the Rift


pray your gods forgive you —

Yaotl Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1
then he forgot just what it felt like,
to feel his bones burning inside
Nantli, niyopolihui— She swallows her worry and treads lightly among the undergrowth, unfamiliar territory overcoming her vision as she passes the border marking the new land nantli had described to her. Tall, thick trees greeted the cerulean damsel and her golden eyes flitted downwards, eyeing the heavily trodden paths beneath her. So many had passed through this same road long before she had, and somewhere among those many souls had been her mother, much older than she when she found this land. The Azteca was still blossoming, youthful and full of potential with her childhood just beginning to slip from her grasp. Nantli had sent her here, told her to tie up her loose ends for her and to discover more of her dam's past, to delve deeper into this unique world that was so far from Arto. 

She had traveled for months, following specifically the directions given to her by nantli, praying to the gods she could make it safely to the fabled "Helovia." She sacrificed in their names, holding her own rituals to honour them and provided offerings as she went in hopes her prayers could be answered. They were, as she made it without trouble to the foreign land. As she passed through the border, her entire being shifted and changed. She felt a cry, loud and thunderous in the back of her head as she stepped into a realm reigned by all new deities. 

It was like losing a loved one, feeling all the emotional hurt of watching them leave you behind. Subtle at first, her sorrows welling until finally she shed tears, whimpering at the hollowness of her heart and mind. Her soul was let go, her gods took their hands from her spirit and let her free. She had never felt so alone, even when she had traveled on her own for months she had always felt their presence, but now the maiden felt their support and watchful gazes peel away from her. It was like tearing away a scab from a healing wound, slow and strenuous as she stepped further and further into Helovia's forest. Nixayo... for you. She turns to bow her head, giving thanks to the gods for the safe passage and entry. Swearing her golden eyes catch a whisper of the forms of her gods, standing there to watch her depart from them. She heard their voices, whispering goodbyes to their daughter as she turned from them, from her past, facing her present.

The peafowl turns to face what now lay before her, thick green undergrowth that was so different from her homeland, so strange. She felt lost, like she didn't belong here. But she knew she must continue on, for nantli, she would be brave. Her tears dried and her sorrow sunk, numbing her spirit until finally she felt empty and quiet, letting her fears eat away at her from the inside where no one else could see.

Moca, nantli. She remembers clearly the words that still lingered in her mind, the descriptions and names that had been assigned to faces. The herds that roamed the lands, the experiences her nantli left with, it was all tucked away for her reference. The young warrior had them all stored, paying particular attention to the talk of an ivory pegasus with grullo staining and an arrogant stride, someone her mother mentioned more often then others in her stories. She sought him, but where he roamed escaped the azure damsel.

"Tiaz, Yoatl. Tiaz auh taciz Helovia." She had told her, looking at her troubled and uncertain, like she had wanted to keep Yaotl at her side for as long as she could. But alas, the tlactl had to remain with Arto and rule over the slowly expanding herd, she could not follow her daughter though her heart had wished her to. Maybe one day she would return to her nantli, but that day would not dawn for another many years. 

-- nantli is "mother", niyopolihui is "i am troubled", nixayo is "my tears", moca "for you, for your sake" tiaz auh taciz Helovia is "you will go and you will reach Helovia" tlactl is "lady" (as in a a woman in power). grammar probably isnt correct but im working on finding some grammar guides for nahuatl atm c":

Megaera the Sunspear Posts: 306
Absent Abyss atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 4.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 15 h :: 8 [Birdsong] HP: 70 | Buff: NOVICE
Gwaihir :: Golden Eagle :: None Laine
#2
Megaera & Asavvi


The warrior queen marched a straight path through the snowy pass. Though the trees loomed tall around her, she moved with an uninhibited confidence, a sauntering stride over the powdered ground.Her wings were folded comfortably upon her back, and head held high. She was the Sunspear, and even if she was far from there was little for her to fear. The herds were at peace, and there had been no  more battles with foreign gods to cast a shadow over the coming of forestall and to the mare was confident that she would find no trouble in the neutral zone.

Lack of worry, however should not be confused with a lack of vigilance The mare kept a careful watch on the forrest around just as the eagle kept watch from the air and both for the sake of their precious traveling companion. Asavvi had accompanied her mother to the threshold for the first time and walked at her mother’s right side. Even at the tender age of two seasons, the filly scampered about far less than other foals might have. She preferred to stay close to her mother and listen to the answers to her million questions.

Today’s lesson was history, and as the pair walked with the bird flitting though the trees above them, Meg had been explaining all she knew of Helovia’s history. Asavvi had been soaking up every word for history was one of her keener interests. The fascination with that past was filed by the filly’s discovery of her own magic (though she had decidedly neglected telling Megaera the circumstances of that discovery) and she had made a habit of asking to be taken with the Sunspear on her trips through Helovia so she could find the historic sites and reply events for her own eyes to see.

Scouting the path ahead of his bonded, it was Gwaihir that first spotted the brightly colored youth. "A stranger in the forrest. Looks sad. Do you want to greet her?" the thought went wizzing back to Meg and she responded with an affirmative. In a better mood then most days, the eagle descended to land in front of the blue mare, clicking his beak to announce his presence. With a few practiced flaps he settled himself on the forrest floor and took a hop towards her, making sure to keep out of range of her hooves. Golden eyes peered up at her curiously, even somewhat imperiously despite his lowered position, and he waited for Meg to catch up.

"Hail stranger." came the Sunspear’s call moments later as the mother-daughter set approached. The elder moved slightly ahead of the younger, a welcoming  expression on her dark features as she came to a halt. She stood, settling her hips in a lazy stance while the eagle abandoned his spot on the ground in favor of alighting upon her withers between the wing joints. "Yours is not a face I’ve seen in Helovia before, allow me to extend a welcome then, if you’ve just come through the pass." There was a good-humored glint in the black eyes, but with an unconscious move the mare shifted to partially block the filly from moving forward; a protective mother’s habit. "I am Megaera, Sultana of the Dragon’s Throat, and this is Asavvi, my daughter." The filly eyes were bright with interest and matched with a pleasant smile, at her mother’s introduction she bobbed her head in a polite halo and gave a "Pleased to meet you" in her honey-sweet voice.

"Megaera"
"Asavvi"

"You may be as different as the sun and the moon


but the same blood flows through both your


hearts. You need her, as she needs you...”
image credits
FAC FORTIA ET PATERE
be brave and endure
:: permission given for use of magic and force :: please tag Megaera in all posts ::

Yaotl Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#3
then he forgot just what it felt like,
to feel his bones burning inside
It entered her line of sight in a flutter of feathers, golden eyes unwavering as they befell an awe inspiring beast. Before her was a being known by many names, by Totec, by Huitzilopochtli, by Xiuhpilli. Her lips are trembling, her eyes wide with shock at the image of a god standing before her. She was honoured to be granted such a presence, even though this land was not his to rule. "Totec, tleica?" She wished to ask how, how he had passed through the borders of this land, surpassing the magic force she felt so strongly. It ensnared her, drained away the familiarity of her ancestors that had settled into her young bones, left her empty handed in a foreign land. But also why. Why had this god granted her, such an unimportant child, his holy presence. How had he seen her, when all she had done in her life was train, worship and learn. She had done nothing of significance other than exist, so why was she being blessed with this deity's time, she was but a waste of it. She had tried to hold her tongue, but she was compelled to ask. "Quenin?"  She had so many questions to ask, all jumbled together in her head as she looked at the god before her with awe. She was speechless, her breath stolen at the sight of an immortal being at her hooves, bright under the light filtered through the leaves. 

Someone interrupts her, waltzing between the meeting of ichpochtli and deity. "Xolopitli!" She snapps, stern expression settling upon the ebony woman who had disturbed her. The god would surely smite her for her idiocy, walking in the middle of such a special meeting like this! The eagle rose, wings outstretched in a promise of abandonment. The cerulean Azteca almost lets a wail slip from her lips, staring longingly at the god as he left the ground. "Xihualhuian!" She cries out, watching her last link to her homeland slip away from her grasp all in the blink of an eye. 

But he does not go, no, he nestles between the wings of the woman child duo that has so foolishly interrupted them. "Tleh?" She looks bemused, horrified at what this god had to do with a woman like this. She came from the woods before her, not behind. She was not a foreigner to this land as the peafowl was, and that made her sick. Why did the god favour the elder, and not she, she who had sacrificed in his name since she was only enough to speak? She who had prayed for his blessing each time she trained against a powerful opponent, she who had listened to his stories in wonder during her childhood. 

"Pialli," She offers, bowing her head as her shaken confidence falters. This woman speaks a foreign tongue, one her mother taught her little of. The ichpochtli understands only pieces, her tongue dry in her mouth as she struggles to return a sentence, lips parched as she spits out a sloppy few syllables. "Yaotl of Arto." Is all she can manage, flicking her ears back at the roughness of her sentence. Her voice comes out raspy and less intimidating than when she speaks in her native tongue, these unfamiliar syllables raking through her throat as though they do not want to leave. "Ichpochtli of Bellona, she here time ago." The fowl turns to Nahuatl when she cannot pronounce child, looking at Megaera in hopes she can understand. She pulls no information of a sultana by the name of Megaera from the tales nantli told her.  "Ah, know of Dragon-ss Throat." She nods, recalling her nantli's listing of all the herds that took up residence in Helovia. The Azteca shuffled her feet, glancing down at the child who clung to Megaera's side. Aureate irises spy the eagle on its perch, her curiosity rising. A god would not vow loyalty to a mortal, even if they were in power, and certainly not a mortal who hailed from a foreign land. 

Finally the daughter of the cheiftess brought up an important question, eyeing the eagle upon the sultana's withers. "Why god choose you?" She spoke bluntly, motioning to the creature and wondering if the mare was even aware a powerful force rested upon her like that. Did it happen often? Perhaps the ichpochtli was so troubled by her loss of her gods that she had begun to imagine them? 

-- tleica means "why", quenin is "how", ichpochtli is "girl/child", xolopitli is "fool", xihualhuian is "come, come here", tleh is "what", pialli is "hello"


@Megaera

Megaera the Sunspear Posts: 306
Absent Abyss atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 4.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 15 h :: 8 [Birdsong] HP: 70 | Buff: NOVICE
Gwaihir :: Golden Eagle :: None Laine
#4
Megaera & Asavvi


There were several strange things about the newcomer and all seemed to point most assuredly to “foreigner”. Their location aside, the peafowl’s bright coloration though not completely unheard of, was a rare sight in Helovia. It had brought to Meg’s mind the strange horses of the Rift that had come through the last year, but as there was only one and no gods or unexplainable lands were springing forth, the mother was comfortable that this was not the result of a fifth rip in worlds. It was really the language, more that the bright visage that left the Sultana a bit dumbstruck.

She had approached with confidence, but almost immediately the foreign mare had begun to shout, almost to scold her. With her daughter in tow, she was quick to go on the defensive—which so often for Meg meant offensive. She shifted, taking a firmer stance and fixing the mare with a hard look. language barriers aside, she would have no one take the impression that the should be cowed or berated, even if she wasn’t within her own borders.

Thought soon enough words on the common tongue began to mix with both others, Megaera was already so nonplussed that she did not decipher any real meaning in them She was one to trust, perhaps too heartily at times, only in what was familiar, in what was known.

Despite her young age, her inexperience, It was Asavvi that would try and bridge this gap. By the grace of youthful innocence and her own kind nature it was she out of the desert three that did not immediately balk at the stranger’s strangeness but felt it necessary to try and extend a friendly hand. She had been born and raised a child of two languages and had taken equally to both and so was, in an instant, paying close attention to the mis-matched speech and trying to decipher by means of stitching together familiar words within their context. When the blue lips dropped their blunt question, Megaera’s eyes only narrowed, not understanding what  the mare meant. In her understanding, the mare had asked why she had been ‘given’ Gwaihir by the gods, and one of Meg’s faults was they she rarely sought to move beyond her own understanding.

Asavvi, however, knew it to be up to her and was eager to take up the task. She moved forward slowly waving her little wings to pull at the mare’s attention and smiled. Thinking she had picked apart at least some of the foreigners meaning she tucked her chin to touch her own chest. "Asavvi." She said firmly, confirming the label and trying to apply it clearly to herself. She then, quite carefully reached out to try and give a gentle press of her nose on the mare’s chest. "Yaotl?" she asked, watching the mare for confirmation. Always the more cautious one, Gwaihir was quick to lift off his place upon Meg’s back and drift onto Asavvi’s. Though she was mere feet behind them, Meg’s thoughts gave the eagle the mental nod of approval and thanks, they couldn’t bee to careful where their precious girl was concerned. While the filly continued for a moment in a similar fashion, moving gently through the motions and leaving pauses to wait for confirmation of understanding, Gwaihir bored along on her back. "Asavvi…ichpochltli of Megaera?" (she gestures to her mother) "Yaotl… daughter of Bellona? Did Belonna live in Dragon’s Throat?"

Meg let her daughter move about with her golden guardian, amused and proud of her efforts, even if a little baffled. Finally the little filly moved in front of Yaotl again and gestured to the Eagle upon her back. “This is Gwaihir, companion to my mother” (a nod at Meg) “Not a God, but god-sent.”

"Megaera"
"Asavvi"
ooc:: @Yaotl I must throw myself upon your mercy! Definitely spaced in this thread. It'll be top priority until you're un-thresholded!!
"You may be as different as the sun and the moon


but the same blood flows through both your


hearts. You need her, as she needs you...”
image credits
FAC FORTIA ET PATERE
be brave and endure
:: permission given for use of magic and force :: please tag Megaera in all posts ::

Yaotl Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#5
then he forgot just what it felt like,
to feel his bones burning inside
The mare is antsy, easily forced into a defensive position upon my frustrated barking directed at the false god that dare show its beak to me, a true child of the gods. Her body shifts, standing before the filly in an act of instinct, her drive to protect the young kicking in as she maneuvers around the child she is trying to protect. "Mean no harm," the words are cautious and quiet, filled with surrender at the mercy of the fierce mother. Nantli had been the same way, my personal guardian in rainbow hues and cloaked in familiarity. 

The child does something unexpected, she skitters around her nantli and appears before me, confident that she can pass through this language barrier that her nantli cannot push past. Asavvi, she touches her chin to her breast to signify that it is her, looking at me cautiously before reaching out to touch her ebony lips to my cobalt breast. "Yaotl," she says, my head nodding in agreement to her statement. "Quema."

She is accompanied now by the false deity, who descends upon her in a flurry of golden wings and a narrow gaze that burns into me, intense and fiery. The false brings bitter distaste to my throat, lips dry and discomfort gripping my gut at the idea that such a being dare mock my culture, my beliefs before me. My face begins to unwillingly contort into one of utter disgust as pupilless golden eyes watch closely the winged beast. 

The ichpochtli of the sultana makes sure I know she is such, repeating it again to confirm that I am the descendant of Bellona. "Quema." I tell her, in agreement with what she has to say. She understands well the way my sentences are pieced together, using where they are placed and in what context to decipher my mother language. It is something I appreciate, that she is accepting and learning (although very minimally) some of the language I speak, spreading the culture at a minor rate. "Smart ichpochtli, very good." I nod to Megaera, hoping she knew that her child was so intelligent, and would make a great peacemaker if she so desired. 

Tossing azure crown to the side, I find that no, nantli had lived among the Hidden Falls members before she left Helovia's borders. "Nantli live with Falls, she spy." I inform them, equipped with enough knowledge of nantli to fill text books, for I'd clung to her hip from the day of my birth to the day I left Arto to venture out into the world beyond. It felt strange, to no longer be able to turn to her for guidance and to request information. It was devastating the first few days, witnessing nature at its most extreme, itching to ask nantli, "what is this?"  Instead I turned to emptiness, to a cold space where nantli should have been. 

"Must go, I find tiger as nantli wishes." I tell them, looking up at the sultana with her mighty eagle and bold child, a strong cuauhtli from her stance, obvious scars along her form proof enough that she has battled far more than I. "May go to Throat once done?" I inquire, hoping Megaera will reserve a future seat for me under the Throat's banner, that she will accept my company among the other sand dwellers. I only pray she trust me enough, that my shouting at her Gwaihir does not sway her opinion on me. 

-- cuauhtli means "warrior", quema is "yes",
ahhha switched pov bc 3rd wasnt working well with her and so im hoping 1st will (sorry you gotta deal with this c":)

@Megaera wowo late late


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