"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
The creatures just kept coming, one after another, crowding in on the mystical maiden. My harks perked forward as she began talking about a prize, a gift. All I had to do was make a nest? Oh wait, a second task? This couldn’t be as hard as I thought it would be, could it? I mean all I needed was just a couple of little things to make a nest for this creature. Though, I did want to be a crafter after all, so maybe this would be some swell practice.
And like many others, I set off into the deep forest. Twigs, straw, grass. My gatherings repeated inside of my mind as I walked, weaving through the trees and stepping over large sticks. These three things would be easy to find, we are in a forest surrounded by trees, and grass. My large dome and my orbs glanced around, taking in many beautiful scents. Why had I never come here before? I mean, it’s so— so gorgeous!
As my mind wandered around, I continued on with my search, taking in my scene carefully. I came across a dandy little bird nest, which must of fallen out of a tree, but there was no baby birds to my recall. And so I took it, if it was just going to sit there alone, I might as well put some use into it. It was in a fairly good shape, all I needed to do was get a bit more twigs to patch it up and some grass to make it confortable for the precious baby that she was giving away.
If I didn’t win over the maiden, that was alright, I would have another chance some other time, right? I would go ahead and give my nest to the one who had won, just in case they might be in need of another emergency home. Although, I really want to win, I knew I had no chance at it. I had no friends here to support me, well, except Artemis and Adalaide, but they weren’t really friends. I doubt if they even could remember me if I walked up to them and greeted them generously. They would think I was a stranger.
I shook the thoughts from my dome and continued on. My dark azure orbs clanking around until they found what they had been looking for. A pile of twigs, and not too far away there was just a little pile of grass nearby. I smiled, thinking maybe that this would be possible if I didn’t fuck anything up like what normally would happen. I carried myself across to the pile, gently putting the nest on the ground. I took a few twigs, weaved them into the holes, and then made sure they were all secure. I left the nest there, sitting on the ground as I walked into the distance. I stopped right outside the patch of lush, green grass, trying decide if I should eat it or not. No. I fussed at myself and picked at the grass until I had a mouth full.
I trotted back to the nest, softly laying the grass in with the warm straw. I smiled at my handy work and then looked around at my surroundings. Now, just somewhere to put it. But it didn’t take long for me to catch the glimpse of a small little cave. My maw gently picked up the nest and danced over towards it. I examined the cave before putting my nest in the darkness, my teeth carefully letting go.
It was covered in moss, the outside was and little vines hung down from the entering. Grass grew tall on the sides and the lush had just begun to grow on the inside, but it was enough to make a soft bed. It was very sturdy and no one would even notice that there was a nest laying inside the shelter. I smirked and then turned back to head on back towards the herd. I looked back once more and smiled at my work before cantering towards the group.
I knew I was a little behind everyone else but the red haired had just came back and was explaining her own home to the doe. So I eased down to a trot, and then a walk. I stopped in front of the creature and dipped my dome to her. I listened to the mare as she spoke. She really liked the mare’s idea, but I hoped that my own would be better. It was finally my turn to speak towards the maiden after the mare was done. I smiled and held my head proudly into the wind.
"Madam, I have come up with an idea different than the others. I have placed my nest into a small abandoned cave, covered in dark moss. The shelter is surrounded with tall lush grass, and inside, the grass has just begun to grow, providing a soft bed for if the egg must fall. At night, the straw and grasses, along with the cave, with keep it warm. At daylight, the moss covers just enough where it will be warm and cozy, but not enough for it to get too hot. I will protect this egg with all my life maiden, and I hope you trust me with your precious."
I spoke in a kind voice, dipped my dome, and then backed up so the rest behind me could speak as of what they had created from their first task of gaining this doe’s beloved egg. I hope that I had a good chance at winning this oval over, for I was not giving up. I needed someone to be my darling, my best friend forever. And this was maybe the only chance I had at gaining one that I would so dearly love. I had to at least try and give it a shot. Give it my best. Alright, I can do this! I’ll win this over! But what if it’s all for nothing?
09-10-2013, 11:25 AM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2013, 11:26 AM by Artemis.)
The doe's eyes blinked up toward her, gazing through glassy orbs at the small herd that had gathered around her. A hushed silence seemed to fall over the horses, interrupted only by the soft whisper of the wind as it caressed their bodies, sending soft sprays of white hair crashing about rocky grey legs like waves upon ocean walls. Her head lowered respectful as the crowned doe spoke, her vice strained and weak. Four lights still glimmered meekly from atop her antlered head, though Artemis found herself repeatedly glancing up, knowing what it would mean for each of the tiny lights to be extinguished.
Her words saddened the mare; she spoke of a prize, yet this was a child, likely her daughter. To be labelled as a prize for the champion of games, was akin to naming her an object; to be owned and used as required. Yet Artemis did not voice this, and simply allowed herself to shake away that nagging feeling as she twitched her ears forwards. The doe spoke of a nest; one that might protect the child - and Artemis would call it such, for it was no prize - from harm. She nodded silently, turning to walk slowly through the gloom of the forest.
She did not run or hurry as some did, mostly because the mare was dubious about her own ability to care for a life that was not her own. She was a fighter, not a lover. Would she succeed in raising this child and protecting it, if she was chosen as worthy? She did not know, though she relaxed when thinking of the countless faces she had seen - the likeliness of her being chosen to protect the precious orb was slim to none. Only stubbornness and a strange, new found motherly feeling stopped her from simply leaving, wordless, into the night.
She soon spotted part of a fallen tree, its bark old and worn, only a horse length wide but thick enough to fit her large neck within. She moved closer, inspecting it quietly as she cautiously sniffed. There seemed nothing, living or dead, inside the fallen, broken log. She could see what she presumed to be the other half not too far away. A tentative hoof raised as she tapped the log. The sound echoed slightly and the log shifted as her heavy foot struck - it appeared to be hollow. With a slight rear, she tapped the log with both hooves and the bark creaked, snapping slightly under her great feet. Another, more powerful slam found the bark cracking entirely. A sharp piece of wood cut her ankle as she pulled her feet from the hole, but she ignored it. It was nothing serious. With a satisfied smile, she eyed the log; the hole was as wide as her two large hooves and would easily fit the orb inside. The hollow was lined with a thick, slightly damp layer of moss that was grown wonderfully in the dark, dying tree. What else would she need? She needed to make it dry, somehow, she thought quickly.
In the ever present darkness, many leaves had died off - now the earth God was back the trees were being restored, yet dead leaves still littered the floor. She placed many inside the hollow trunk to line and to hopefully dry it out, then collected fresh, green leaves from the trees with the help of her large size - she had to rear up to collect mouthfuls of twigs and leaves, but it did not take her long to line the tree trunk. She ensured that the hollows either side of the broken through hole were stuffed, so that the orb could not roll one way or the other, and to protect it from critters. To further prevent this, she managed to roll two decently sized rocks to either end of the trunk, blocking off both entrances. Nothing was entering that hollow but the child.
She stared at it for some time. It was a good shelter, with more than enough room for the orb to sit comfortably and - more importantly - for it to hatch. It was spacious and would be warm and cozy, yet if it rained, there was nothing to keep it dry. Glancing up, she eyed the canopy of the trees and smiled. Rain that hit the canopy rolled down the branches, protecting those beneath from the wetness. She could use that to protect the child whilst allowing good air circulation around the hollow trunk. Rearing as high as he tall frame would allow - legs supported by a nearby tree- she managed to pull down several long branches, placing them over the hole she had created in the trunk. Nodding to herself, she turned to move back toward the dying doe.
As it was, she had not moved far from her location. Others were speaking softly to the dying doe, she waited patiently for dear Antheia to finish. She smiled at the pale-faced mare, reaching out to nudge her side in acknowledgment before turning to the mother.
"My Lady. Nearby is a fallen tree, whos bark is lined with thick moss. I have carved a hole in the center of this log, and placed a thick layer of leaves to keep the child from shifting. It is protected from both ends by rocks, which will stop the log from moving. A makeshift canopy of branches serves to shield the child from the elements, without suffocating." She said, voice uncharacteristically soft. She was unsure why, but she cared for this orb, yet she felt unworthy. If she could not save her own blood, could she save this baby? "I only wish the best for your child." She whispered truthfully, stepping back to hide among the shadows.
09-10-2013, 12:28 PM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2013, 12:30 PM by Ampere.)
They came like moths to a candle, each desperate to bask in the glow of the flickering, fading light before the night closed in around them like a tomb. A few rubbed her hair the wrong way, like the antlered fellow that thought barking orders a useful thing in this situation. Among the crowd Ampere did not see the only one she knew - Adalaide - she was too focused on the heavy breathing of those near her and the raspy breaths of the dying doe. Why so many to help one doe? There was never such a crowd for one of their own kind.
The dark draws us in to the light. The warm glow reminds of the sun, unlike the sterile, alien pulse of the trees.
Everyone was willing to give to the doe. It touched Ampere and for the first while in a long while she held more hope for this place and its inhabitants than she ever dared think she could.
The light's breath hitched for a moment and Ampere could feel herself physically leaning forward. Conscious of the act she shuffled herself back upright, ears twisting around as words flowed forth, elegant still even in this moment of her demise. the child - Ampere was startled to realize that orb the doe carried was her kin. From what Ampere knew the deer were close to the horse and birthed in blood and agony. She herself had pecked her way out of an egg, but her blood was horse and bird alike, yet no feathers crowned this forest fawn.
The next words that came struck Ampere with even more force, and in return she shoved back. "NO!" she cried out abruptly, stating forward but stopping just as fast, wings raised with the energy of the moment and perhaps to push aside anyone who would interfere. "You do not have the right to decide that for your child!" Ampere choked out the sentence, her heart rattling in her throat so that it was hard to talk. Ampere could not believe she was standing here and witnessing a slave drive as it were. She had only ever seen the outcome, but not this beginning, not from a mother that seemed so pure.
The doe continued to tell the task and Ampere was left standing like a hollowed shell, her wings gradually drooping against her side. Her eyes blurred with salt and it burned against the back of her tongue so that her voice wavered when next she tried to plead with the dying and obviously mind-rattled doe. "Don't do this. Your child may need help surviving now but once it grows it can prosper of its own accord. Please, I will help it now, it will be safe and it will grow and it will stay free. Don't chain it to someone's soul for eternity!"
Ampere was nearly hysterical, blubbering promises she could not keep. She certainly knew more about nest building and egg-rearing than these buffoons offering trunks and caves and expecting the dead world to keep the egg warm and safe - Ampere knew you needed body warmth to nurture the life within, feathers to keep it soft, trees to put it up high where there were less thieves and predators - yet she did not know that she had the skill to deal with a child of any kind. What eggs she herself had laid from midnight transgressions she had left to child and crack early in this ruined world.
In this moment though, Ampere was impassioned to keep the egg from becoming a tool for these greedy horses. Now she knew why so many came. Now she knew why they acted to fast to serve. This was not the kindness of one heart to another, this was a damn marketplace where souls were traded. It disgusted her.
Ampere had never seen an egg like that but others had, she had seen their eyes lock onto it, but had assumed it was curiosity that drove their attention.
She supposed at least no one was slaughtering the doe to take her child, an easy act considering the moment at hand, and one Ampere considered doing if the mother insisted on giving the child up to slavery.
"WILL NONE OF YOU CARE FOR THIS BEAST OUT OF NO SELF GAIN?" Ampere turned on all of them now, her eyes a blue streak of defiance as they coasted along the individuals that clambered over one another to take a life.
They did not heed her. They did not hear her. They only acted, eager to do the bidding and take their reward.
"I WILL" Ampere screamed and launched herself at the doe, teeth snapping to grab for the egg, hooves pummeling to break the doe down and wings flapping catastrophically to mar the vision of the onlookers and whatever assistance they may provide in saving the doe or worse, taking the egg for themselves.
If she could just grab it she could run off and be airborne fast. She would build it a proper nest in the trees out of feathers, hair, leaves, grass and twigs, and she would settle on it night and ...night with her warmth and her protection and once it hatched, it would stay free.
Tag me only if starting a new thread.
Magic or force permitted any time, aside from death.
09-10-2013, 02:12 PM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2013, 11:16 PM by Odd.)
Are there silver shores on paradise? Can I come in from the cold?
I killed a man in a far away land, my enemy I'm told.
</style>
Myrddin's large moose-like ears pinned against his skull as more approached, offering their pathetic and shallow condolences and offers of aid. Liars he thought of them all as they approached; harpies. They come seeking the newest trinket, and think only of themselves. They speak in loud voices offering their aid - voices which drown out the one in need.
Liars, he thought bitterly again, as his advise to shut up went unheeded.
As the doe spoke, requesting a nest of sorts, Myrddin was unsurprised by the reactions of those around him. Off they scurried, like proud rats retrieving some bit of cheese and asking for praise. I've found this tree... or Here in this hole your child will be safe.
For fucks sakes.
"IDIOTS" Myrddin's voice suddenly boomed - a loud and somewhat raspy sound, that nonetheless seemed commanding even in its aged tones. His blind twilight gaze cast around accusingly, watching their greedy life forces pulse with eager anticipation of the prize of which the doe spoke. "Are you all so dimwitted, that you would display such selfish arrogance, in the face of such a trial?!" His beard wobbled at his chin, with each emphasized word he spoke. "Even you-" He snarled, his horned head turned towards Ampere, "are being obtuse. Do not pretend to know about the workings of the world, child. Though I do agree that this is a selfish lot."
[Insert Ampere's outburst]
As the blue-toned mare advanced towards the mare, a weary look of disapproval crossed Myrddin's aged features. Although old and cumbersome, he was still taller than Ampere, and more importantly, was not afraid. One should not give into the temper tantrums of children. His large white hind end swung towards her, his feathered hooves dragging somewhat as his body rotated. Grunting as his hind end feebly lifted off the ground, aiming for Ampere's shoulder. It was not a kick that was meant to cause any serious injury or harm - it was more like a cuff on the back of the head, from an elder to a disobedient child. "FOOL. Idiot." He snapped at her. "Are you a mother? Nay, I think not. But you are as indignant as the rest. You pursue your own agenda, just as they do. Your self righteous views are not above the desire for companionship." His long tail snapped against his hocks, hopefully having dampened Ampere as an immediate threat to the doe, before turning back to the assembled bunch.
Eyeing the doe, whose life force flickered dimly in his magical gaze, Myrddin called out once again, hopeful to stop those who had gone off. "If you were to work together surely a much more appropriate shelter could be reached."
Grumbling to himself, Myrddin looked to where the sun ought to be, and huffed. "Listen to me, for I am too old to take on this enterprise alone. We need to take advantage of the land - some of you - you with the tree, and the ditch - are on the right track. The nest needs to take advantage of solar heating and cooling - which is why the protection of a tree is not sufficient on its own. We need a solid wall, to be load bearing - not out of stone, but out of some other dense matter, such that it will absorb the sunlight during the day (should the sun ever return to us), and emit heat when it becomes cooler. There needs to be proper ventilation - glass if we can find it, if not some form of moss, cobwebs. Inside the structure - mulch and upturned earth should remain cool and provide needed support. Now STOP acting individually, and start focusing on building one damned nest, not 18 shoddy ones."
With a snort, he turned his head to see if any of them would take heed. He hoped they would, for the sake of the creature. Grumbling, he moved towards the dimming life-pulse of the doe. His aged frame seemed to compliment hers, as both seemed to be captured and touched by death in different ways. "Until your mind is made up Sai, accept this for protection. For there are forces at play far stronger than the weather." Dipping his aged muzzle to his hooves, Myrddin allowed the amulet from around his neck, to fall at her cloven hooves.
[Summary: Kicks towards Ampere -- didn't go much further as I'm not sure how far her attempt at the doe will be allowed to continue ^^ Chastises everyone for working alone, and not working together :| Tries to guide the construction of a more appropriate nest. In the meantime, he gives the doe his amulet, as a way of protection.]
09-10-2013, 05:32 PM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2013, 06:23 PM by Tingal.)
More had come to help the doe, horses large and small. I watched as they gathered like vultures spotting prey, swooping in for their share of the carcass. Except we were no vultures, and this was no carcass. I listened to the does words, understanding her immediately. She wished for us to build a nest for the orb, and I instantly knew what would make a perfect nest.
I bumbled off, swiftly moving. I flicked my ears back, ignoring the shouting of an old stallion. Instead I marched forward, desperately searching for twigs. I reached up, snapping some off the lowest trees. I bent my neck, sliding the box onto the ground. I had always worn this box, the one Lace of the Edge had crafted. I thanked him for this box, for I needed it in such a situation as this. I gently yet swiftly placed the twigs in the box, building a little pile up. For the next layer, I found moss, making sure no twig poked out to harm the orb. And last, but not least, I turned and tore some of my own loose and shaggy fur off my back, placing it in the box. I pressed the items down a little with my muzzle, compressing them. There was more room for the orb now, and I could place yet another piece of moss over the orb to keep it from the cold. And if it was ever hot, I could take some moist moss and lay it atop the orb. I walked to the doe, swiftly as I could. I gracefully set myself before her, dipping my head in respect.
I heard the blue pegasus mare screech aloud, speaking of self gain. I flicked my ears back, self gain, self gain? I found no self gain in this, for the child would need someone to guide it. Surely she did not want to allow the creature to live life alone, with no one to help the poor thing. Frowning, I watched as she lunged at the doe, teeth snapping. I watched in utter horror, paralyzed for a moment. The were going to let her do this? I shook myself, rocketing to block her from the doe. I was far larger than her, she was a smaller mare, but she could still be a powerful mare, looks could be deceiving. I tried to block her from attacking the doe, not fearing the bounding wings or the snapping jaws. I grunted, flicking my ears back. I acted like a wall, trying to block the mare from the dying doe. She could surely slide around me, but I was prepared to snap. I snorted, ears laid back. "STOP THIS!" I roared, my voice bouncing off the trees. My body shook as I screamed at her, stepping back, closer to the doe. "So you would prefer the child be alone for its entire life, no one to guide it, to nourish it? You just wish to leave it someplace alone, and never return to it? That's like danging a rabbit in front of a wolf's nose! There are predators out there that could easily devour a small little fawn in a single chomp! Wouldn't you rather the child have someone to care for it during its life, someone to talk to and to love? It seems you'd like the child to simply live a lonely life with no one to take care of it." I snorted, brows narrowed. A foolish mare she was, wishing to set a babe free in the woods. He knew that letting a child go on its own was a bad thing to do, no matter the species. I kept my eye on her, making sure she didn't try to attack the doe again. I took a few steps, my eyes narrowed. I scooped up my box, returning to my position where I had been guarding the doe and the orb. Looking at the doe, I set down the box. "Apologies, dear doe." I bowed my head, and then pointed to the box with my nose. "That is the nest I have made, it will be around my neck until the day the orb opens." I stood back up, glaring at the blue mare.
"Talk talk talk"
[ he made a nest out of his box using twigs, moss and his own fur. also, blu, hope you don't mind Tingal intercepting and scolding Ampere. cx ]
The stallion quietly listened as the dyeing mother charged them with a task, a challenge in order to receive the greatest honor she could bestow. The privilege of caring, raising, and protecting her child, the last of her kind. The gravity of this weighed down upon the Pegasus's shoulders and he instantly felt unworthy to bear such a thing. This doe was dyeing, forced to leave this world and her child behind, and with her last breath she was determined to find a worthy soul to care for the precious spirit who resided within the glowing orb. Bowing his head the Pegasus retreated into the shadows to gathered material. Despite his feelings of inadequacy, he was determined to do his best to provide what the doe sought. That child had to survive even if its mother left this world.
He could not help but lung forward at the mare who had spoken so emotionally as she charged to dying mother, but being at the back he was unable to reach her before an older stallion interjected and the striped stallion blocked the other. His words like the women that spoke of not allowing it to be bonded, and the other stallion saying to nurture and care for it, the old stallion's words struck a chord. Yes a nest built together could be better, but did they intend to raise the child as a working body? They were all but strangers with far different intentions, although he could tell that a few's emotions were genuine toward the little egg. I spoke as I moved to stand in front of the doe, doing my best to aid the other male in protecting the mother and her child. "Elder, do you intend us to raised this child as a unite as well? I do not mind assisting in making a better nest, if it will provide protection for this unhatched bade I will do what ever it takes. But what happens when it hatches? Will we all be responsible for the fawn's nurturing, learning, and protection?
While the shelter is plausible, it all seems rather far fetched to raise it together. It's to unstable an environment for a child. Please, if you have a better idea share it, my interest is only to know this fawn will grow into happy youth who has been loved and taught good values and the knowledge needed to survive."
He dipped his head toward the stallion."Until then I think I will attempt to build a nest of my own. But I will offer any assistance to you as well and keep an eye out for glass and the like." With that he eyed female Pegasus who had tried to attack the mare. "Do not accuse this mother of acting under selfish pretenses, her job is to do what she feel is right by the child. She gave birth to it and so it is her duty to see to its protection, this is her choice we must respect it even if we do not like it." With that he walked away from her, trusting the amulet and the orange stallion to see to the doe's protection as his thoughts turned to making a nest for the babe.
He was not a horse gifted with magic, however he possessed a kind soul and a quick mind, he only hoped this was enough. Carefully his eyes scanned the forest for what he sought, there near on a tree was moss. This would provide a perfect base for his shelter. Carefully he peeled it away tucking it between his shoulder blades so he could continue searching. Coming across a thorn bush the stallion paused, these would provide en excellent protection if woven into the walls of his nest. Ever careful Apache began to bite at the base of several branches, breaking them off and placing them with the moss. Many times he pricked his lips, cheeks, and tender tongue, but he continued to harvest the branches determined to get this right.
Feeling that he had gathered enough the rust colored horse moved on, careful as he walked so as not to dislodged the moss. Every now and then he would winced as thorns dug their way deeper into his skin, but it was a pain he could bare if it meant preserving a life. He turned to make his way back to the doe, gathering other various materials along the way, keeping an eye out for anything the elder had suggested. When he had reached her he paused to gaze upon her tired form, his eyes resting on the glowing egg as he gauged its size and the possible size of the young who would emerge from it. This nest would serve as not only a protective home for the child as an egg, but a safe place to rest at or hide while it was just hatched.
Quietly moving around the others hard at work Apache made his way toward a large stout bush who's branches were thickly woven together. New growth had already begun and small green buds covered the branches, but within the area was relatively bare. Laying down his tipped to one side dumping his cargo on the ground next to him before standing once more. "Elder, I may have found a few things that might interest you, I hope that they are of some help." He said to the stallion, gesturing at his pile before turning back to his nest. Delicately working the branches so he could fit a hoof in without damaging it he began to dig, working the earth until a hole about six inches deep was carved near the trunk, large enough for the egg to fit in comfortably. Packing the extra dirt he had dug around the edge of the whole to create a lip that would serve to keep water out and the little one in he withdraw his hoof to inspect his work so far. Once finished the stallion began to work on the outside of the bush, working the earth until it sloped away from the plant so the water from rain would naturally run away from it, protecting the egg from water. With this done he returned all the leaf litter until it all looked natural once more.
Now was the time for the interior, picking up grass and leaves he had gathered Apache crouched down, using his hoof to the best of his abilities he began lining the nest, once he had lain down the padding he placed the moss on top leaving a pile of leaves within easy reach, he turned to the thorn and bramble branches he had gathered. Relying upon the knowledge he had gathered when helping his mate to weave a nest of her own, he began weaving the bramble branches into the natural ones of the bush substituting normal branches he had also gathered along with it until he had created a tightly woven roof and walls that would keep the rain out but not hinder the natural growth of the bush allowing the leaves to grow in and provide camouflage and more protection. If any predator attempted to push its way through the walls the thorns would certainly be a fierce deterrent, he had left several hanging loose so he could pull them down on front of the entrance where he weaved that at a door with some of the living branches.
By now his lips and gums were bloody from working with the branches and thorns, but this would all be worth it so long as this egg went to a worthy home. With the extra leaves stored in the den where they'd be kept draw, he could cover the egg providing warmth, the hole would help keep it cool as it held the egg lower in the ground. The shade from the leaves and branches would also keep it cool and would serve as a wall to hold in the bubble of warmth in the winter. Now was the last part, a final touch he had done with his mate's own nest. Moving his cranium back Apache began to careful work at the feathers in his own wings until he had worked out some of the looser one. Then he used these to line the nest, his eyes softened as he took great care in arranging the feathers. They were just as an important part to this nest as the protective wall, for they would provide the comfort and scent of him for the young to sleep with when he was away. When it first hatched it would associate his scent and these soft feathers with love and shelter. They were not there to only provide a soft warmth, but comfort.
He had nothing more to offer, and he forced himself not to look at the other nests unable to see how much the others may have surpassed him in providing a suitable home for this young child. In the time he had spent to work on this nest he had begun to feel a love toward that glowing orb, if his mate was still alive he'd be making nests like this for their foal. In this labor of service the stallion had begun to feel a deep love and compassion toward the doe and her child, as if they were is own family he sought to protect and care for. He only wished that he was only making a temporary shelter for the child to reside in as its mother recovered, but the heavens called to her, today she would go and dwell with her gods and lost relatives. Not knowing what else to do but step forward and explain his own idea. He felt nervous, the others seemed to have done so well.
Bowing his head, using his mane to hide the blood that stained his lips, he presented his own den. "I modeled this nest after one I had made to shelter my own," He took a breath," mate. I used a bush as the foundation, settled at the base of a tree where it will not be trampled upon, it is stout and strong and will continue to grow with the child providing shelter and space for it to rest. Beneath I dug a hole and lined it with leaves, grass and moss to provide not only comfort but warmth, in the hotter month one can remove some of the padding to make it cooler in the winter more from the store located within can be added.
The pile of leaves near the nest, sheltered by the branches, can also act as a camouflage as it keeps the child warm, and the thorn branches woven into the bush not only help to create a rain barrier but also ward away any predators. The feathers that I have taken from my own wings will provide a break in the leaves and help to keep it warm and comfort with my scent near he or she while I am away like you have suggested. I am but a humble Pegasus and I am sure others among this group are far better suited for such a precious honor as raising this child, but this shelter and my life served in protecting and nurturing this babe is what I offer you this day. But like the maiden before has stated, I do not wish to see this child bonded, when he or she has grown they are free to leave like any foal is to face the world as a vibrant adult. I will not ask for a bond, this is your child in whom I will respect and care for as my own."
Again he bowed as he stood by his nest, his wing stretched out over it to claim it as is. This nest could have been for my own child. Sadness filled his heart at the thought of what could have been, if he was allowed to keep this egg he would love it as his own foal not view it as a companion likes the child's mother had said. If another was deemed worthy then he hoped they loved and cherished the life they had been entrusted with, so long as it had someone to love and protect it, with the smart and ingenuity to see it safe even when they were not there, he would be content. The child deserved that much and more.
Word:2080
Edited 9/10/2013: added more text and interaction with the other horses.
I stood there, silently, and quietly, hoping not to intrude the deep conversations of the others. There was nothing I could do but sit there, thinking of something to say, bfore another blurted something out ahead of me. But I quietly waited, for my turn would come. My blaze moved back and forth as I listened to others intellegent suggestions on where exactly to keep the does child. For I yearned to care for a child, raise it, and treat it as my own. It would not be spoiled, or turn sour, but learn ways to cope with lifes dilemas, and not whine its way through them.
I swished my short dock, and looked around at the looming croud, shouting out their temorary ideas for shelter of the child. And finally, a wise one stepped forward and stated a memorable verse.
"So you would prefer the child be alone for its entire life, no one to guide it, to nourish it? You just wish to leave it someplace alone, and never return to it? That's like danging a rabbit in front of a wolf's nose! There are predators out there that could easily devour a small little fawn in a single chomp! Wouldn't you rather the child have someone to care for it during its life, someone to talk to and to love? It seems you'd like the child to simply live a lonely life with no one to take care of it."
I nodded my dished head, in complete approval. And spoke out in my tiny british nuanced voice -
"Please, enough with the temporary shelter. I can provide shelter for your child, nestled in the comfort of my side, I will do my very best to protect it, and tend to its needs. For a structure is not what a child needs, it is a mother. The child may lay nestled in my hair, swaddled tightly, and protected from the elements, warmed by my own body, and myself will last much longer than an log, or ditch."
I said, batting my long lashes, and swaying my lithe body. I desperately gazed at the doe, the amule laying at her ankles, I desperately wanted to help the soul, but what use could I be?
So many others... How and why were there so many here?! The smell of blood had hit me the moment I had spoken to the doe. The little bundle, clearly her child lay at her feet. What could I do? What could I do to save the mother? It wasn't fair for the child to grow up without her mother... Just like it wasn't fair for me either.... My mind was spinning with everything going on around me. I listened as the others came in and offered help much like I had... But the closer I looked the more I knew there was nothing we could do to save the doe... She was bleeding to much... Like Daddy had been... I took a hesitant step back as a strange pegasus flipped out. I rounded on her so fast I barely knew how fast I had spun. "That is not a choice for you to make for any of us! You have no right to say anything! So just... just shut up!" My gaze clearly fell on the pegasus, as an older unicorn stallion had spoken just before me.
He went on to say we should work together and I merely nodded. What would make a good nest for the little one... How was I really supposed to know? Wait... That's it! I turned back to the doe, my eyes brimming with tears. How well I knew how her child must feel, but at least I had my older siblings and the Qian to protect me. I finally spoke up again, my voice much softer. "I can not offer a nest, as I do not know how to build one. But I can offer the safety of sleeping at not only my side, but my family's. We have slept next to one another ever since my mom and dad were killed. I promise to look after your baby the way my big brother and sister look after me. I know I am only a child, but we can grow together..." I let my voice crack and drop off, as my emotions overwhelmed me. Being in this place, and the smell of blood and soon death was almost to much. I just wanted to see that the baby was going to be looked after and cared for.. Even if I was not the one to be caring for him or her...
Breath rattled in the doe's chest, a dying wolf caged and alive only by the desperate need to relay a message. Voices clamored, singing a death toll as they eagerly clambered over one another for the possession of an animal to bond to, a special companion to show off as prize or trophy- did Raeden believe this, as the pegasus did? No. Yet neither did she feel compelled to venture forth, words mangled with excitement, offering to build up nests. Raeden was not cruel not vindictive, and would not bypass a dying soul, especially a child, considering she was little less than a year old still. Yet with the very air shaking with the tumult of voices soft and low, deep and loud, the cool forest oxygen tasting sharply of the electric thrill throbbing in the air, she couldn't quite muster her own readiness to please this doe and steal away a prize for herself. Of course, she loved competing- and winning- but who knew if she was more well-suited to bond to the new companion than anyone else? Did she deserve it?
The doubt ate away at her, and like all plastic people, all she felt was the niggling insecurity that she pushed down time after time threatening to choke her. She was glorious, beautiful, the daughter of a spy and prom queen.
I am strong and powerful and can do what I like.
Raeden shakes her head and wiggles her tight little rump, letting her mane settle in waves upon her neck. Her lips curl petulantly, and her sea-foam green eyes widen in shock at the multiple, vulgar outbursts leaping up from all around her. Then again, why was it so surprising? Commoners often fought each other- that's why scars made their pelts uglyyy- not to mention they were idiots. "Well, clearly some people got it all wrong." The filly purrs, stepping forward with a bounce to her step, an ever-constant flirtatious twinkle in her eyes and a rose in her cheeks. "What's the use of a cold, wet nest when the sun does not rise, and the earth is cool with winter's ever-lasting breath? I offer my side, my warmth, my comfort- I can take your child anywhere and everywhere, and we can explore our world together."
A nest? The dying creature was going to gift them if they proved themselves worthy. Arah would like nothing more than to prove herself worthy and accept this blessed gift. The white doe looked over her then slowly rose to find the things she needed to make a nest worthy of such a beautiful egg. It just so happened that the impersonator had already made a box like nest for a different egg in this forest. She knew exactly what she needed to make it again. Searching high and low the ivory mare finally came to find three decent sized bits of bark. Snapping them, and getting five reasonably even sized pieces, Arah would use them to form a box. They weren't sticky however, she would have to get them to stick together. Finding some tree sap exactly like she did the other time made the white mare grin. Picking each piece up with her teeth and rubbing tree sap on to the sides of each of the pieces was messy work, so the impersonator took her time, being careful to keep all of the sap off of her coat. Once the box was formed and the sap was drying, the white mare wondered off to get creative.
Feathers lingered in a old birds nest, snagged by the twigs. How convenient. Gathering up the numerous feathers she wondered back to her slowly drying box. Not yet ready to put them in the box the mare dropped them beside her creation. Stripping off huge leaves from a plant near by, The mare curled them up and placed them in the bottom of her box. Smiling next she put the feathers in, for comfort and warmth. Wondering off the mare searched for twigs along the ground, she picked them up and began to pack the sides of the box with them. Their purpose was to help hold the egg in place, keeping it secure and also to cover up any holes in the side of the box where the bark didn't quite reach. Almost done, Arah began to search for a few last things. Stumbling along some vines the impersonator picked them up and carried them back to the box. Slapping on some tree sap as she passed, the mare then put the ends of the vine to the box. Should she have to move it, the vines would make that possible. Getting closer to finishing the box, Arah paused and looked around. What else? Something to work as a blanket, something that would cover the egg in case it was cold? Another big leaf should work..right? Finding one she pick it up and added it too her box.
Grinning happily, she grabbed the box with her teeth. Lifting up the now dry box to a low hanging brach, Arah stepped through it and carried it back over to the doe. "This will keep the egg safe, warm and with me every step that I take, should you pick me." Arah offered the dying doe a sad smile again and full view of the box.
514 words.
And a sun set to lay away your day to day fears
And I ain't afraid to die, I’m afraid of going to hell.
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✽ No fatal or permanent damage. ✽
✽ Please only tag in opening posts. ✽
When the Four disappeared, the Mortals were overcome with fear. Two have returned. The Mortals have hope again.
Let's see what we can do about that, shall we?
The night is still dark, still full of terrors. The doe is dying, and what's a little death without a bit of ill-intentioned mischief to go along with it? She had called to it, after all, the darkness, beckoned it closer with her mention of it. Now its tendrils are reaching out for her, for all of them, and there's nothing they can do to stop it. Onward they come, grinning little minions of death, all matte black goo and glowing red eyes. Perhaps you might see a hint of horns on their brows, marking them as demons, but it will be short-lived, for their forms are ever-changing as the substance that makes them shifts and melts and flows. They are darkness, and they are death, and they are out to have fun tonight.
What are they? Where did they come from? Why are they here?
Well, I cannot answer the last, my dears, but I can tell you this: they are made of the darkest tar the night can bring, summoned forth by the evils fought by the Four upon their disappearance from the land. Two have returned, but they have not claimed victory, and so the darkness clamors on.
Low thuds and squelches can be heard as they emerge from the trees, drawing closer to the gathering. The doe's lights are fading, oh, yes, she's very close now. The relentless onslaught of cackles - audible, though they make no sound - it could almost be in your head, surrounding you, threatening to break you - they draw ever nearer, and that's when the real fun begins. The holes are what they target first, for there are many, in all different places. Their feet - do they even have feet? Or are they just oozing across the ground? - fill the holes with muck, ruining the nests that had been placed there.
And do you notice that the tar is spreading? It moves over the ground, lapping against the doe's body before sticking, pulling it way up her sides, as though attempting to envelope her. Death is near, and they don't want to wait much longer. Perhaps you still hear the mad laughter ricocheting around your mind as they leer gleefully at you. And then you will realize that they are all one and the same, connected by the same muck that laps at your hooves, pulling and holding you in place. And then it begins to rise, hoping to claim even more of you, trying to grow until it can drown you.
Now you find that they can jump. They leap for the boxes and sacks carried so carefully by the Children of the Four. They reach for the nests and place ruin and destruction upon them, for their tar only seems to grow where it lands, multiplying and spreading and covering everything in its path. There are many, but there is only one. They are devouring you, and the doe, and the child, and they are grinning and laughing and dancing as they weave their intricate web of darkness around your feet.
Chaos unfolded. Kiro found himself pushed aside, shoved, found himself eating feathers and tasting dirt as a wild pegasus and an unruly crowd move and gather and all attempt to grasp the doe's attention at the same time. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, but another shove knocked it from his focus. A snarl appeared on his mouth, as the doe seemed disinclined to respond to him, to any of them. She is already dead, he grumbled to himself, not bothered to fight for the prize he had half-heartedly worked for. He waved his horn about at any who got too close - perhaps he sliced at the skin of a few of the more rambunctious ones - before clacking his teeth together in annoyance and drawing back to the shade of the trees once more.
It was there that he noticed that strange sensation again. Darkness seemed to call to him, and as he flicked an ear towards the ground, towards the shadows, he was sure he saw them move. He could feel his curse within him, he had been able to feel it ever since the rising of the Moon again, and now it seemed to burn within his heart. Selfish is as selfish does, the old hag's words resounded in his head, over and over, repeating until all he could see was the many demons, the one warlock, the one who cursed him, here again, ready to curse them all.
Selfish is as selfish does.
No.
"NO!" He shouted, loudly, rearing up on his hindquarters so that his cloven forefeet struck out at the darkness. "YOU WILL NOT SUCCUMB!" He called to the doe now, to all those around him. He would not have them suffer as he had suffered. He defied the darkness, allowed the curse within him to pull him towards them - and so as he landed upon all fours again, he surged forth, horn poised at what he hoped was the beast's heart, his centre, his core. He would defeat this, if it was the last thing he ever did. His limbs slowed as it pooled around him, but he pushed on, not caring if he fell into it face first, snorting the black muck out from his nostrils and continuing on anyway. He swung his horn about, the silver weapon gleaming like a sword of light amidst the darkness, attempting to gut the creature, to make it spill its precious lifeforce, and be reabsorbed by the surrounds, the ether, to disperse and stop harming them.
"BE GONE!"
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One moment everything was calm, quiet and peaceful. They all stood around the dying doe proudly displaying their handmade nests when it happened. All of a sudden the world seemed to grow colder, become darker, shivers worked their way up the Impersonator's spine. Wide terrified eyes glanced at the faces of others before turning to face the horror that she felt creeping up on to her. She did not know what it was, but the tar like matter that was creeping towards them all scared the white doe. She would push through this though. The slender mare rushed forward into action, only to feel the horror of the matter creeping up and around her legs. The box/nest that hung around her neck seemed to be rather safe for the moment, until that stuff started to climb up her. It was doing just that. They would need to band together, unite under a common goal of saving the egg...THE EGG! Where the heck was it? They needed to find the baby, no. Arah wanted to find the baby and help it, not to prove herself to the quickly dying die, but because this was who she was as a being. "We have to save the egg!" She screamed out to them all.
Arah spares one last glance towards the doe's dying body. Whatever was attacking them seemed to be eating the body. So long...friend. Now only the egg and everyone's safety was on her mind. Every single nest within the trees was being filled with the disgusting tar, so far her box remained safe, maybe...just maybe the egg would come to rest safely within it. She saw the muck creeping everywhere, but the golden orbs did not see the egg. No doubt it was sinking beneath the muck, dying...after everything they had all just promised to the doe, they could not let her child die. Arah herself would not allow it. It was hard moving through the muck, but inspired by a shout from another, the antlered mare continued to search for the egg. Most of the other nests where destroyed, hers remained out of reach from the tar. If anyone else had a similar nest to hers and they found the egg first she would be over joyed, knowing that it was safe, however with all the other nests she saw from before being recked, Arah wondered if she was the egg's last hope.
She she fought, stabbing the muck, killing everything that she could, trying to find the egg. A light shone before her...was it the egg?! Stabbing through the rest of the tar the mare continued to search desperately. "The child!"
449 words.
And a sun set to lay away your day to day fears
And I ain't afraid to die, I’m afraid of going to hell.
✽ Force and magic permitted. ✽
✽ No fatal or permanent damage. ✽
✽ Please only tag in opening posts. ✽
And suddenly, bad went to worse. Monsters of slick, black goo seeped into the area, destroying the nests. I realized I had left mine upon the ground, but even before they could leap to my nest, I swept it into my jaw, trying to keep it safe. So far tar had not touched it, so maybe, just maybe, this child would be able to nest within it. I raised my head, the sheen white glimmer in my eye was a sign of fear. Hooves were swallowed, the demons swept across the ground, reaching for the doe. I watched them pass me, the creatures of slime, they sought the doe, the child. I widened my eyes, fear striking my gut. I felt the heavy weight as the tar sought to hold me prisoner.
A pristine mare wailed, fighting the tar. I huffed, putting my strength into raising my hoof. My large body proved heavy to pull, yes, but my muscle and semi-flexibility allowed me to heave my weight over, spinning to face the doe. I watched in horror and the thick goop began to devour the does' dying body. I placed the box atop my back, struggling. I was only a foot from the doe, or, what I thought was the doe. I struggled, pulling myself to where I hoped the glowing orb was. I droned out a stallion's screaming, trying to focus. One move could leave me stuck in the tar. I shivered as I thought of it, seeping into my mouth, sliding down my throat, filling my entire body with tar, choking me. I swear I saw a flickering glow from within the dark tar. Fear ripped through me, my muscles tensed. I would fling myself upward if my teeth fastened on anything, yes, that was my plan. I gave one heave, pushing myself closer to the faint glow. I thought my hoof had touched what was left of the doe, but I couldn't be sure. It was dark, and even with my night vision, fear had wrapped a silken cloth around my eyes. With a gulp, I desperately reached for what I hoped to be the doe's neck, searching desperately for the orb. I felt my neck, pressure slowly bending it to a point of pain. I narrowed my brow, trying to grab what I thought was the child.
And now, my life (and possibly even the child's) was in the wicked hands of Fate.
"Talk talk talk"
There was a terrible something that squirmed in her heart, ink spilled across clean paper, spreading and flooding, staining the clean white with oily black, rotten, ill, nefarious. It grew in her chest, blossoming pitch flowers, spreading obsidian branches, curdling the already-dire situation, until the girl flinched, recoiling away from the scent permeating the air already smelling of death and rot. She stepped back, confidence momentarily sapped by the growing sense of unease, squirreling deep into her body, and then she shrieked, for something was coming, sliding out of the darkness in thick tar goop, red eyes glowing and glistening, voices chuckling with a horrific intent. Her voice rose in pitch, becoming a shrill and petrified squeak of terror, before her voice drained away.
Dimly, first, her horn began to glow pale blue and violet, then brighter, cleaner, and sharper, it's translucent form turning hard and difficult to see through.
The screams grew louder around her, drowning her, sending her sputtering into the depths of darkness, and fear was closing up her throat, sending her backing away before her resolve hardened, solidifying into sharp belief and confidence. Her horn grew brighter and brighter, blinding nearly, and then her horn dropped, sweeping her head desperately and wild as the clammy substance began to clamber up her legs, turning her skin cold and thick. What would happen if it reached her heart, her lips, her nostrils, her eyes? Bad enough it was ugly and dirtied her coat.
Of course, Raeden didn't know it, but her special brand of magic was a purifier, a cleanser of the bitter and dark, meant to drive out illnesses and infections. Would it work on the vile monsters?
Wading her way through the substance, she moved as quick as she could to the deer, protecting her. Maybe she was a lost cause already, but she had had something to say. Back and forth her horn goes, making work (she hopes) of the tar monsters with her activated magic, the darkness disrupted by the brightness of her glowing horn. "It'll be okay!" She screeches, her voice cracking, composure crumbling as she leans in to the near-dead deer, putting her horn to the substance crawling up her legs, praying the bizarre glow from her horn might do something, anything.
They saw through eyes hazed by forelocks and greed and to for that the image of her actions were painted as a threat upon this canvas of opportunity. She was going to take their precious slave-in-an-egg and that was something they simply could not stand for - well for those who seemed to even be aware it was happening. Too many joyfully trotted away to make their nests or otherwise stood back blinking and proceed to drawl on about their superiority of nest choice.
Only two truly strove to act.
The annoyingly bossy horse with antlers and a white pelt shoved his rear feet into her left shoulder, stumbling her and casting her attacks awry so that she bite and kicked and slapped only air and perhaps part of the body striped body belonging to the hybrid horse. The site of the impact swelled slightly with the promise of a bruise, but otherwise the kick had been feeble and light, as intended. It was enough of a force to derail her assault and pause her momentum as she stood to the side, head draped in her mane as it hung low, looking all the world like a dejected filly.
They descended upon her, the two and others still, about selfishness yet still they did not understand. What made it worse was how easily they swept over her attempted murder and theft, far too eager to be done with her and put the spotlight back upon their motivation, their worth, their wants. They dared to call her selfish?
Her sides shook as the energy of tumultuous emotions spiraling through her were expelled into physical waste, such was the excess of their power as they unspun in her mind and razed her heart. The madness of the moment churned into laughter in her gut which sent her sides shivering all the more.
"Morons!" she cried out suddenly, wings snapping out on either side and her blue gaze wheeling around; she brandished it like a blade, ready to pierce at anyone that took her fancy. "You still think yourselves selfless! I never said I would let the child live alone, only that it would not be enslaved to my soul!". The irritating pale stud was right in one thing at least; she was no fit mother. Yet which was more valuable, freedom, or safety? She could give it one, all of them, the other.
None of them had the right to decide, including the babes mother.
" I'm sure you'd all care for it now, in this hour of need, but what when the babe is old enough that it no longer needs to suckle and hide? Then do you offer it the choice to stay with you, or run wild? NO, it has no CHOICE then. No matter how many apples you cover this manure with, the pile still smells - it's rotten inside."
They all had good intentions, yet they were but hollow husks encasing something vile, like a silver lining encasing a storm cloud that would rain destruction upon the land.
The path to hell is paved on good intentions, so it seemed we're all damned.
As she cried at all of them she was steadily pumping her wings, rising into the air. It was obviously pointless to try and reach any of these imbeciles when they were too distracted by the prize shining just before their eyes. It shone so brilliant it was easy to let it blind you.
Such brilliance in this despairing dark.
So much dark.
Creeping, crawling, moving dark.
Ampere squealed in dismay as she noticed shadows literally pouring around the doe - had all the candles snuffed out? She could not see, the poisoned mud obscured her rationality by prickling the back of her neck with fear and paranoia.
And then the brilliance returned and hope blossomed in her chest like a frail night flower unfolding for the black sun.
Ampere dared to try one more time to rescue this life undoubtedly meant for misfortune as all us mortal souls are. She dropped downs suddenly, swooping low with her eyes latched on the brilliant glow of the pulsing life that held so much promise for everyone here. What an insignificant little orb in reality, yet it had so much control over them, like a sun dictating the tilt of their planetary existence they could do nothing but spin about it, caught in a trance of desire.
There Ampere thought as she reached for the shiny object, racing the darkness which threatened to swallow her and at times splattered against her, much to her feminine disgust. her fore hooves reached and her maw opened in a silent scream of need, but when she pulled up from her dive, the silver flash she'd received had not come from her gripping the egg.
Kirottu's horn had sung into her flesh. The melody was one familiar to Ampere, a rhythm that worked alongside her heartbeat, for too often had she heard the red song by passion. Perhaps the next time she dove head first into her cause she aught to remember to turn the radio off. Sometimes silence like that is better for your health.
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Magic or force permitted any time, aside from death.
09-16-2013, 10:25 PM (This post was last modified: 09-16-2013, 10:45 PM by Rasta.)
There was so much screaming! There were so many voices! There were so many beings moving around and shaking the ground in their attempts to drag heavy objects. It was beginning to get overwhelming. And some of them were calling all of them selfish. Some of them were saying that the others had no compassion. Some where showing a completely rude side. Some were saying that others were basically daft for not asking for help. But, no matter how badly she wanted to chew out the creatures who had said such a thing - to say that she would have been willing to offer her nest as something to build off of - she bit her tongue. She would not fight. She didn't have the energy to do such a thing.
And they continued to move. They continued to speak. That was, until all seemed to fall silent as the vibrations continued to increase ten-fold. No. A hundred-fold. She could feel her entire body trembling from the overwhelming sensations that were being sent through her bones. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain. What was this so similar to? The border. This was exactly like the Helovian border. Where her other half had been so easily severed from her form without so much as a goodbye. But, she couldn't make out what it was. In fact, it was growing even more intense with each second that passed.
She stumbles backwards only to feel something cling onto her hooves the second she has started to stabilize her swaying frame. Legs spread wide and tears on her cheeks she doesn't even realize that the nests that were closest to the ground had begun to fill with this being that was creating all of the vibrations. She could not feel anything except this massive looming wall as it tore all of her senses from her. There was a pounding sensation in her cranium as the vibrations fought to screw with her head. Never had she felt so helpless -so broken and beaten. Her heart had sped up in an attempt to match the speed of the palpitations of this creature which was looming before her. And, then she felt the clinging begin to climb up her legs. Reaching, grabbing, clawing, sticking. It was trying to pull her down. And the oxygen was barely coming to her lungs. Her audits were pinned to her skull as she attempted to move forward, where she knew there was no tree directly in her path. Trying, trying so hard, just to start to break free from the one thing was trying it's hardest to kill her. Her glowing hawk marking shone brightly against the tar, the last symbol of her fight. The last symbol of the missing part of her soul.
A deep breath in and she let out a bellowing cry. "If you have wings get the egg. Someone give the creatures with the wings the Egg. Fly away! Fly away and don't look back. Do not pity us! You cannot save us..." She called out, her bellowing starting to turn into a wheeze as she felt the wall of vibrations continue to intensify and wrap around her chest. "S-save the ch-child. It d-de-ser-ves a life..." she choked out, kicking out toward the unseen wall, feeling some of it shatter under her hooves and the tar start to descend back down her chest, no longer squeezing her lungs. But, as soon as she fell still again it continued to crawl up her tiny body.
Her mind. Her soul. They were both broken. She would die alone. Or at least, if she died now, she would believe that she had died alone. The vibrations were creating such a headache that she couldn't tell if anyone was around her. She couldn't tell if the world was even right-side up. She just heard voices screaming. The words: it'll be okay! But, will it really be okay? She didn't feel like it.
She opened her mouth one last time, silent tears escaping her blind orbs as she fought to suck in more air while her lungs were starting to be constricted. A whine of pain. A whine of the torture, and then the wall was wiping away her tears. Like it was attempting to comfort her before she felt it beginning to claw at her face. She swung her neck. Again the creature was retreating from it's clawing upon her face, and back down her neck. But moving her legs was still proving difficult.
And then. A different vibration source was calling. A calmer one. One that was slower. One that actually sounded like a steady heartbeat. One that was beginning to edge into the vibrations that was clouding her entire world. She didn't know what it was. She didn't know if it was death coming to take her away before she could feel the real pulls and torture of this creature that had swarmed in. She didn't know if it was attempting to stop the creature. She just knew that she needed to concentrate on those vibrations and not the suffocating ones around her frame. "Let the child have a life - the one it chooses..." she choked out, her lungs still trying to be squeezed, and she could feel the bruises as they began to form just under her hide.
Then, there was nothing but pain and a black world as her mind fought to concentrate on vibrations that were not the wall, shrouding everything in black...
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So, Rasta isn't dying. She's just getting a lot of bruising and the tar is starting to suffocate her, but allowing her just enough room to get gasping breaths of air in. Basically... it's torturing her until she gives up fighting to live...
My lilly like feet dragged throu the tar. It stuck deeply in between every hair on my foot, slowly reaching up my cannon. I flipped my long hair onto my back, allowing no tar to tough the child's future bed. For if it was saved there needed to be a place for it. The doe was too far away from me to save, I glanced over to her in the chaos with big sorrowful eyes, protruding from my dished, lightning bolted face. Tears streamed from my eyelashes, blurring my vision even more, but I had to stay focused. "THE CHILD! THE CHILD!" I cried, pain, and desperation screeched in my petrified voice. The child had to be safe. No matter whom it was safe with. It had to be safe.
The black, gooey death burned my nerves. My frogs screamed with pain. But my small, determined feet would not stop trudging through the tar to the child. I broke through the chaos, shattering it like a bullet. Nothing could get in my way of reaching the child. The The tar seemed to come into the forest in waves, becoming deeper, and deeper, all I could do was stuggle harder, and harder to stay afloat in the burning substance. My legs were burned, Now almost numb with the excruciating pain. My mostrils heaved in and out the thick black smoke looming in the air. It smelled like death, sinking deep into my skull, it helped my brain realize the serious danger we were all in. We were not in your everyday tar pit, we were in hell.
The only light illumination the horror scene was the last lingering light from the does antlers, protruding deep into the clouds of death. Her light was the only visible light in the opaque darkness, causing me to crash into, and bounce off of the other horses. I couldn't hear crap. My ear-drums were clogged with dust, and dirt, letting no audible sound to my brain, which was pounding, inside my head like a sledgehammer. Adrenaline coursed through my small veins, overloading my petite body. All I could do was mumble a halfhazard sorry after crashing into the shoulder, or rump of another. At least I thought I mumbled, I couldnt hear my own voice. Most of their sizes much larger than mine, allowing them to move alot more easily through the black lake of fire.
The Child never left my mind through the chaos. With every pound in my skull, all I could think of was the horrors, knocking on the shell of the egg. It was inly a matter of time, before the egg was no longer somewhat safe.
Artemis was indifferent to the arguing of the other horses. Her nest was made, and although working together was a fine idea, she was certain even such 'righteous' souls had ulterior motives. Maybe they said these things in order to get their so called 'prize'. Convince the doe that it would be no slave, for their own gain. Her eyes rolled and the large mare leaned almost casually against the nearest tree, her eyes filled with sorrow for the doe, yet indifference to the equines that continued to argue and waste everyone's time, especially the fading deer's. Time, for her, was limited. The lights were fading fast.
But it was not the light that was the concern any longer. It was the darkness that concerned her. The lights that were cast from her delicate antlers served to brighten the gloom; the tiny lights flickering like tiny flames but providing the only real light source in the area beside the moon itself. The sounds started quickly as the equines chatted, and the unicorns ears pricked. She shifted, nickering quickly as a low warning; a silent shut the hell up, everyone as she tried to hear the noise over jabbering voices. The others soon silenced.
No! Somebody screamed, rearing and lashing out at an invisible enemy. Others panicked, clambering aimlessly. One was wounded, darting in front of the horn of another. All Artemis knew was, through the blurred bodies of panicked horses, the darkness was moving.
Her first instinct was to stop and fight, but as she reared and lashed out, she realized her legs caught nothing but air; the tar like darkness seemed to avoid her movements with ease, its fluid form reaching out to envelope her legs. With a snort she managed to dance to the side, away from pawing tendrils off blackness. Her eyes found the faintly glowing orb as the darkness began to seep over the doe. She was lost, and Artemis forced herself to forget the wide eyed gaze of the mysterious deer. Her focus shifted onto her burden and she burst forward into a canter, leaping over thick gloom. As she landed, the tendrils lashed out again, gripping her legs and almost causing her to tumble. Letting out a gasp, she struggled against the bindings, bucking in an attempt to free herself from the tar.
Hopeless.
She neared the orb, finding its form glimmering faintly as tar began to envelope its form like black waves crashing in slow motion over pearly cliffs. She called out, but her words were lost in the jumble of shouts and pleads of the others. Her muscles ached as she forced her mammoth form forwards, wading as fast as she could until at last she was in reach. She leaned out, neck outstretched as she tried to grab the orb before it was banished under the cover of black, so that she might throw it toward someone less stuck. The more she moved, the more the thing sucked her down; a tangled web of ebony draping over her legs and entangling her long, strong limbs.
Faelene knew the darkness was growing in power, in strength as the doe has warned. She heard it not with her ears, but in her head. Sickly,poisonous laughs, and turned to see the warped demons in liquid form coming to consume them all. If from shadow itself, dwelling in what had been nests, and aiming for their very bodies.
Attention glittering between the doe and the silver Unicorn he seemed to have realized it too. With great courage he crashed at the darkness ready to fight this strange enemy, and she found something rise in herself. The egg ! The egg! She was sure she heard. The sounds in her head were much louder.
Faelene didn't stand, waiting for the tar to continue, to grow. In the dull lights of the doe she could see it had no want to remain on the ground. It was growing, rising, beginning to nestle the mother and child in a sickly cocoon while destroying other nests. Faelene struggled against its thickness, the same as everyone else. Instead of making a mad dash for the orb, drown faster in this demon spawn, she continued to work each of her feet, pulling against the sticky suction, trying not to let it remain. Why she too rather help the child if she had no plan, if she swam around like a frantic drunk in a sea she would be of no use. With her mind wheeling, her legs trying to pump, she merely glimpsed the blue bird brain being halted by the silver stallion's horn. Madness. How do you stop it?
The small white mare mad a good point to give it to a winged. Both of them sounded hopeless, and feather brained. Everyone had good intentions for this child in their own way. Was anyone else really free of this? The larger white mare seemed to be making head way, but it didn't take much for all forms and the black to smear together. Raeden, yes the other child in danger became a thought, working against the ugly demon's glee that echoed in her skull. In waves of panic that surrounded her, she found she wasn't scared but focused. She knew what she had to do.
Silver eyes upon the muck that surrounded the doe, the orb, and little Raeden who had pressed into the antlered's side, the red maned begins to work the frazzled energy around them. Cold sweat beads on her poll, and she feels if she has been submerged in icy waters. The spark begins to build in her vessels, she can feel the warmth, the light stinging static. And so with every thought, every want, every piece of her heart she tries to force the tar from their bodies.
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