[P] shut up and walk, Cathun! - Printable Version +- HELOVIA || The Way to the Sun (http://helovia.com) +-- Forum: Out of Character (http://helovia.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1) +--- Forum: Archives (http://helovia.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=11) +---- Forum: Veins of the Gods Archive (http://helovia.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=49) +---- Thread: [P] shut up and walk, Cathun! (/showthread.php?tid=21648) |
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shut up and walk, Cathun! - Ranjiri - 11-22-2015 I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes on the walk from the Throat to the Veins because Cathun was adamant as he always was about not going to the gods for anything. Honestly, if he thought I was just going to stand by and let his necklace keep breaking and set him that much closer to death he was completely delusional. I had told him when I'd met him in the Veins the first time that I would help him and I intended to keep my word to him. I just had to deal with his totally sour attitude because the only way we could help him was by going to the gods. "Shut up and keep walking, Cathun." I called back to my friend was was probably glaring daggers at me, but I didn't care. We'd just see if he was still glaring daggers after I helped save is sorry butt because I was confident that the gods would be able to help in some way. I was probably a little more confident because I had helped them in their fight to save Helovia from those nasty rift gods and they'd recognized me twice because of it. I had hope that they would think well enough of me to help me save my friend. "We're almost there, Cathun!." And I couldn't keep walking slow anymore. I ran the rest of the way up the path and stopped only when the four shrines stood in front of me. I had wondered over which god to ask for, which one would be the most helpful, which would be the most understanding, but in the end I didn't know. The Sun God was the patron of my herd, but the Earth God was my brother's father. I had protected the Moon Goddess from my brother's attack, and ... I really didn't know anything about the Time God other than he was Ros' father. While I waited for Cathun to join me I moved from one shrine to the other placing a small flower that I'd tucked into my wing on each one. A yellow one for the Sun God, a blue on for Earth, purple for the goddess, and a white one for the Time God. Then I stepped back and waited for one of them to arrive so I could ask them for help. ooc:// using my VOTG pass for one of the gods, doesn't matter which one. Chan and I had talked a little bit about Cathun's curse and the necklace that keeps it at bay. Jiji is basically looking for a way to fix the necklace since the more it breaks the closer Cathun gets to being a fire demon and dying. We had kinda talked a little bit about how cool it would be if the gods linked Jiji and Cathun's life forces as a way to help control the curse and how if one of them died the other would take on the full responsibility of the curse. Of course, this doesn't have to happen we just thought it would be cool. Long story short, looking for a way to fix Cathun's necklace. "." you won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly @Cathun @Mythical Request RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Cathun - 11-24-2015 Slå mig hårt i ansiktet så får jag känna att jag lever
Truth be told, there wasn't half as much fervor to his objections as he made it sound. True, he was reluctant, and he did indeed still loathe the idea of bowing his head to a god, but time had worked its magic on the young stallion. In many ways he had grown over the course of the summer; not only bodily, though that too was part of it, but mentally too. He'd spent his days roaming the desert landscape of the Throat in the merciless heat of the Tallsun, mulling over the words and ideas Ampere and Ranjiri so lovingly had shoved down his throat. The concept of family beyond the shackles of blood, of living for the sake of none but himself, of being wanted - all were difficult for him to swallow. He could understand them in his head, of course, but to actually feel it and dare believe in it was a completely different matter. If left to his own devices Cathun probably wouldn't have actually done anything, even despite the new perspectives that had begun to open up within his - admittedly thick - head. But Ranjiri had kept an eye on him, it seemed, and when the bright days began to loose some of their heat and the cantering winds brought along a suggestion of change and looming storm clouds she came to find him. Much to his own surprise, the fire-eyed stag caved to her persistent nagging, and though his protests were vehement and the glares stubborn his heart remained filled with a certain mild apprehension, a sensation of pleasant surprise that nearly bordered on amusement. She had promised - or rather threatened - to go to the gods herself if he didn't do it, and it seemed she was a mare of her word. As she seemed perfectly capable of dragging him bodily to the Veins, Cathun reluctantly opted to walk on his own accord; curious, intrigued by this determination to save a life he had long since judged worthless, and against his own will interested in seeing these Gods of Helovia up close. Those of faith kept persisting with the idea that they weren't all bad - but Cathun remained skeptic, unable to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. And so, since he had nothing else to do and felt a certain need to keep up appearances, he singed the air around him with curses and whines and general nagging as they made the journey west, trailing the rocky coast from their arid home towards the black, blue-veined land of the Gods. The closer to the volcanic lands they came, the quieter he became, and Ranjiri's excitement was met with nothing but a rough grunt that expressed only too clearly what he thought of this idea. With a sour expression and the black ears tucked back into the two-toned mane he watched as Ranjiri placed flowers before the toppled shrines, his thick flame-wreathed tail snapping against the hocks in a silent display of displeasure. "Whatever happens, this was your idea" he muttered gruffly as he settled in beside her. "Just so we're clear." With heartfelt reluctance he turned his gaze to the shrines and waited, unease crawling through the gut as moments dragged by. What would happen now? Would anyone come? Perhaps it would all be better if the black rocks before them remained shattered and empty, that they kept standing there alone with only the wind and the crashing sea for company. Better for him, and for her too. ooc: I'd say the main thing is to keep him alive. Either by teaching him how to mend the necklace, or as Ali said, by tying their life forces somehow. I like both ideas and I'm willing to use a magic slot to make it happen, so feel free to choose which idea you find more interesting and surprise us. ^^ :: [ Magic: Fire (P) | Body is made entirely from fire ] :: [ Restrictions | Will consume his life-force in a year if not sealed away; the seal will make him appear as a normal horse, but when weak fire will leak through his frame ] :: [ Item: Necklace of stealing | Gold necklace with three magatama beads that seal the effects of his passive magic. ] :: [ Restrictions | Each bead will last for 3 seasons before breaking, weakening further if exposed to magic. ] RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - God of the Spark - 11-28-2015
RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Ranjiri - 11-28-2015 I didn't really have much time to respond to Cathun telling me that whatever happened, this was my idea. I just rolled my eyes and as I did so I heard the voice... "Why white?" I don't know what I expected, but it certainly was a more grand entrance since we were there seeking a god. Still, I couldn't be totally disappointed because he could have chosen not to show up at all and I would have had to figure out what else to do to help Cathun while I kept telling him that the Gods were just busy. I looked down at the white flower that I had placed on the Time God's (Roskuld's Pa's) shrine. "White is clean and bright." I answered, decidedly. "Too much of it is blinding and powerful, like your magic." It made sense to me, so a god, a being of higher intelligence had to understand, right? Right. "Is it because I'm old." I wasn't sure what to say and I stupidly tilted my head as I tried to formulate an answer that wouldn't offend the god I wanted to ask a favor of because saying 'Yes, you're super old.' would probably be offensive. "You mean you're not timeless?" I finally asked, but I was genuinely curious if the flow of time affected the gods in the same way it did mortals. Did they eventually grow old and feeble and die? Did other gods replace them? Countless other questions entered my mind and disappeared just as quickly when the god said that he was only joking. "I'm trying to save my friend." I answered when he finally why we were there. My head turned and I looked at Cathun, who I assumed was less than thrilled that a god had answered us. "The beads on his necklace keep breaking and as they break he turns more into fire. If it doesn't stay contained it'll end up killing him." I turned my head back to the Time God and I hoped that the determination I felt was reflected in my eyes as I gazed at him. "I promised him that I would help him and I'm here to keep that promise." "." ooc:// I kept having to edit because I kept writing Time Lord instead of Time God you won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Cathun - 11-28-2015 She rolled her eyes and he snorted, mingled irritation and amusement erupting in a shower of sparks from the nostrils. Like his ire they danced upon the drifting winds for a while, winking and glowing like misplaced stars before, slowly, fading out of existence. The ashes that gathered on the ground were light, empty of content, soon devoured by the warm black rock beneath his feet, gone as though it had never even been there; just like him, should Rajiri's request go unanswered. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful to her for doing this. Because he was, in his own grudging, embarrassed kind of way. She went out of her way to help someone who had started off the acquaintance by yelling at her, and for that he would always admire and respect her. Ranjiri was noble and kind in a way he would never be able to mimic, more selfless than his nature could even allow him to be. Next to her radiant bonfire of calm, peaceful strength his own flashing pride and fierce independence appeared hollow and empty, as fleeting and useful as fireworks in the night. A firebrand to her sun... and yet she had chosen him to save, to bully, to care for. Beneath all his glowering and indignant huffing sat a lost, confused child that stared in awestruck wonder at this miracle of a girl, tangled emotions of embarrassment, hope, fear and guilt for dragging her into his own private hell leaving him so confused that anger became the easy way out. Suddenly he could understand Ampere's need to shout at people, because it seemed so much easier than trying to convey exactly what he was feeling. As long as he kept arguing with everything Rajiri said, as long as he kicked and bucked against every suggestion she made, he wouldn't have to admit how much she and her stubborn kindness had come to mean to him. So when she rolled her eyes he snorted, but as soon as crackling and zapping alerted them to the appearance of the Time Lord and her attention turned towards the god, his gaze softened and lingered on her gilt frame for a fraction of a moment longer than was strictly necessary. When Cathun's attention turned to the sparking deity however, all trace of softness bled from him and turned his steely hued body rigid, stiff. Suspicion carved lines around the eyes as black rimmed ears tipped backwards, and as he felt the immense, heavy presence that always seemed to announce the presence of a higher being, Lace's son leaned away from it. The sole, remaining magatama in his necklace hummed and vibrated as it sensed the energies of the god, the weak seal straining to withstand the pressure from both within and without. The glow around the comma shaped bead had weakened more and more these past days, announcing the forthcoming end of its lifespan; now it started to flicker, glowing once brighter, once not at all as though undecided on whether it would break now or later. Ranjiri responded to the Time God's questions, easily as though she conversed with gods every day, but Cathun stood quiet and resentful, unwilling to say anything at all unless he really had to. This was her idea, her mission, her fucking debt to pay and he wanted nothing to do with it, or with the god, or with this whole fucking place... But. He did want to live. So he would go along with it, at least for now. Humor the girl who tried so fucking hard to make him open up and come out of his shell... and wait, ready to run or die at a moments notice, sacrifice the one treasure he loved and loathed rather than let anything happen to her. Even if he'd end up having to defy a god. @Mythical Request RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - God of the Spark - 12-11-2015
RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Ranjiri - 12-15-2015 I guessed that he had a point that things that existed forever could still be old, but he definitely didn't look like he was as old as the rocks beneath my hooves. "I heard someone say one time that you're only as old as you feel." I said and I smiled at the God. "When you were fighting that bear that came through the portal you certainly didn't move or fight like you feel old." I wondered for a second if it would help the chances of him helping me help Cathun if he knew that I'd been there and I'd fought on his side, but I decided against saying anything. I didn't want to bribe a god into helping me. Either he helped or he didn't. He gave little away in the way he said uh huh after I explained what I wanted help with and that I had promised Cathun that I would help. Shortly after his focus went to Cathun and I had to suppress the groan that bubbled in my chest because I knew Cathun didn't want to be here. I figured he would make that much known to the Time God and if he did I suspected that he would turn us away, regardless of the promise that I'd made. So I turned and tried to catch his eyes with my own and give him a look that begged him not to offend the Time God. If he was observant he would see it. If he were as smart as I thought he was he would know what the look meant. We're running out of time, please don't sabotage this. But as I stood there and looked at Cathun I wanted to stand up and defend him from the Time God's questioning, to explain to him what the gods from Cathun's home had done. I wanted to tell him that it was my idea to come here and that I had to drag him with me. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself quiet. I had to tell myself that Cathun had to stand on his own against the God's questioning and prove that he wanted to be saved. I had to hope that he wouldn't say something stupid and utterly Cathun and condemn himself to death. "." you won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly @Cathun RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Cathun - 12-25-2015 The exchange between the god and the girl could have gone on forever and he would have been happy to remain on the sidelines, just listening. Ignored. But like with everything, good times didn't last. Before long the swirl-patterned deity turned his eyes on Cathun, and though he would rather implode then and there than to meet that horrifying, knowing stare, the leopard too turned his head and looked back, expression direct and decidedly resentful. "I have nothing to say to you about it" he said flatly, ears remaining tucked against the poll despite the force of the god's attention. It felt as though he'd ended up on the bottom of a raging river, with the raging torrents kept pushing and shoving against him, threatening to push him off balance, out of his mind, offered to sweep him off to noplace and everwhere - wherever gods came from. "I've already told her it's stupid to place yourself in debt for the sake of someone else, especially to someone capable of making the price nasty and impossible to pay." Flickering flames danced within blazing orbs as the young stallion stole another glance at the gold-touched girl - and again his expression softened for a fraction of a second, melted like wax before a great furnace. He might be a son of flame, but she possessed a spark warmer and brighter than anything he'd ever been able to produce. "I've told her not to do this, but Ranjiri has made up her mind. Nothing I say can stop her, so I guess it's up to you to decide whether she's being noble or foolish." Returning his focus on the lord of Time, the equine shrugged with his lips drawn into a taught, distrustful smirk. As though the small, barely perceptible shift of stance was the final straw that made the carriage topple, a faint crack could be heard from the necklace, like a hoof crashing through new ice - and in a great roar the tall stallion caught fire. He flinched, for the first time since the god appeared, and looked down upon the charm around his neck. The final seal had broken, all three beads hung red and dead from golden chains - and Cathun, son of the Silverthorn, had one year left to live. He grimaced and sidestepped away from Ranjiri so that the red-hot sparks that sprayed from his body wouldn't land upon her sleek velvet hide. "Help us, or don't. Your call." @Mythical Request RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - God of the Spark - 01-02-2016
RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Ranjiri - 01-20-2016 Was it so wrong of me to hope that for once Cathun wouldn't act like a total jackass? I had hoped that he would at least fake some level of politeness, but his mouth had no filter whatsoever. I spared a glance at the God, who looked utterly unimpressed. "Not all gods are the same, Cathun." I said. "Just because the gods from your home did that to you doesn't mean that Helovia's gods would do the same..." But as I said the words I could see, in my mind, the way my brother had been murdered by Gaucho when he was under the influence of the Moon Goddess. It caused a lump to form in my throat and I couldn't seem to force it away. I looked away as the Time god began to speak and I watched him and listened as he addressed what Cathun had said about the payment for his help. To me, when it came to saving someone I cared about, no payment was too steep. "The cost doesn't matter." I finally found my voice again and spoke. "Cathun... when you care about someone it doesn't matter..." And I supposed that was why my brother died, because he cared about everyone. His life wasn't too steep of a price to keep everyone else alive. His example was one that everyone in Helovia could benefit from. "This is a transaction, simple as that. You don't want my services? That's fine with me." My mouth went dry and I stared, wide-eyed, at the God. It was only the sound of cracking and the sudden burst of flames that had me flinching and looking at Cathun. I stepped forward as he side-stepped away and I had to force myself to stand still. I heard the God's voice, how we would both have to be involved and I frowned. "Stop being so stupid, Cathun!" There was a touch of panic in my voice as I stared at him. "Do you really want to die? Is your ego and your hurt pride really worth more than your life?" "." you won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly @Cathun RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Cathun - 01-20-2016 They ganged up on him, but it was to Ranjiri he turned, finding it a hundred times easier to answer her than to look the god in the eye. Cathun seemed to swell where he stood, the brightness of the flames that shaped him intensifying until his own shadow was swallowed up by it, not quite bright enough to rival the sun in the sky but pretty darn close. "It matters" he said, with a voice that snapped and crackled with intensity. "It matters because I don't want to see you waste your life to save a no good loser like me. Even if something can be done to fix this" he made a shrug to indicate himself and then shot a doubtful glance at the Time God, "it's not worth it if you end up in a similar position. I know what it's like to pay for someone else's sins and I don't wish it on anyone else." He gritted his teeth and sucked in a deep breath with a sound like a bellow breathing life to a smith's furnace, his heated gaze returning again to the god before them with an expression that suggested he was about to make some kind of sacrifice. "It's not like I want to die" he said grudgingly. "I want to live, of course I do, but not at just any price. There are things worse than dying... You call this a bargain. Say I'd be willing to pay, what kind of deal are we talking about here?" Not for a second would he actually trust this so called god. To Cathun every immortal was the same, selfish and greedy with no interest in anyone but themselves. Maybe time did that to you, or the weight of all that power did funny things with their brains, he wouldn't know. But since his friend was so insistent... well, he was already done for. He supposed it couldn't hurt to listen. He could always walk away - or more like, drag Ranjiri's ass away before she agreed on something she would end up regretting. Because one thing was damned straight - he would not let her sacrifice herself for him. He'd sooner jump into the sea and end it then and there.
Cathun
a firebrand in the night
@Mythical Request RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - God of the Spark - 01-24-2016
RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Random Event - 09-19-2016 Moving this out of archives. Making an except since we normally don't move dead VOTG threads out, but since Cathun went UFA and was adopted, this is approved. RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Cathun - 09-19-2016 Despite the deadly silence within which Cathun stood, the crackling and hiss of the flames comprising his body increased. Anger roiled through in in caustic waves leaping from his skin. The words spat out from the God's mouth made him want to turn, to leave, to stop this madness from taking place. Patiently testing the floor with his volcanic eyes, Cathun attempts to release a breath from his nostrils but feels choked as the weight of his words sink into what used to be flesh. "...the reason you're burning up from the inside out wasn't to save the girl some trouble. It wasn't to be the hero." He was right, despite everything in his soul wishing it were not true. If he allowed the stubborn hatred of Gods to keep him from seeking aid, Ranjiri's efforts, her kindness, would be wasted on him for little reason. His eyes shoot in her direction, little more than small indentations in the wall of flames that comprises his features. A sigh escapes, barely audible over the seething fires which begin to dull, to calm. He would listen to the asshole, if only for her sake. Two candlelight pyres lift to capture the words of the God, studying them intently but making no outward comments at the insults laced within his instructions. The insufferable bastard really needs to seek a vacation or something, he thinks callously in his mind. Horror fills his body from the tips of his hooves to the length of his spine as Ranjiri is mentioned. "What," slips out of his mouth, incredulous. The fires of his body dance and leap into the air in unison. Hardly a question, more of a pointed accusation. The idea that her life would be held against his own made him feel nauseous, the burning pit of his stomach sinking further and further, spinning all the way down into the earth. "You cannot place her life at risk." The God either does not wish to hear his retort or wishes to continue with his next set of options, just as horrorific, this one guaranteeing her life would be paused for his own. Staring down at the flames leaping up what once were his darkened legs, the blue lava pulsing beneath them. He had to say something before Ranjiri agreed to be locked in a cage of earth or sign him up for this stupid hourglass. Both seemed awful, but one would afford him time. He needed time. He could seek another opportunity to fix his problems without Ranjiri signing contracts with the devil. "I'll go with the first one," his voice is small, like a young colt looking in the face of his parent's after breaking a rule. "I'll talk to others in Helovia and come back when I understand." Little did he know at the time, those words were not an empty promise. ooc -- I went ahead and skipped Ranjiri for this post, ali. Hope that is okay! Figured she would have more to go on with Cathun's answer.
Cathun
a firebrand in the night
@Mythical Request @Ranjiri RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - Ranjiri - 10-18-2016
I shouldn't have found what the God of Time was saying to Cathun amusing, but I did. It wasn't because I agreed, even though I did think that Cathun's ego was far too big. It was more of a 'Oh, so that's where Ros gets it from' kind of amusement. But that amusement quickly turned to bewilderment when he gave us our options. The first one sounded pretty good until he got to the whole ... filling the hourglass with souls, thing. "You mean ... we have to kill things." I said, frowning. I didn't understand why. Why take multiple lives to save one... or two, since I was lumped into the equation. The second option was far more preferable, I could handle being covered in stone for three seasons if it meant that I didn't have to kill anyone and Cathun would be healed permanently. I hoped and I prayed that Cathun would choose the second option, and I had hope that he would when he told the God that he couldn't place my life at risk. But then, in true Cathun fasion, he picked the first one. "What?!." My voice cracked and I spun away from the God to look at Cathun. "You're going to go kill things?" I demanded. "You're linking my life to yours..." Did he understand that? Did he understand that I would die if he didn't fulfill his part of the quest? But I had said that the cost didn't matter, didn't I? So I sighed softly and I nodded my head because there was little else I could do. "How long do we have?" I asked, wondering if there would be a time limit on how long Cathun would have to gather stories and come back. "." you won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly @Cathun @Mythical Request RE: shut up and walk, Cathun! - God of the Spark - 10-22-2016
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