the Rift


[PRIVATE] a distant echo

Ktulu the Constrictor Posts: 509
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 9.5 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.1 :: 7 HP: 70.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Eytan :: Grizzly Bear :: Terrorize ali
#1
Ktulu

"How long has it been, Eytan?"

'What?'

"How long have I been here? In Helovia?"

'Don't know. All my life.'

"Its been years. I was still a foal when we came here. Me and Ophelia. She practically carried me, Eytan."

'Why?'

"Because of my legs. They were crooked when I was born. I could hardly walk and they caused me so much pain. She could have left me and saved herself a lot of time and trouble, y'know."

'Loves you.'

"I know..."

'Love her.'

"I do. And I miss her, Eytan."

'Find her.'

"There are a lot of places up north that she could be."

'Why north?'

"Phi loves it there."

The pair stood side by side, deep in conversation. Every now and again the bear would look up at his bonded, but Ktulu never looked down to him. Her gaze continuously swept over every inch of the the meadow as if by looking she would be able to conjure up some image of her sister. There was nothing.

"We lived here for a while."

'Here?'

"Yes. That tree over there..." Ktulu nodded her head toward a large tree. "We used to sleep under there at night. I discovered my magic here. I choked my dad because I thought he was someone wanting to hurt Phi."

The bear remained silent as he listened to his bonded, frowning because she remained rooted to the spot she stood. He thought she should travel north, start with the Steppe and search for Ophelia. Ktulu felt that it was a waste of time to search for her illusive sister. She had come to accept the fact that Ophelia would only be found when she wanted to be found.

"I gave her Tinek's egg here."

'Could have kept.'

"I know, but I wanted Phi to have him. I wanted her to have someone with her all the time because I couldn't be that someone anymore."

Ktulu sighed and finally looked down at Eytan and forced a small smile for the bear. "We should go home." It still felt weird to her, calling the Edge home. "It'll be dark soon, we need to be back for our patrol." Ktulu was reluctant to leave the meadow because she still had a childish hope that simply being there would summon Ophelia. The dark mare shook her head then turned. "Lets go."

"."

@[Ophelia]

Image Credit

Icon by Tay
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#2
Ophelia the Forsaken
I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm
they used to shout my name, now they whisper it


Ophelia moved north again, a heavy sigh punctuating one of her steps. The burns on her sides and the scratches she bore were only somewhat healing, agitated by the long journey south. Tinek flew overhead, seeming to be enjoying himself on this lovely, spring evening. The setting sun heralded a darkened sky, and the shards of stone in her hair began to sparkle again. Little bursts of light snapped with her movement, making her appear to be a fallen star walking among the lush grass and sparse trees.

So much had happened in such a short period of time, and she blinked her two-toned eyes, looking ahead in the distance. Ktulu was right, though. If she did not want to be found, Ophelia could remain hidden. There were nooks and nestles in the mountains to the north that kept her well when she needed an escape. Unless she had every intention of being visible, the pale princess excelled at being invisible.

As she saw the large tree near the stream on the horizon, she thought she had better stop at least for part of the night. Her furious march to the Dragon's Throat had been wearing, and she needed sleep. Ophelia narrowed her gaze when she saw movement, and the silhouettes were the easiest ones she could ever recall. Ktulu and Eytan. A smile warmed her features and her heart, and she trotted slowly toward them, letting out a short, soft, melodic call to her twin.

"Ktulu!" she hummed, slowing to a walk when she felt the burn of her injuries whine again. "Ktulu how are you?" she asked, shedding her awkwardness and embracing her sister tightly. The last time they had spoken, they had buried their mother.

@[Ktulu]

Credits: Image by Araxel @ DA




Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Ktulu the Constrictor Posts: 509
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 9.5 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.1 :: 7 HP: 70.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Eytan :: Grizzly Bear :: Terrorize ali
#3
Ktulu

With the coming darkness the fireflies that lay dormant and nestled in Ktulu's mane and tail began to awaken and emerge. They floated around her, twinkling like stars and as the dark mare walked she wondered what the old bear had been thinking when he'd given them to her. What purpose did they serve aside from the constant reminder of the ancient being that had given her Eytan? Ktulu stopped and watched the bugs as the flitted around and she sighed softly. Maybe he had meant for the insects to serve as a reminder of who she had been when she had been sent to seek him out. It was amazing how much time had passed since then and now and the amount that she had changed was astonishing.

"Ktulu!"

Dark ears tilted forward and the Constrictor turned, blinking as her eyes settled on her sister's pale form. "Phi." She spoke her sister's name with a smile on her dark lips. As Ophelia embraced her, Ktulu reached to hook her neck over her pale sister and hold her tightly. "I'm fine." She said in response to the question that Ophelia posed to her. She was a hell of a lot better now that she'd gotten to see her sister.

Ktulu let go of Ophelia and stepped back, her keen eyes immediately finding injuries. Her ears fell back and she snorted softly. "What happened?" She asked, nodding to the burn marks. "Who did that to you?" They may have been years older and miles apart, but the same protective instincts were thrust to the forefront of Ktulu's mind. The same desire to hunt down and annihilate anyone who hurt Ophelia made Ktulu's skin crawl and her blood boil.

"."

@[Ophelia]

Image Credit

Icon by Tay
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#4
Ophelia the Forsaken
I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm
they used to shout my name, now they whisper it


Ophelia watched the fireflies emerge from Ktulu's mane and dance around her face, humming quietly. She thought that they so perfectly matched her sister and her love of the Earth and nature. Instead of detracting from her beauty, they enhanced her organic soul, as if she could express her love in each shining light that flitted around them as she stepped closer. They embraced and she asked about her sister's well being. The answer was 'fine'. Ktulu was rarely ever not fine. Everything about her was strong, confident and powerful - everything Ophelia was not.

Ktulu's harsh words did not require her to look back at her injuries, and she frowned. Ktulu and Mauja already had such tenuous ties, especially since Ktulu had nearly suffocated him to his death... Ophelia let out a heavy sigh, one that barely betrayed the waterfall of emotion beating against her battered, icy heart. "I was on the island in the sky, the one over the Veins," she explained. "An area is in the middle to practice battling, and I was standing, waiting for an opponent.."

She trailed off, frowning. "Mauja showed up. How long has he been gone?" The question was irrelevant, but it filled the space. "I... ah... I attacked him first." Again, mostly irrelevant. Her expression had twisted with obvious signs of pain. So few constants remained in her life, so few lasting bonds from the past. Her heart had been broken a thousand times over and now again.

Subject change. "I followed Torleik to his home in the Aurora Basin when he invited me," she said slowly but not bothering to consider her words. Ktulu was her sister. She would understand. "I was curious. I have never seen inside the Basin before until now. Barely was I there a few weeks when the God of Time appoints me Lady in Illynx's place," she said. Ophelia shook her head slowly.

"Much has changed since our father's age," she said. "The herd there is pleasant and independent. Torleik is there too. Ophelia smiled. "What about you? How is the Edge?"



Credits: Image by Araxel @ DA




Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Ktulu the Constrictor Posts: 509
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 9.5 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.1 :: 7 HP: 70.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Eytan :: Grizzly Bear :: Terrorize ali
#5
Ktulu

Ktulu's eye visibly twitched at the mention of Mauja. She had only met the stallion once and once was more than enough for her to make up her mind that she hated everything about him. She hated the smug, haughty way he had carried himself, the sound of his voice, the blue of his eyes, the raspy sound of his breathing as she had tried so desperately to suffocate him. She had not gone out of her way to speak with the spotted stallion since that one run-in, but neither had he. Her ears tilted forward as Ophelia revealed that she attacked the fallen king first. "How did you do?" Was it terrible that she hoped that Ophelia left Mauja with permanent scars?

It was obvious that Ophelia was ready for a change of subject and so when it came Ktulu did not ask anymore questions of her sister's battle with Mauja. "He was with you when we found mom." Ktulu remembered the black stallion. He had helped her ready the pyre for their mother's burial. "I like him. He's honorable." And far more worthy of Ophelia's attention than Mauja would ever be, but Ktulu was very biased on that matter.

Her eyes widened a fraction as Ophelia dropped the bombshell that she was the Lady of the Basin. "Really?" She asked, not bothering to hide her surprise. It seemed Ophelia was doing well for herself and it made Ktulu feel both proud of her sister and ashamed of herself because she was not doing nearly so well.

"The Edge is quiet." Ktulu replied to Ophelia's question. "I battled with Archibald, Fiore, and Note for a position as Captain. At the conclusion of the battle Archibald and I were named as Captain. I only served a season or so before I stepped down to Sergeant. Cheveyo was promoted to my old spot, but she's disappeared." Thinking about it made frustration blood anew in Ktulu's chest. She wanted her title back now more than anything. "During the battle I found that I can turn into a bear. It caught me by surprise and if it weren't for Archibald I probably would have killed Note." Ktulu paused to think if she was leaving anything out and remembered her recent quest with Lakota.

The dark mare closed her eyes and sighed. "Lakota wishes for us to have children. I agreed to make her happy and the Earth God told us we must complete three quests. We've only done two so far." Ktulu opened her eyes again and frowned. "He turned me into a bird and Lakota into fish the first time and the second time he turned me into a fawn and her into a tiger." Her tail flicked and she snorted. Oh, how she wanted to kick him in his godly ass.

It was her turn for a subject change.

"You like it in the Basin?" Ktulu asked.

"."

@[Ophelia]

Image Credit

Icon by Tay
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#6
Ophelia the Forsaken
I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm
they used to shout my name, now they whisper it


Ophelia watched Ktulu's demeanor change when she mentioned Mauja and felt a tinge of amusement. Ever since their encounter in the World's Edge when the Frostheart did not call Deimos from his attack, she had disliked him, but the depth of her dislike was surprising. As she peered into her sister's mind, she was startled at the sheer amount of disdain. She found Mauja to be haughty and smug, two descriptors she would not have applied to the stallion herself. But, she trusted her sister's judgment implicitly, understanding the reasons for her vehement dislike.

"I lost," she answered with a frown, inhaling a shaking, rattling breath. The pale princess did not want to linger on her shame.

The mention of Torleik changed Kutlu's mood considerably, fond memories chasing her words. Ophelia smiled and nodded, and then she read that Ktulu thought Torleik was more worthy of her attention. Was that true? How could that be so, when she was broken? Her sister had always seen the best, but Ophelia had to be realistic. Still... this was worth considering, right?

Ophelia chuckled and nodded, not offended by her sister's surprise. "I was startled too. The God of Time appointed me very swiftly after I followed Torleik home," she said honestly. "Deimos did not seem pleased, but he has been surprisingly accepting. I think he just wants to protect his herd. That and lack of social skills make him imposing," she snorted in dry humor. Granted, she had little room to be talking about social skills.

She asked about the Edge, proud of her sister's accomplishments but mood soured by Cheveyo's disappearance. Ophelia grunted. "Take it back," she urged. "Certainly one who believes a position so trivial does not deserve it - and you do." Still, the news that she could turn into a bear was not surprising but very well deserved. Ophelia smiled and chuckled. "I can imagine you easily as a bear, Ktulu," she responded affectionately, able to be open with her sister.

A surge of jealousy tainted her soul at the mention of Lakota, but this was swiftly remedied when this relationship was not one of friendship but of love. Ophelia did not judge. She believed in love transcendent of gender and admired the pair for desiring children. Turning them into animals seemed an interested quest for children, but she rarely understood the gods. "I wish you all the best, Ktulu," she rumbled. "Please let me know when you or Lakota are close. I desire to see your children."

"Ah, I enjoy the Basin," she said. "Never a dull moment." The pale princess chuckled. "Torleik has a cousin there. Ulrik. He is absolutely strange. The others are interesting and for the most part rather normal. I appreciate the fact that everyone works as an individual. It's simple, pleasant," she explained. "And... Torleik is there..."

Ophelia took a deep breath. "I... He..." she stammered, feeling embarrassment and confusion halt on her words. "He is so kind. So... gentle and yet often rather belligerent. I do not think... Ktulu, I am not good enough. His feelings are so ill founded. How could I ever return them?"


@[Ktulu]

Credits: Image by Araxel @ DA




Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Ktulu the Constrictor Posts: 509
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 9.5 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.1 :: 7 HP: 70.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Eytan :: Grizzly Bear :: Terrorize ali
#7
Ktulu

Ktulu did not care if Ophelia looked into her mind or read her thoughts because there was no secrets that she kept from her. She would not object if her sister wanted to look all the way back to their childhood because she had nothing to hide. She could do all the digging she wanted and the only thing that Ophelia would find in Ktulu's memories was the depth of her love for her twin.

She was relieved when Ophelia did not take offense to her surprise at being named the Lady of the Basin. The same dislike that had swelled within her chest at the mention of Mauja came back as Ophelia spoke of Deimos. The incident had been seasons upon seasons ago, but Ktulu's dislike of the pair did not fade away with the seasons. If the opportunity presented itself to kill the both of them she could not promise that she wouldn't act upon it in vengeance. It was not in her to forgive anyone for their transgressions, especially when they involved her sister.

The dark mare's eyes met Ophelia's as she said to take back the position of Captain. "I will." Ktulu promised. "I prefer to stand side by side with Archibald as his partner rather than his lackey." A small smile curve her mouth upward because she was anything but a lackey to him. "But I cannot challenge someone who is not present to answer my challenge." Where was the honor in that? She supposed she would have to speak with Kaj or Kahlua about the position and its absentee owner. A short laugh passed Ktulu's lips as Ophelia said she could imagine her as a bear. "I didn't know I could until I was fighting for a spot as Captain. If it weren't for Archibald I think I may have killed the ones I was fighting against." Not one of her proudest moments, but whats done is done.

Ktulu nodded her head as her sister said she desired to see her children. "You can come find me in the Edge whenever you want. You'll be welcome there so long as I am there. If anyone has an issue with it then they can take it up with me." And she could tell them exactly where they could shove their issues.

It was interesting hearing Ophelia speak of the Basin in such a positive way but it made Ktulu happy that her sister had found a place that she seemed to like so much. It made her chuckle and smile at the mention of Torleik being there. She felt that her pale twin had picked a worthy stallion to give her attention to, but of course Ophelia had her doubts and she voiced them. She wondered why Phi would think she was not good enough for the black stallion, but Ophelia had never thought herself worthy of anything. "For as intelligent and insightful as you are, and for how much you can see in others you're still blind to your own worth." Ktulu responded with a tilt of her dark head.

"."

@[Ophelia]

Image Credit

Icon by Tay


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