the Rift


[OPEN] Embrace the Devil

d'Artagnan the Nightshade Posts: 364
Aurora Basin General atk: 6 | def: 9 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17hh :: 12 HP: 68.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Aramis :: Common Hellhound :: Hellfire & Superspeed imi
#1

d'Artagnan
the nightshade
</style>

Frostfall. It's prints were everywhere, the snow swirling in the sky, the drifts up sides of trees and the biting wind that now snapped at the bulk of d'Artagnan who scowled into the frozen arches. He'd managed to empty his bag of snow and didn't quite fancy having it filled up again, so he rather stomped off to take cover under the slabs of ice. Aramis was out hunting, though the shade didn't know what exactly his hound would find in the vast expanse of the steppe. Though his trips seemed to be much shorter these days since he'd discovered a new talent that allowed him to travel at ridiculous speeds. d'Artagnan had been astounded when his bonded suddenly disappeared from his sight, according to Aramis, he was simply slipping through time dimensions similar to the Nightshade's own barrier magic. Though d'Artagnan never really understood even his own magic, it just happened upon his will, did he really need to know the ins and outs? It protected him and that was that. There was something far more pressing on his mind than magic though, the mystery of Kou.

Why could he never find her these days? Was he destined to spend his life looking for her? Perhaps that was his punishment for leaving her in the Worlds Edge, for not coming up with a good enough plan to save her, for being a disappointment. Again. No matter how far he climbed in his life, no matter prestigious he became, he could never go that extra yard. Always a disappointment to someone. He had magic, knowledge, victims in the ground and Aramis, if anything, Aramis was saving him everyday. The hound never judged and simply followed, his silent and solid company the Nightshade's biggest relief. Defeating the boggart and claiming the egg that housed his hell dog was perhaps his best victory. Little did he know, that day, he saved himself years later.

Hooves echoed against the hard cold floor, he'd set out with the plan of finding more poisons since he could now carry them with him, but his mind had quickly switched to Kou. He would collect the flora and try find Kou, though this time he could not stray far, realigning himself with the Basin once again. He would never chase after his old role, he no longer wished for that title, perhaps he'd find a something more suitable. For now, the Doctor of the plague was keeping his mind busy by returning to his favourite hobby; poison gathering.


my heart’s an endless winter
              filled with rage

Use force at your own peril ;) please tag me!

Kou Posts: 93
Aurora Basin Mare
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.0 :: 4
ali
#2
 Kou</style>


How long had the darkness consumed the whole of Helovia? Without the rise and fall of the sun and the moon the pale mare had lost count of how long she had been running in fear or how long she had been searching for her children. She had floundered in the darkness, failing to find them and protect them like a good mother should and she was left to hope that d'Artagnan had found them and cared for them. He couldn't make the same mistake of abandoning them twice, could he? No, she'd had to have more faith in him than that, but doubt had kept her legs moving and her eyes wide as she'd run and searched, only resting when she'd found a place she had deemed suitable enough to protect her.

It was quite sudden when the darkness lifted and the world revealed itself in its natural state once more. She had blinked and squinted to shield her eyes from the brightness of the sun. Her search had not stopped just because the sun had finally risen once again. It was with renewed vigor that Kou searched for her sons but it still proved to be fruitless as day after day she came up empty.

Her wandering had brought her back to the north where their home had been before d'Artagnan had left and she'd stupidly followed. The icy wind brought minimal comfort as did the crunching snow beneath her cloven toes, but she would not be completely comfortable or happy until she'd finally made sure that her boys were safe. Her girls were old enough to care for themselves, she knew, so she did not worry for them as she did her sons.

"Roux! Sacre!" Her ears tilted forward as she listened to her echoing voice until it died away completely and all she was left to listen to was the howling of the icy wind. Kou shivered as she continued to stand and wait for a response. She blinked as the wind whipped her hair about her face and strands of it stinging her eyes and obscuring her vision.

The pale mare had begun to walk once more and with each step she took she became more weary from her travels and more desperate to find her sons and make sure they were okay. "Roux! Sacre!" Some distance ahead of her she could see a large horse with a much smaller animal at its side. Her tail flicked and she looked away, knowing that it couldn't be her sons because neither of them were that big or that small. She came to the conclusion a short time later that it would not hurt to ask whoever it was if they had seen the two boys, so she began walking toward him.

@[d'Artagnan]

"."

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d'Artagnan the Nightshade Posts: 364
Aurora Basin General atk: 6 | def: 9 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17hh :: 12 HP: 68.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Aramis :: Common Hellhound :: Hellfire & Superspeed imi
#3

d'Artagnan
the nightshade
</style>

d'Artagnan watched as Aramis returned to his side with the tell tale smug look that indicated a good days hunt. Kicking the snow the shade made a disgruntled noise, if only grass was as easy to find up here. He followed his hound back out of the arch and waded his way through the drifts, his expression shifting from slight annoyance to complete disgust. He liked the colder season and the way it paid no heed to life as it did as it pleased, but travelling through thick piles of snow, however, was not his idea of a good time. d'Art shifted his bag uncomfortably wishing to be under the influence of some hallucinating poison that took him away from reality. He'd kill for a night on the plants with Mauja. Instead he was making his way down a mountain, almost breaking his neck on every turn. Aramis bounded on in his infuriating way, his paws far more nimble on the slippy surfaces than d'Artagnans ships for hooves. Time passed and a few more grunts later the shade caught a voice on the wind.

Roux! Sacre!

Kou?! d'Artagnan had to steady himself before he went head first into a drift, eyes casting about quickly as Aramis sprinted off. As quick as he could manage d'Artagnan set off after his hound, eventually finding ground that wasn't as ridden with snow making it easier to move on, before finally he saw what he'd been looking for. Kou! She was alive and here in front of him, the darkness hadn't taken her! Aramis' tail thrashed from side to side in joy as he bounded around her porcelain form in a flurry of overly big paws, markings glowing a vibrant shade of red as he became wild with emotion. "Kou!" The shade shouted in relief as he came to a halt before her, nostrils flaring from both exertion and excitement. He stood silently for a moment and just enjoyed the feeling of a weight lifting from his shoulders, he may of been the Nightshade feared for his madness and his brutal nature, but today he was simply happy to know that his flighty Nurse was here and seemingly unscathed.

Finally he remembered the names she was shouting and he quickly remembered the meeting in the caves. "They were fine last I saw, strong boys, safe in the company of Deimos and the rest of the Basin herd." He gently informed her, hoping that this information would at least calm her quivering heart. "They are both bonded! Roux a bird, Sacre a fox. They will no longer be alone any more." Their sons had grown considerably, yearlings now and d'Artagnan felt nothing but pride for them, still he did wonder where they were now. Had they come back to the Basin with them? The shade didn't remember seeing them at the meeting.

He remained silent for now.

@[Kou]


my heart’s an endless winter
              filled with rage

Use force at your own peril ;) please tag me!

Kou Posts: 93
Aurora Basin Mare
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.0 :: 4
ali
#4
 Kou</style>


He heard her voice and he turned toward her, but even as she continued walking toward him she failed to recognize him. The glare of the sun on the snowy ground and the wind blowing toward him hindered both her sighed and her sense of smell. She could make out a small form bounding toward her and her ears tilted back, muscles tensed as she instinctively prepared to fight, but her entire body was put at ease by one word spoken in a voice that shook her to the very depths of her soul. "d'Art." She breathed his name, staring wide eyed at him as if he were nothing more than a figment of her imagination. She stretched her neck out, muzzle brushing against the solid muscle of his shoulder and when he did not disappear she finally allowed herself to breathe again.

"Where are they? Where are my boys?" Her demanded questions were answered quite simply and efficiently by the once doctor and Kou visibly deflated. The statement that they were bonded and would no longer be alone stung her more than anything he could have said to her, whether he knew it or not. Had she been a better mother they wouldn't have been alone in the first place, but the darkness had come on so quickly she'd gotten lost in it, but she hadn't stopped searching for them. That had to count for something, though it didn't make up for her failure to them.

"I'm so tired, d'Art." She admitted as she moved toward her doctor, seeking to rest her tired body against his. "Where did you go? I couldn't find anyone."

@[d'Artagnan]

"."

Image Credits

d'Artagnan the Nightshade Posts: 364
Aurora Basin General atk: 6 | def: 9 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17hh :: 12 HP: 68.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Aramis :: Common Hellhound :: Hellfire & Superspeed imi
#5

d'Artagnan
the nightshade
</style>

It increasingly became more frequent that every time they met these days she chipped just a little more off his heart. He leant into her weary body, using his greater height to try relieve her of a little stress and comfort her with his solid presence. Apparently there was some truth in the phrase, 'the higher they are, the greater the fall', yet d'Artagnan could swear his life was one big tumble one after the other. Maybe his ancestors had committed a great crime and he was paying for it. At least, it felt like it. If there was anyone in the world that understood him, then it was Kou, but was he the stallion she always thought he was and would be? Did he have the strength to protect her now? Maybe not, but if it was the last thing he did on this cursed earth, then it would be to protect her and throw away his own chance of life and living. She would be his life, like she should have been all along, had he not been the God of all disappointment.

For once he regretted his lack of healing power to relieve her of a little weariness, returning to the Basin was the next best thing now. He reached out his nose to press it against the chalk of her neck, closing his eyes for a moment before sighing and regarding her. "The darkness came and I followed the Basin herd to some caves near the heart where I then found our boys. We remained there until the curse passed and then I went looking for you." He informed quietly, thinking fondly of Sacre and Roux and how much they'd come along since he'd last saw them. Their mother should be proud, she had four strong children who would be far greater than their father whose greatest accomplishment was to have the love of someone like Kou.

"Come, rest in the arch. We can move on to the herd land when you're ready." He pushed her gently towards the icy shelter and nodded to Aramis once who then bounded off to keep watch, the flare of his markings dying down as the hounds mind set to his task. The fluff around his chest blowing in his wind as he set about his march.

@[Kou]


my heart’s an endless winter
              filled with rage

Use force at your own peril ;) please tag me!

Kou Posts: 93
Aurora Basin Mare
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.0 :: 4
ali
#6
 Kou</style>



It would have been nice to know that she could have taken shelter in the caves by the Heart instead of running blindly for weeks trying to stay safe, but at least her boys were safe. For that she could breathe a sigh of relief and finally smile and welcome d'Artagnan's touch. She shifted closer to lean her body against his, listening as he said that he had gone looking for her. "You found me this time." She said, though maybe it was really her that had found him. This time she would allow him the honor of saving the damsel in distress.

At his nudging and insistence she began to walk, slowly, toward one of the icy arches that were often used as shelter. Even without the direct contact of the wind Kou was still cold and continued to shiver and tremble. It would take time for her to acclimate to the frigid temperatures of the Basin again, if they were even going to be staying there. The last time she and d'Artagnan had even spoken it had been more of a fight, leaving her in disbelief that he would uproot their family and leave the Basin, which had been their safe haven for so long.

Kou pressed herself against d'Artagnan's side and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder to try and bring a little bit of the feeling back to her face. "Are we calling the Basin home again?"

@[d'Artagnan]

"."

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d'Artagnan the Nightshade Posts: 364
Aurora Basin General atk: 6 | def: 9 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17hh :: 12 HP: 68.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Aramis :: Common Hellhound :: Hellfire & Superspeed imi
#7

d'Artagnan
the nightshade
</style>

d'Artagnan sighed in relief as she spoke, who ever found who, it didn't matter now because he knew where she was. She was safe and the only thing that ailed her was the biting cold. Something that d'Artagnan could easily remedy as he motioned to Aramis as finally they moved into the arches and the hound padded after. The shade huddled into her as she sought out his heat and he nodded to Aramis help me. The shade commanded to his bonded. The hound bounced up to Kou and began rubbing his body along her legs, his temperature was much hotter than d'Artagnan's, he was after all a hellhound born of the fire element.

It was then that Kou spoke once again and the shade smiled at her question. "Yes we are, though in number it is only a shadow of what once was." He sighed at that. It was only now the the shade was beginning to realize that he was becoming an ornament of past, a relic of how once they had lived. When he had joined Mauja in the beginning the future had seemed bright, their numbers were large and at that time d'Artagnan had been happy. If only he'd known how brief that moment was going to be. Yet, he had slowly admitted to himself that his selfish decision to leave and try and find the Frostheart was not his best one. He had returned to try and remedy this.

Aramis stopped and padded forwards towards the cave entrance, sparing only a single glance backwards. Wood. I will use my speed to find wood. With that he left, d'Artagnan couldn't even see him with his eyes the hound was that fast. Superspeed. Something new his bonded had acquired. In moments like this when a good fire was needed, it came in handy to have something like that up their sleeve.

For now the shade stretched round and trailed his nose up the centre of her face, pausing near her horn to admire it before moving his gaze to try and meet hers. "I was selfish last time, so this time we do it your way. What do you want to do now?" His voice had grown a rare tone of tender and he was very close to her face. Maybe she would prefer to simply go back to the Basin and live peacefully from then on. Maybe she would like something else. That fact was d'Artagnan had never asked Kou what she wanted, so this time, he did so.


@[Kou]

my heart’s an endless winter
              filled with rage

Use force at your own peril ;) please tag me!

Kou Posts: 93
Aurora Basin Mare
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.0 :: 4
ali
#8
 Kou</style>



Kou frowned at the answer she received from d'Artagnan, but she couldn't say that she was completely surprised. Ever since Mauja had disappeared and Psyche had left the Basin it hadn't been the same. With them gone the Plague had fell into silence and had all but disappeared. She hadn't felt more unneeded than she had in the past couple of seasons. She shivered again then looked down at the hound that began to rub against her legs. The frown disappeared and she lowered her head to touch her muzzle against the hound's back. Moments later the hound stopped and disappeared from the cave.

Her eyes closed and she smiled as d'Artagnan trailed his nose up her face. When he asked what she wanted to do she opened her eyes and stared at d'Artagnan. He had never asked her what she wanted before let alone let her make a decision. The pale mare turned her head to stare then pressed her muzzle against d'Art's forehead. "Do you have a fever?" She asked, concerned. "Did you eat something bad? You just asked me what I wanted to do."

She knew what she wanted, but she didn't know if d'Artagnan would actually go along with what she wanted. Kou sighed as she pulled her muzzle away from his forehead. "I don't know if I want to go back." She said honestly. "I feel like there's no use for us. We're just relics of a time past. What is there for us to do without the Plague? Our purpose died when Mauja left."

@[d'Artagnan]

"."

Image Credits

d'Artagnan the Nightshade Posts: 364
Aurora Basin General atk: 6 | def: 9 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17hh :: 12 HP: 68.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Aramis :: Common Hellhound :: Hellfire & Superspeed imi
#9

d'Artagnan
the nightshade
</style>

The Nightshade roughly chuckled at Kou's comment. No, it wasn't really up d'Artagnan's street to ask another what they wanted and these types of affection came hard to the shade, but he persevered past his barriers. After all the bad that had happened, he wanted just one day, one moment, that he could look back on fondly with joy. A saving memory to pick him out from the black depths of his own soul. Kou was the only one who could do that, the only one who could make the Nightshade say these words that he found so difficult. He was no monster in her company, he was a mishandled stallion who was broken by life and craved for the soft touch of his Nurse. The true side of d'Artagnan. "I always eat terrible shit and have a fever." He laughed through his words. Poison and madness.

d'Artagnan unconsciously leaned after her nose as she left the brow of his head, wanting to prolong her calming touch. His Nurse's words however put a frown on his face until he found himself laughing once again, this time in irony. She was right to a point, though d'Artagnan hated the words as they fell from her mouth, she was more than just Mauja's pawn to move as he pleased. She had contributed much to the plagues cause, just like Mauja had and himself. "You know I found Mauja. He's a broken shell of the King he once was, quite sad really. All he does is wander around like a lost puppy." He looked to Kou with sad eyes of a stallion weary of life shit curve balls "Maybe we are all just broken shells one day, but you are more than just a relic of the past. You have created a future with your own strength and it's our job as protectors of that future to remain for as long as we can, to guide and guard. Even when they seem far away. That is our purpose. We are no longer bound to the Frostheart, but instead our own blood." d'Artagnan said this with feeling, it hurt that Kou also felt like she had nothing in the world, but she did. She had two daughters and two sons, children that had grown to stand away from their mother now, but did that mean they didn't need them anymore? Shouldn't every child have a guardian to run back to?

The Nightshade wasn't quite ready to give up on his own purpose, even if it felt like he had none and he'll be damned if he let Kou. "But we don't have to remain in the Basin I suppose. I'm sure the Reaper will do fine without us." d'Artagnan tried to let his nose trail across her cheek and down her neck in a daring move for the shade, attempting to run it along her back and to her rump. He drank in her familiar scent and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the company of her presence and taking in a deep nervous breath. Normally this was Kou's territory, but d'Artagnan had been taking the back seat for too long and on this day decided to show a rare turn of affection. He was tired, so tired of the world and all he wanted was his Nurse. To fall into her embrace.

He pulled his body nearer to her, sharing in the heat closeness brought and the comfort he felt around her breathing. At the last minute he turned his head back to try catch her blue eyes with a half smile covering his face "but before we do anything I think you need a little warming up? Hmmm my Nurse?" He chuckled suggestively, it was the best the shade could pull out of his very short supply of flirting words. He awaited any form of response before carefully making his way around her well toned rump, always trailing his soft nose across her snowy fur before moving swiftly to 'share the warmth'.

Aramis returned later with wood, piling it up into a small stack and used his hellfire to set it alight. The flames causing a fitting blush to reflect across the icy arch.


@[Kou]

my heart’s an endless winter
              filled with rage

Use force at your own peril ;) please tag me!


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