| World's Edge Moon Advocate |
| Mare :: Equine :: 16.2 :: 15 Buff: NOVICE |
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Kali :: Common Griffin :: Draining Clutch
Charks |
Kali rode upon my nape like a swan, queen of her ship and all she could see. Her excited chattering was relentless, a mixture of feline and avian sounds only marginally tolerable in their high pitched nature. I had decided she was due for her first real outing, and thought, perhaps, that she should like to see the great fire. She responded positively to this suggestion, screeching excitedly at the image of explosive flames and scrambling onto my back enthusiastically, gripping my tail with long talons and clambering onto her favorite perch. She was still too young to do much more than glide, but her long pale wings were coming in nicely beneath the downy, baby fluff she still bore.
When we arrived in the Heart she let out a cry of excitement, leaping awkwardly off of my onyx barrel, luckily landing on her feet. "Be careful!" I called to her as she wandered away to inspect a pile of gemstones, sitting on her haunches and examining them with a critical eye. I had long since given up on keeping her under any sort of control, and only hoped she would not stumble into the fire. The heat was unbearable, even at night, but the shadows cast by flickering light were well worth the expedition... and Kali's exuberance did not hurt. I glanced around, suddenly realizing that I had lost sight of the small white gryphon. "Kali!" slashing at my hocks with silky whiplocks. Her screeching answered me, and with an amused snort I set off in her direction, venturing lazily through the sparse grass.
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| Helovian Ancient |
| Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17 hh :: Ageless |
| Admin |
I'll never see any side of heaven
I'll walk for miles through a blazin' hell
|
The grass began smolder, dark smoke rising into the air some ways behind the dark mare and her griffin compaion. The smoldering turned to flames, which quickly spread in both directions, circling to create a ring that trapped the mare. The flames leapt high into the air, preventing her from jumping over them. Her only escape would be to run through them and suffer the burns that would come with such foolish actions.
"Rishima ... Pupil of the Moon." The Sun God spoke, his voice thick with contempt. "Member if the Qian. Sister of WeyrLeader Mirage and Foothills warriors Madyrn Maskan." He stepped forth from the flames, the grass at his hooves turning to ash. "Bonded of the white griffin Kali." A sinister smile creased his lips as he looked at her.
"Soon to be the late Rishima." The Sun God spread his wings and the flames surrounded them grew brighter, the heat more intense. His wings closed again and the circle of fire began to close around them, leaving behind a trail of smoldering ash.
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| Deceased |
| Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 16 |
| Whit |
No one picks on our sister,"
"But us!"
The brothers were raging. How dare this Sun freak touch their sister with his flames, how dare he intend to hurt her, kill her. This was an offence worthy of the darkest revenges.
Snorts caught in their throats as lungs filled with choking air, hooves drumming a heavy rhythm into the loam below. They moved like a mist, their gift from the Earth God shrouding their forms, buffeting them from the heat. They knew that it would not last against direct flames - but they would be damned if their sister would die today.
Screams echoed from their barrels, they charged through the flames, blind, angry, desperate. Only the determination to save her, and her little Kali, kept them on track.
Above, a spark of gold fluttered, and it too, screeched. Akaith, watched as the siblings of her bonded struggled, and she did the only thing she could do, and gave them directions from above, grappling for their minds' focus, pulling them through the choking smoke, and ash, and fire.
The brothers managed to wedge their sister firmly between them, each one shifting their cloaks so that the misty folds damply settled upon Rishima. They would only have one shot at this, they knew, the heat was too great, the Sun God's power too out of control.
"We have to charge!"
"We're in this together!"
They surged forth, and hoped like hell the blanket would not evaporate before they were able to reach the other side.
The scent of burning flesh, suggested otherwise, however.
A dragon wailed above.
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| World's Edge Moon Advocate |
| Mare :: Equine :: 16.2 :: 15 Buff: NOVICE |
|
Kali :: Common Griffin :: Draining Clutch
Charks |
08-17-2012, 04:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-17-2012, 04:06 AM by Rishima.)
And suddenly, there is fire.
My first response is to grab Kali, even as she screams and races towards me, quickly as her little feet will carry her. Abruptly I snatch her up, teeth clenching gently around her tiny figure as she claws at my nose, drawing blood in her desperation to escape the encroaching flames. I do not notice, though. The fire is spreading fast, turning and drawing towards us like a great demon, supernatural and malicious. It reflects in my gaze as I desperately seek a way out, ears torn back, nostrils crinkling against the stench of smoke. There is a gap in the flame as it arches, and my mind works frantically. In a matter of moments I am ready to dive for it... but it is too late. The opportunity vanishes, and is replaced by something far worse.
His words are like daggers against my sides, each one puncturing another wound of furious anger and cold hate. How dare he. How dare he speak with such contempt, treat me like a traitor simply because of my alliances? How dare he bring Kali into this? How dare he smile so viciously? Kali senses my rage and begins to flail, tearing her wings free from my grip and slapping me in the face in her attempt to reach the god. I clench my jaw more tightly, in hopes of getting her to stop her wild actions; fortunately she obeys the silent command, stilling her body but not stopping in her furious screeching at the vengeful god. But my companion's rage is not enough to save us.
He beats his wings and the flames grow brighter, the ring suddenly tightening around us. Does he truly mean to kill us? One thing is certain, we cannot stay here... I have to save Kali. With a final, hateful glance at the god of fire, I burst into motion, racing towards the flames. I have to jump. I have to be high enough to keep Kali from touching the fire, no matter how badly it hurts me. And yet I freeze as the flames approach, freeze before the leap, the moment of truth. The heat is so intense, and the fire rises so high...
We won't make it.
Despair. Doubt. Regret. I have failed her, my little Kali.
But wait... what is this?
Salvation.
Through the oppressive smoke they move, the flickers of their forms a fleeting mirage against the burning air. I would recognize them anywhere, the strong masculine forms, and yet right now I am hesitant. I am afraid, afraid to hope that they have come. But come they have, and Kali senses it too, her own joyous cries emerging a second before I sag in relief, crying out as my brothers appear. Unfortunately, the call unsettles Kali, who squirms from my grasp and scrambles over to Madyrn's vibrant legs, screeching excitedly and clawing at his hocks. I follow not close behind, swiftly closing the space between us, slamming against them and exhaling in my relief at their presence. But even as relief swells within me, a new emotion follows and inches in beside it. Fear, fear for them. Guilt. Frustration.
There is no time.
They are already wrapping around me, draping the gift from our Lady over my shoulders. I stoop to grab Kali as they move, and she releases Madyrn's leg to grasp my nose, clambering onto my head and drawing blood with every step. I barely feel the pain, though; and I do not register it at all. Safety is the only importance, getting myself and my brothers away from this deplorable god. The cool misty folds of the Goddess' cloak is a fierce relief against the agony of the approaching fire. I can feel my brothers closing in about me, their strong and solid forms carrying me forward. The smoke is murderous, and I can scarcely see. It burns.
Everything burns.
The cloak does not reach my hocks, cannot cover the frogs of my hooves, and they are the first to sear. The scent of burnt hair coils around us, and I can feel the flames licking at my dock, my knees, my belly. Our gait is awkward, our run uncomfortable and slow. The flames feel vivid and sharp, but it does not hurt, and adrenaline is rushing too fast for me to note it. What I do note, what I realize three seconds into our run, is the evaporation of the cloak upon my back, the approach of the fire. Kali. From her unsteady perch, she screams, her eyes locked on Akaith far above, desperate for salvation. I cannot let her be hurt.
It is with this thought that we emerge from the flames, my brothers and I, just as the cloak completely leaves my back. Kali tumbles from my crown, shaking and crying. Acrid smoke curls into my eyes and lungs and burns. There is nothing worse; the inability to breathe, the searing agony of torn vocals, the blindness that threatens to overpower me. As I emerge from the flames, I am broken; it is only adrenaline that keeps me moving, hooves thundering until abruptly they stop. Madyrn. Maskan. I turn to them, wincing against the agonized pain in my hocks, and scream hoarsely. There is a desperate laughter in my voice, a furious affection as I address the twins. "You fucking morons! If you hurt yourselves, I'll kill you!" Exhaustion is settling in, and I find myself suddenly shaking. My legs are burned; my stomach is burned; my tail is burned. Kali chirps in concern, pawing gently at my leg; I drop onto one knee, toppling, willing myself to remain upright. We are not safe yet.
But my brothers are here, my protectors, my twins. And Akaith flies above, a beacon of Mirage, a hopeful guide. Perhaps we will be safe. Perhaps.
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| Helovian Ancient |
| Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17 hh :: Ageless |
| Admin |
I'll never see any side of heaven
I'll walk for miles through a blazin' hell
|
The Sun God knew that the brothers were coming before Rishima had even set eyes on them. It was expected, to say the least. The two brothers were so protective over their worthless sisters, but then again the brothers were worthless as well. Worthless, pathetic, sniveling moon followers. His anger began to spike once more and the flames grew in intensity. Soon the brothers were at their sister's side, wrapping some sort of cloak over her, a gift from his stupid siblings, no doubt.
As the leap from the flames the Sun God spread his wings, dousing the fire. His liquid gold eyes burned with anger as he watched the three moon followers. Without warning he beat his wings in their direction, sending a wall of flames at the equines to sear them, brand them with his mark. Moon followers they may be, but they will forever carry the mark of the Sun God.
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| World's Edge Skilled Protector |
| Stallion :: Hybrid :: 19 hh :: 9 years Buff: NOVICE |
| Kachie |
Safe indeed. The scent of freshly burning grass had drawn the attention of the hybrid, brought him flying closer to the Heart in time to watch the scene unfold before and below him. Anger slowly built, surging higher as he saw the fire closing in upon Rishima, witnessed the brave rescue performed by her brothers, heard the cries of pain and fear. His wingbeats quickened, even before the circle of fire died down as if it had not been there before.
He dove, pushing the limits of his body's endurance, a roar ripping from him. It was no stallion's bellow, but a sound purely draconic. A sound of rage and challenge, heralding his plummet before he slammed to the ground between the Sun God and the siblings of his lover. Just in time, for the deity's wings beat the air again, spawning a wall of flames. Fire surged forth to combat fire.
Heat roiled in his belly as his maw parted and fire reached out to meet its maker. It began slender, but belled out mere inches from his nose into an expanding ball that quickly seemed a wall in its own right. Dwarfed by the wall of fire that the God produced, but prolonged by the breath of a dragon, even if this one was only half. Hot air scorched his lungs as he drew breaths in with his nostrils and expelled fire in its face, never hesitating. His eyes were narrowed against the heat and the light, but he watched as his fire caught up the fire that would have barrelled down upon those behind him. His wings were tilted back, away from the heat, but ached still from the strain of his violent descent and the fire that escaped to either side of his own flame.
His flame, which he maintained only until he was certain the God's fire would not overrun his position and burn himself, Rishima, and her brothers. "Run!" He bellowed, half over his shoulder, as he reared in defiance before the Sun God. Vikram towered over the deity, even standing on all four hooves, and was not afraid to defy the one who'd given him his fire, not when he endangered his family. Yes, they were his family now too, whether they liked it or not. And he would buy them time, at the cost of his own hide if necessary.
| Deceased |
| Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 16 |
| Whit |
They ran. The smoke was thick, only barely dampened by the misty cloak that hung from their manes. It was strong enough to repel the burns that would have otherwise eventuated, at least for the most part. The socks that decorated their legs singed away, the ends of the tails shortening as the flames licked at their hides. They ran, faster and harder still.
The followed the golden dragon, a beacon, a sign of hope from above. Though she appeared much like a flame herself, her form did not leave a trail of smoke and ash behind it, they were able to identify her, find comfort in her, use her as a guide to their salvation.
Rishima twirls at them then, the fire evidently not their only enemy, as she scorns them for their behaviour. Good humouredly they grin at her, stepping nearer to their moonbeam of a sister with concern upon their masks as she bends to one knee.
But the danger had not passed, the Sun God feeling it necessary to spread his wings again, and send a wall of flame directly for them. A great rumbling earthquake seems to sound all around them, they recognise the draconic qualities of it - eyes skywards, they see the great hulk of Vikram, Akaith's voice joining in with his own, her golden form seem fling alongside his.
Run. They had to run again. The brothers shook their napes hopelessly in a effort to resurrect what few shreds might be left of their cloak, both of them then bending down to lift Rishima by the crest of her nape, willing her to stand but dragging her along if she could not.
Pain lashes their rumps, they knew not what mark they might bear after this, just another assorted scar to match their already sliced and diced hides. It spurs them onwards, away, out of reach.
Akaith flies with Vikram, sending her mind to him, relishing in the strength of the dragon that has risen up within him. From behind them, she can hear the brothers call out to herself and the bronze, urging them to come away from this crazed God; and while anger does will her to attack, she also thinks of her bonded.
Draw back, Vikram. Run with us. The voice mimicked Mirage's, and it was gentle, but firm in its command, able to be heard even over the cacophony of the chaos all around them.
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| World's Edge Moon Advocate |
| Mare :: Equine :: 16.2 :: 15 Buff: NOVICE |
|
Kali :: Common Griffin :: Draining Clutch
Charks |
09-01-2012, 01:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-01-2012, 04:42 PM by Rishima.)
The exquisite fury of the sun god's wrath was not to be quelled so easily, it would seem, and even as I shook from exhaustion and shock, the sudden wave of heat that sprung up behind me forced me to stumble onto burned feet. It would seem that we will suffer no salvation, no respite from the cruel solar fire that raged behind and threatened to consume us all. Only in the harsh wingbeats that beat against the back of my mind was there any semblance of intended rescue, the second pair that had come to supplement Akaith's own; Vikram's arrival could not have been better time, but that did not stop me from wishing that he had not come. This was not his fight, and I would be damned if I saw another hurt on my behalf.
Kali snarls, a feline noise that holds surprising ferocity; Madyrn and Maskan tug urgently at my withers and mane, wedging me between them once more in a desperate attempt to save what remains of our hair from the Sun's bad day. I will have none of this, though. Stubbornly I slam my hooves against the ground, wincing at the agony of seared frogs on rocky earth. "We can't leave them," I snap at my brothers, blind to the danger I am putting myself in, desperation in my voice. The ground is slipping away as my larger, stronger brothers drag me across the terrain, and I know that this battle is one I cannot win. I turn back to gaze at Vikram and Akaith, awed by the firefight raging behind us - "You can't last! Run!" before finally, ultimately, giving in.
But the fire has not given up.
It sears my hide even as I flee it, waves of flame licking at our rumps, the unguent smell of burnt hair and searing flesh whipping my nostrils. Kali is a bright flicker before us, jumping and gliding to escape the heat, small pale figure stumbling over rocks and leaping past gemstone. I urge her on with my mind, willing her to escape better than we have; she, in turn, is crying for Akaith, for me, for some respite against this harsh world.
[ bluh ]
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| Helovian Ancient |
| Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17 hh :: Ageless |
| Admin |
I'll never see any side of heaven
I'll walk for miles through a blazin' hell
|
It never ceased to annoy the Sun God how the puny little mortals thought they could stand up to him and not be injured. Perhaps they thought they could strike fear into his heart. He had news for them. He was not scared of them. He never would be scared of them. He snorted in annoyance as the dragon stallion slammed down on the ground before him and breathed fire. "I am the God of the Sun you dragon half-wit." He hissed. "You think your puny little fire can hurt me? I AM FIRE!" He bellowed.
The God opened his mouth and breathed out a plume of fire into the face of the dragon. He would be wise to move, to turn and run but he knew the dragon didn't have that much sense. If he didn't move not only would his face be scorched, but his neck, chest, and shoulders as well. The God's tail lashed through the air, the strands of it catching in the grass behind him and igniting it. The fire moved rapidly through the grass toward Vikram.
Run dragon.
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| World's Edge Skilled Protector |
| Stallion :: Hybrid :: 19 hh :: 9 years Buff: NOVICE |
| Kachie |
A snorting laugh escaped Vikram at the God's evident rising displeasure. "I only seek to buy time for my family. Something you seem to not understand." Was his only retort, given in even, rumbling tones. His hooves met the scorched grass even as the Sun God's voice built in volume, muscles tensing in preparation for what was undoubtedly soon to follow.
His expectations were proven correct when the God's mouth parted as his own had done just moments before. Knowing what was going to happen, he dove to his left, spitting a last defiant plume of flame back. But he couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Probably would never have been able to get out of the way, not entirely.
It was luck that had his wings still up when that plume of fire reached. Luck that the God's aim, his head, had been held so slow during his own fire-breathing. Was held so low in his prepared stance. The fire razed along his right side from shoulder to flank before loosing oomph. An outraged and pained squeal broke from the hybrid's maw, so atypical of his usual range of sounds. But he fled, thundering after his mate's siblings though every other step brought searing agony. Even moving his wings to a more accommodating position for running was an exercise in pain, but less so than having the wind of his passage tug on his wings and thus even more burnt flesh. He gritted his teeth against the pain, hearing the crackle of fire behind, eating up the grass. Now was definitely NOT a time to stop.
| Deceased |
| Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 16 |
| Whit |
Pain.
It consumed them.
They ran. They had to. There was no choice in the matter. The fire, the pain, it was still chasing them. Tails were singed, burnt hair caused their nostrils to pinch shut in discomfort and disgust.
Even as their ragged voices shouted to Vikram, they kept on running, pushing their little sister ahead of them, refusing to stop. The great dragon hybrid's cry did nothing to hinder their speed; they could hear him coming too. They only imagine how burned he would have been had half of his bodice not been covered by impenetrable scales. Surely he would not be standing, or running with them now.
Akaith even felt the immense heat, as she tried to pull the equines away from the fray with her mental tugs. The borders of the Heart were near them now, she could see the Thistle Meadow beyond, and even from her great height in the sky, the Endless Blue. She would keep pulling them onwards until they made it.
Run.
With every stride, skin crackled off, flaked, and fell to the ground.
Run.
With every agonising step, blood dribbled down charred legs.
Run!
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