the right thing.” “Best of luck,” Driftstone said, coming around Sunspeckle to give Quicksnap a light headbutt. “We’ll wait here for you, in case you need us.” “Thanks,” Quicksnap murmurred, bumping his nose against Driftstone’s shoulder. “I’ll catch up to you all later- and I’m throwing those babies in the river if you don’t have them preened by then!” Shadowstep, Driftstone, and Quicksnap make their way up from the shoreline where they were the previous night, discussing everything that’s happened up to this point. The raptors try to cheer Quicksnap up, and there are some cutes when they finally reunite with the rest of the pack and Quicksnap meets the chicks for the first time. At some prompting from Yellowtail, Quicksnap bites the bullet and finally goes looking for Beech.
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Post by Twillie on Aug 20, 2018 23:54:16 GMT -5
((We beg your pardon for interrupting current events again, and we also apologize in advance for any mood whiplash caused by the transition. In our defence, most of these were written/planned a while back, and V&R have never been terribly good at reading the current mood.Collabed with LizicaTakes place at some late hour of night after Round 17: A Holy Light, and before Round 18: A Sunny Morning.)) “This is stupid,” said Trip. “This whole thing is stupid.” He had been repeating this sentiment on and off for the last six hours. Sei, Puck, and Tich probably would have slapped him if he didn’t sound so upset whenever he spoke. A few times they had asked for more clarification--what was stupid? Was it the mud? The fog? The downed trees? The snow? The whole Mother Nature thing? The fact that they were in tyrannosaur territory?“Stupid, all of it’s stupid,” he’d replied. And they had a hard time arguing with that. None of them really wanted to be out here, in the dark and the chill, in a place they definitely shouldn’t be. But if they didn’t--how would they know for sure if it was true? Thunder’s voice had a tendency to carry, and--well, I mean, the chances of there being some other little two-headed dragon who maybe happened to also have a rainbow underbelly and who was also just dumb enough to wander into a colossal dinosaur’s territory were close to nil, but... It was stupid. They had only gotten away from them for a moment. Just a moment. The tiny muzzles made of golden light had been so useful in the Whispering Cave. Because they only formed around the snouts of the corrupted heads, they’d been able to very easily distinguish when the corruption was on the move, and they could take extra care with one half and still talk with the other. It had rather taken the urgency out of the ridiculous insanity that had been the storm, and it had been a relief to wash up into a nice cave after bearing more injuries from their incorrigible charges than the inconvenient weather. It had been stupid. They hadn’t had as much time as they would have liked to appreciate that. The Spirit’s explanation and the sudden teleportation back to their familiar Crystal Crags had been disorienting, for a moment. And it had only taken a moment. “It’s stupid,” said Trip, kicking aside a chunk of melting snow. “This whole situation is stupid.” “We knoooow,” said Puck, craning their neck backwards to whine at the foggy sky. “ Shhhhhhush,” said Tich, casting glances to and fro in the dim light for anything moving, like an insomniac tyrannosaurus, or anything unmoving, like what they were looking for. “You know what would be even more stupid?” Sei grumbled from ahead of them, “Getting the attention of something very big and very territorial, and ending up just like Verso and Recto most likely.” Triptych immediately went deathly silent. The cynical bite to Sei’s words weren’t lost on him, especially with that last comment, but he couldn’t bother to dwell on it. At this point, he didn’t see much reason to assume the best for anyone that came into contact with him. Squinting against the thick mists, Sei gestured with his head towards Triptych, forming an idea. “Keep close,” he hissed, and Triptych shuffled up in step behind him. Gradually, like a lazy sunrise, Sei illuminated the markings across his body to provide a dim beacon for their search. The low blue light that reflected against the fog accentuated its shadows, giving a rather ghostly appearance that surrounded them. Sei couldn’t say that the extra light made him feel any better. But at least they could see now. As the light bounced off of the misty clouds, each of their eyes darted this way and that, thinking that they detected movement only to find the same shroud as before, nothing changed. Each little noise, every snap and crack, caused a collective jump as well, not only with the fear that perhaps another creature and its many teeth had joined them, but also with the hope that those noises may sound like familiar bickering. Nothing lasted for more than a moment, though, and the heavy silence that followed left them just as uneasy as before. And it was in silence that they finally stumbled upon them, a veil of dark-stained melting snow thoughtlessly draped over them. They had never met the two of them in silence and stillness before, and when combined with the dim light that cast their colors in greyed, subdued tones--it could almost be mistaken for someone else besides Verso and Recto. Almost. Flashes from not too long ago suddenly raced through Sei’s mind. Down by the river, the one moment that he had let him go alone. As his worry grew and Sei went out to search, as he reached the small watering place, the mangled body he saw now was just like that before... Their find here didn’t blindside Sei like that at the river did, but the sight at his feet still dumped the reality of the situation, and of his actions, full force on his back. He had failed his mate before, and now he’d managed to fail him again. At the cost of yet another life. Sei didn’t know how much he had left to lose. “Th-this is stupid!” Trip suddenly blustered, breaking the silence with a tremulous babble of words. This time, Puck and Tich really did slap him, even though neither of them could really look away from the little body at their feet. “This is stupid,” Trip continued on, his tone rising, “we--we babysat them for days--” “It-- we barely even--it was barely even one day, Trip--” Puck managed. “--we babysat them for days, through their corruption, through a hurricane--through a tidal wave--just-- just to have someone else besides themselves kill them the second we’re not there--” “Trip--” “It’s so stupid, they were so stupid, how can they have had two heads and still be so dumb, it’s all so stupid, it’s stupid--” “...Maybe if we’d been introduced to all this sooner...we could have done something more,” said Tich, painfully slowly. “ It’s stupid,” said Trip. “...We were pretty stupid,” conceded Tich. “What would we have done?” said Puck. “Would we have done anything? We were just sort of there, tacked on at the very beginning and the very end, but Seishin and his mate were the ones who really tried and who knew what was what--” Triptych gently patted Sei on his shoulder--partially respectful acknowledgement, partially limp flop of an exhausted arm, but mostly miserable commiseration. Their small touch on his shoulder brought Sei back to the real world for a moment, enough for him to weakly lift his head up towards them and try to offer anything consoling in return. “Don’t… don’t worry too much about it,” he murmured slowly, “You said it was the way of your kind to keep to yourself. You couldn’t have guessed that this would have happened to them before. I had just… tried to act on a fleeting hope to help what couldn’t be. My actions shouldn’t diminish yours.” “...It’s sort of like that stuff the Spirit mentioned in the caves, I suppose,” murmured Puck. “Mercy born of trying to care for others,” murmured Tich. “Even when they’re a lost cause,” murmured Trip. “So maybe there’s something in that...at least,” murmured Tich. And there was a slight pause. “...It’s still stupid,” murmured Trip, with a hint of a whimper. “...They never even got healed.” After another small moment, Sei lowered his head down again as though an anchor weighed him towards the ground. His ears were folded back, and with the heavy mists surrounding them, he could almost imagine himself fading away, fading into obscurity to join the parts of him that had already left long ago. He couldn’t go anywhere, though. He still sat there, still as a rock, sitting in between two dragon bodies in the middle of a vast, forbidden land. Dinosaur territory, he suddenly recalled as a distant shuffling suddenly caught his ear. Sei wasn’t the only one to whip his head towards the noise, and as they suddenly grew more and more aware of the small movings just outside their line of sight, Sei felt the itching feeling of running burning beneath his skin like dozens of ants. “I’m not sure we can do much more here, though,” he quickly whispered to Triptych, side eyeing all around them while daring to speak. “Probably not,” said Tich. “...Will it smell us? See us?” said Trip. “A three-headed dragon and a glowing kitsune?” said Tich. “It’s time to go,” said Puck. And Triptych carefully plucked Sei up and tucked him beneath one arm, and bent down and quietly scooped up what was left of Verso and Recto beneath the other. And although they each glanced back to try to see what had begun to approach them, it had already passed as they broke the tree canopy and at last departed into the night sky thick with grey. Seishin and Triptych find V&R’s body, and there may or may not be feels.
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