Unknown2007-07-02 22:00:12
A pale and soft autumn breeze wove itself around the sleeping form of Druken, his eyes closed and his chest rising and lowering as his breath caught crisply on the chilly air. The eve had been a harsh one, filled with tempermental Shadowdancers and newly arrived young to lead to their rightful places. Stress lines and exhaustion had etched themselves into his dark features and across his brow long before sleep had claimed him, Shayle even noting that he should get some sleep or perform a Rite of Penumbra. Indeed, he chose sleep.
Down below, a large barghest watched Druken slumber, its intelligent eyes seeming to consider him quietly. It looked behind it to catch the attentive stare of a silver cat sitting placidly beneath a ravenwood tree, its pale blue eyes staring off into the horizon. The cat turned its attention to the barghest, its tailing swishing back and forth tempermentally. A moment of silence strung hung over the two creatures, their preternatural eyes regarding one another in a war of stares. Turning its head away, the bargest shifted to a crouch, its black fur blending in with the shadows that danced across the ground. It caught sight of Druken up in the nearby tree and, in a blur of movement, its large fangs tore into the throat of the sleeping mortal. His eyes shot open as he flailed against the barghest's muscular body, his screams of agony and surprise lost to the blood that flowed into his lungs. The barghest stood still, not moving as Druken fought for his life. Slowly, he lost consciousness, his eyes rolling up into the back of their sockets. With one final staggering breath, his face went pale and his body went limp.
Below, the silver cat watched the battle with a sparkle in its pale eyes. Its tail gave one last swish before it rose from where it sat and bounded away into the forest. Night came swiftly after the sun placed itself below the horizon, marked only by an effeminate chuckle that rang along the leaves and canopy, along with the mournful baying of a barghest against the moonless darkness that overtook the Glomdoring Forest in an eternal battle for dominance and power.
------
Catarin stood at the brink of a circular pool, her quiet face turned down towards the water that sparkled of its own accord. Overhead, the sun was already setting, its light barely gracing the sky as it rested its chin on the horizon. She dipped a hand into the water, gaining a lifted eyebrow from a man dressed in deep blue robes nearby. He turned away, his attention on the stars overhead that glistened faintly through the turbulent colors of the sunset. Catarin gasped suddenly, a pain wracking her mind and sending her to her knees in a bout of dizziness. The pain came again, stronger than before as it thrust against her temples agonizingly. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her will on the pain, seeking out what had caused it and why. Her breath slowed beneath the waves of nausea that threatened to cause her to lose the contents of her stomach. A flash of light burned through her mind, the vision of a man lying dead on a large branch. Another flash came, consecutive to the last with the face of the man contorted in breathless suffering. Her mind filled with horror at the suffering the man had endured, enough that it caused his eyes to look as if they had seen something too horrible for him to have explained if he were alive. She steadied herself by placing a hand on the lip of the pool next to her, gaining a worried look from the man nearby.
"Are you all right, paladin?" came his question, his wizened brow furrowed with concern. She nodded and slowly got to her feet, keeping a hand on the lip of the pool to keep herself from falling again.
"I believe so," she replied quietly, looking up to see Metea rushing to her from the northern street that bordered the outcropping circle of water. She waved her away and smiled, but Catarin knew that she could not fool her daughter.
"What happened? I recieved word from my angel that you were in pain...," Metea said, reaching out a hand and placing it against Catarin's forehead. Behind her, an angel hovered with a look of benign peace etched across his face. She smiled to the angel, quietly thanking it for its foresight and looked to Metea.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she whispered hoarsely, but a small band of paladins quickly changed her mind. They all looked at the Pool of Stars as if dumb struck. Catarin knew that look, a feeling of pressing need that struck at any New Celestian who was within distance of the Pool of Stars. A shriek of need struck through the air from a disembodied voice, and with it, the entire area about the Pool of Stars was empty as the need was answered. Sitting atop of a nearby roof, a silver cat watched and waited for the next events to unfold, its tail swishing back and forth anxiously. Night was soon to set, and with it, the memories that would come to haunt the shadows and the stars that would announce their coming.
Down below, a large barghest watched Druken slumber, its intelligent eyes seeming to consider him quietly. It looked behind it to catch the attentive stare of a silver cat sitting placidly beneath a ravenwood tree, its pale blue eyes staring off into the horizon. The cat turned its attention to the barghest, its tailing swishing back and forth tempermentally. A moment of silence strung hung over the two creatures, their preternatural eyes regarding one another in a war of stares. Turning its head away, the bargest shifted to a crouch, its black fur blending in with the shadows that danced across the ground. It caught sight of Druken up in the nearby tree and, in a blur of movement, its large fangs tore into the throat of the sleeping mortal. His eyes shot open as he flailed against the barghest's muscular body, his screams of agony and surprise lost to the blood that flowed into his lungs. The barghest stood still, not moving as Druken fought for his life. Slowly, he lost consciousness, his eyes rolling up into the back of their sockets. With one final staggering breath, his face went pale and his body went limp.
Below, the silver cat watched the battle with a sparkle in its pale eyes. Its tail gave one last swish before it rose from where it sat and bounded away into the forest. Night came swiftly after the sun placed itself below the horizon, marked only by an effeminate chuckle that rang along the leaves and canopy, along with the mournful baying of a barghest against the moonless darkness that overtook the Glomdoring Forest in an eternal battle for dominance and power.
------
Catarin stood at the brink of a circular pool, her quiet face turned down towards the water that sparkled of its own accord. Overhead, the sun was already setting, its light barely gracing the sky as it rested its chin on the horizon. She dipped a hand into the water, gaining a lifted eyebrow from a man dressed in deep blue robes nearby. He turned away, his attention on the stars overhead that glistened faintly through the turbulent colors of the sunset. Catarin gasped suddenly, a pain wracking her mind and sending her to her knees in a bout of dizziness. The pain came again, stronger than before as it thrust against her temples agonizingly. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her will on the pain, seeking out what had caused it and why. Her breath slowed beneath the waves of nausea that threatened to cause her to lose the contents of her stomach. A flash of light burned through her mind, the vision of a man lying dead on a large branch. Another flash came, consecutive to the last with the face of the man contorted in breathless suffering. Her mind filled with horror at the suffering the man had endured, enough that it caused his eyes to look as if they had seen something too horrible for him to have explained if he were alive. She steadied herself by placing a hand on the lip of the pool next to her, gaining a worried look from the man nearby.
"Are you all right, paladin?" came his question, his wizened brow furrowed with concern. She nodded and slowly got to her feet, keeping a hand on the lip of the pool to keep herself from falling again.
"I believe so," she replied quietly, looking up to see Metea rushing to her from the northern street that bordered the outcropping circle of water. She waved her away and smiled, but Catarin knew that she could not fool her daughter.
"What happened? I recieved word from my angel that you were in pain...," Metea said, reaching out a hand and placing it against Catarin's forehead. Behind her, an angel hovered with a look of benign peace etched across his face. She smiled to the angel, quietly thanking it for its foresight and looked to Metea.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she whispered hoarsely, but a small band of paladins quickly changed her mind. They all looked at the Pool of Stars as if dumb struck. Catarin knew that look, a feeling of pressing need that struck at any New Celestian who was within distance of the Pool of Stars. A shriek of need struck through the air from a disembodied voice, and with it, the entire area about the Pool of Stars was empty as the need was answered. Sitting atop of a nearby roof, a silver cat watched and waited for the next events to unfold, its tail swishing back and forth anxiously. Night was soon to set, and with it, the memories that would come to haunt the shadows and the stars that would announce their coming.
Unknown2007-07-02 23:22:31
Updated with the addition of Meleris and Metea to the story.
