Fantasy The Chosen of Seven

[Jayus]

She didn't even give him a chance to hesitate. She held her arms out for him to take, eyes focused and with a hint of fear glossing the dark gaze as she waited patiently for him.


He almost reached immediately to take her hands, curiosity getting the better of him as to what it felt like to hold hands with someone. Was it warm? Was it cold? Did it feel off? But he stopped himself. Instead he held his own hands to his chest, nervously rubbing them together and trying his best to will his blush to reside.


"U-um... W-well. I guess I'll lift off now heh." He said softly. Realizing how long it had been since he managed to squeak the sentence out he opened his wings and flew up. It wasn't as strong as Fekitoa would've liked it, but when he was finally able to catch the air underneath his wings it was smooth rising from there. The wind was cool against his rustling feathers and for a moment in the embracing sun he had forgotten about the most important detail. Looking down he took a gulp of air to ready himself and reached for her hands. Realizing it was a stupid idea he faltered and reached for her forearms. He felt her muscles underneath his grip contract as she tensed up. He feared he was hurting her, but after asking once and twice with no reply Fekitoa told him to just fly anyway.


"I-I'm gonna fly now! Hang on!" he screamed over his own wings and started climbing in the air. Once the trees replaced the ground beneath her own feet he flew forward. Slowly at first, beating his wings only when he felt himself sinking downwards and carefully raising his speed gradually. He looked down once... twice... eventually he was focusing more on Phoebe than the view in front of him. She was making the most oddest facial features and her eyes opened and shut repeatedly. He loosened his grip, scared he was hurting her and worriedly tried to speak.


"Phoebe? Phoebe please tell me if you're okay!?"


She finally said something. It was barely anything and he dangled his head down in front of hers hoping to hear it more clearly.


"Excuse me what?"





"I hate flying!" The shout caught him off guard and he whipped his head back up, his heart beating a mile a minute. He was even more worried now. Was he flying too fast? Was he too high? Was he flying too bumpy?


'This isn't a road you dimwit you can't fly 'bumpy'.'


Despite Fekitoa's quips Kito was continuously worried when he heard her laughter. Warm and rich like honey and cutting through the biting wind like a knife as she threw her head out and laughed at her situation. Kito eventually smiled. It really was a ridiculous situation they were in and he could only imagine how stupid they must've looked from down below. But he didn't mind, rather he didn't care. For once his arms weren't the primary problem in his life.


That feeling didn't last long.


His arms were shivering and he passed it off as the cold at first. It was colder the higher you got, it was common knowledge especially to those who ventured into the atmosphere, but the shivering didn't hurt. Rather he couldn't feel anything except Phoebe's grip and the sensation in his elbows. the sensation in his elbows slowly crept down to his forearms and then his wrists... and then his fingers.





'Kito, swap with me right now.'


Kito began to panic and flew faster, hoping to reach land before land reached them.





'We've swapped too much today! You remember the last time right?'


'I got a headache, big deal, I'll just be in control for longer than normal. Kito this is madness swap with me.'





'No!' Kito looked down at the girl in his grip. She was visibly anxious about the speed they were travelling at, but Kito could only worry so much about that. The shivering turned to shaking and the muscles he could feel contorted and twisted like thorns pricking at his nerves. Soon all sensation was lost except in his fingertips.


'If you take control you'll make her leave!'


'Really that's your excuse? I won't make her leave we're on a mission! Wait is this about my personality? Is that it, Kito?'





'I didn't mean it like that!'





He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. The shaking was getting out of control and at times like this he would wrap his arms around himself in a tight embrace and will it away, but now he couldn't.


He couldn't feel his grip on her anymore. His arms fell limply to his side and dangled like a ragdolls with no hope of moving.


He couldn't feel her grip on him anymore.


Kito watched in horror as she got smaller and smaller. His wings moved and the air knocked against him yet made no sound. All his own thoughts were replaced by one yelling over and over and over.





'KITO SWAP NOW.'


Kito was in the brink of crying at himself and shut his eyes finally realizing he couldn't do this by himself. He felt himself descend from control and Fekitoa emerge into form.


His wings opened wider and the sensation that was lost crept up his arms and into his bloodstream. He bawled his hands into fists making sure it wasn't an illusion and immediately shot downwards for Phoebe as soon as he spotted her. From the speed he was reaching and the ground approaching he knew he wouldn't be able to ascend upwards again. There was only one way they were going and that was down.


He beat the air, falling faster and faster desperately trying to get to her and when he finally did he reached out for her arm and pulled her closer to him. His free hand slunk around her waist and the other moved from her arm to the back of her head as he cupped hers between his head and shoulder blade. Kito was right, their situation was crazy, but not as insane as his idea. He whispered her name knowing she was close enough to hear.





"Phoebe. You're going to be fine."





He stopped his beating wings and enveloped her in a cloth of feathers. Darkness and silence engulfed them as he blocked out the wind, rivalling a large black bullet in shape and speed. He felt the tree branches snapping at his wings and back, but he refused to be weakened by it. If he did Phoebe would get hurt and Kito would never forgive him. Ground grazed against him as he rolled repeatedly until he hit a rock. The wind was knocked out of him and he finally let out a gasp of pain. His breathing deepened as he tried to swallow oxygen. Once he was sure they had stopped moving he opened his wings, blooming like an evening flower and falling to his sides exhausted. He raised his head to peer over his chest and was pleased to see his plan worked. Phoebe didn't have a scratch on her. Relieved his head hit the floor.





'Told you I could do it.'


He heard a weak voice in the back of his head. 'It's all my fault.'


'No it's not. I should've been more insistent.'


'Is Phoebe okay?'





'She's breathing what more do you want?'





'I know, but please just check if she's okay?'





'I really don't care though.'





'Fekitoa please.'





Fekitoa let out a groan and winced at the pain in his side that came with it. Looking up once more his flaming eyes met her earthen ones.





"You okay?"





@SepiaInk

 

[TerraBooma]

"WOahaha!" Both children let out surprised wails as they were crushed by the hug of a warrior. "H-hey! storylady let us go!" They squirmed and wriggled under Adruo's embrace, before eventually yielding to the hug as it became obvious squirming away wasn't going to work. "Miss Addie!" Kiana said as she looked up. "Are you okay? You weren't waking up and Momma said you were in lots of pain...and you didn't look so good either." Kiara frowned for a moment before gently returning Adruo's hug with a relieved smile on her face.


Sammy did his best to look cool, which amounted to him trying to pose and smirk which was rather difficult from his hug-crushed perspective, instead he just kind of went "Hey! Storilady...leggo!" Sammy was aching a bit from his wound, but was visibly more frustrated with the bear-hug than any sort of life ending injury. A few minutes later they managed to get enough space to talk, Kiara speaking for the two of them. "You've been like this for a day now...it was really scary for a bit. Sammy woke up first." Sammy grinned and managed to point to his bed beside Kiara's. "Yah! I feel great! Better than eve-" Oooow..." Sammy groaned somewhat, some sort of injury still eating at him. Kiara kept explaining.


"Mr. Elf is still asleep, Momma seems frustrated with it for some reason, and I'm kinda worried....but he seems strong!"


Behind Kiara, across the room was Romon, bandaged in a few places but mostly unscathed. "The problem Momma says, is that it's not just a wound or something that's keeping him asleep...he should be okay." Worry flashed in the little girl's eyes as she looked up at Adruo. "Miss Addie...He's going to be okay right?" Sammy scoffed, shaking his head at Kiara. "Of course silly! he's a warrior! And a good guy!" Kiara looked at him with a puzzled expression, so he continued. "He'll be fine because he's a good guy! He helped save us after all." Sammy flashed a grin, and then looked to Adruo.


"So he's going to be just fine, just like I am!"


Just then, Kiara squaked slightly."Oh! Miss Addie! Momma wanted you to drink this." She held up a small soup, which smelled...less than great. "I've seen her make it before, it always makes people feeling better even if it's really yucky!"

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali let her mind wander as she waited. She briefly considered the path they would be taking, but soon moved on to what food she would have for dinner. She was also curious to see what her old room looked like now. Did they leave it as it was, or was someone else using it now? She jolted to attention when someone called out to her.


"Miss Frost Fang?" A timid voice spoke up. The ice mage looked at the young girl it belonged to. She couldn't recall meeting the girl before, but the youngster seemed strangely familiar. It was difficult to place a finger on exactly what was familiar.


"Um... hello?" Chilali was still trying to figure out if she had met the girl before. A far too recognisable smile spread across the youngster's face. A smile that brought up once happy memories that were now so tainted they only caused the mage sorrow.


The woman's face went stony, her voice showing no interest in idle chit-chat. "Do you need me for something?" The girl seemed to catch on. Her smile dropped and she gave her message.


"Dallas said that he is sorry for the way he left."


"And why did he not come to say so himself?" Chilali narrowed her eyes, feeling quite annoyed.


The girl gave a small, somewhat knowing smile. "He said you would ask that. He knows you will still be irritated at him and quite likely not listen to what he has to say. He also said that he was at risk of a mauling if he tried speaking to you."


Chilali almost smiled at that. Almost. She was irritated, just how Dallas had predicted. He was pretty accurate in his assumptions. That annoyed her even more. Even so, the mage took a deep breath to calm herself. "You can tell him that I received his message, but there's far more than his exit that I have a problem with." She finally decided.


The young girl nodded. She made a move to leave but hesitated. "Miss Frost Fang, about my sister..." The youngster looked at Chilali with clearly saddened eyes. Chilali couldn't take it. The guilt was overpowering. She just wanted to escape.


"Alright, I'm done now." Sylvanus' announcement came as a saving grace to the mage. She hastily excused herself before the girl got a chance to say anything further. Chilali quickly shut the door behind her. She knew it was the coward's way out, running away from her problems like she was, but she could not find it in herself to face them just yet. She breathed out a tired sigh. How much more time she needed was completely unknown. It had been several years and the memory was still far too fresh. A raw wound on her mind, festering and eating away at her confidence.


She shook herself to try and concentrate on the task at hand. She looked at Sylvanus for a moment, contemplating how the clothes fitted him. The pants - which had been her main worry - were the right length and seemed to fit around his waist just fine. Something about the shirt was a bit off though. She circled around him to see that his spider limbs had cut through the fabric on the back. "Sorry, I forgot about that." She apologised, touching her hand to where the fabric was already starting to fray. "Just wait a moment." The mage went to were her pack was laying. After scrounging through it, she came out with a needle and thread.


"Hold still and tell me if I prick you." She instructed as she began to sew the fabric around his limbs. She paid no heed to the legs themselves, concentrating solely on her task. In a few minutes, the edges were neatly hemmed and Chilali was able to bite off the last piece of thread. "That should do it." She took a step back. A small smile graced her features as she admired her handiwork. It wasn't a bad job, if she did say so herself.


@minismurf

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo kept the children in her vice-like embrace despite their protests. She did make sure to pay attention to what they were saying. The name Kiara called her by got a soft chuckle out of the dragonkin. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad you two are well." She was still in excruciating pain, but there was no way she would let the children see that. It might cause them to worry, which was the last thing she wanted to happen. At Sammy's expression of pain, Adruo let the children go. She still had no idea how Sammy was even alive. His injury should have been fatal. She definitely didn't want to risk worsening his state of health.


The dragonkin looked over to where Romon lay. Her brow furrowed at Kiara's explanation. "Not a wound?" What would be the cause of his slumber then? Was he faking it? That didn't seem like something the elf would do... did it? Adruo shook her head. She refused to think that Romon would do something like that if it caused another worry. But then, what was it?


Her thoughts flashed back to the battle. Her memory of it was somewhat hazy. She blamed that on whatever strange herb Mr. Crowley had given her as well as the adrenaline she had been running on at the time. Even so, she could recall seeing the elf's back glowing. She had seen his back before. It was inscribed with magic runes. Was the light from him using one? Considering how his physical strength seemed to spike in the middle of a fight, Adruo concluded that it was the most likely answer.


Adruo ruffled the young girl's hair with a small smile. "He should be just fine. You see, Romon has magic. When he uses too much, it will make him really tired." At least, that's what the dragonkin was hoping. She briefly thought back to when she was learning about magic. Her teacher had used the analogy of your body being a well and magic being the water in it.


She was brought back to attention when Kiara called out to her. She hesitantly took the soup bowl. Her arms were shaking from the mixture of pain and stiff muscles. She tried to not pull a face, but her nose wrinkled of its own accord. Her eyes darted between Kiara and the soup a few times. After a moment, she breathed out a long sigh. She tried her best to chug it down as fast as possible.


It ended with her coughing a few times and furiously wiping her mouth. "I am not going to lie... That was gross." She told the young child. It took a lot of her willpower to stop herself scratching her tongue free of the foul taste. She tried to stand, but her limbs refused to move any more. Adruo closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. "Kiara, I'm sorry to bother you like this, but can you get me some water? I can't move much yet." She asked the youngster with a small, guilty smile.


@TerraBooma

 

[SepiaInk]

Spoiler

Every muscle in her body had tensed up to the point of being painful, her heart close to bursting out of her chest, the hairs on her body bristling and her whole skin alert and screaming at the sensation of a thousand needles constantly pricking her body. There wasn’t much sunlight passing through the dense canopy, but to her dilated pupils it was like staring directly at the sun. And yet she couldn’t close them. They stayed wide open like that, the strain leaving them glazed with tears.


Even when the gears in her mind were jostled back into motion, all her brain could do was play her fall on a loop. It didn’t feel like they had landed at all, the world still felt like it was spinning, something kept whistling in her ears and she could see nothing but white blurs.


“You okay?”


That was it. She had to get up.


The muscles in her body spasmed without warning, but she was able to push against the broad chest she had been laying on to jump back onto her feet. At least, that was she had been hoping for, but her body had clearly not gotten the message that she was no longer in the air. Legs buckling, she tripped and came crashing down onto something soft. When she scrambled onto her knees and wobbled for a bit, it was with a fist full of feathers, and though a warning flashed in the back of her head at that realisation, she kept on going till she hit solid ground. All of a sudden, her nose was bombarded with smells. There was the scent of bark and when she threw out both her arms, she felt the trunk of a tree beneath her palms. She held onto that sole anchor and panted hard for a bit, trying desperately not to vomit and for the damn world to just stop spinning already!


It was only when she could tell up from down and the lights began to dim that she dared to open her eyes and push away from the tree. That’s when she noticed scratch marks on the trunk and it didn’t take long to realise they were her own; the scent on them was a dead giveaway. When she raised her hand to her head she felt them, the small velvet protrusions growing on the top of her skull. The few locks of hair that weren’t stuck to her sweaty skin fell like curtains over her face. The black inky colour was dripping away, leaving silver strands to shine under the sunlight.


With a couple of deep breaths she was able to get up and turn around. Her hands were still clenched around the feathers.


“…” The sounds that first came out of her throat barely qualified as such and only made her flush with annoyance. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Kito?” she called, blinking at the figure still laying on the ground. The mere sight of the arms that let her go sped up her heart and turned the earth in her eyes to steel. Instead of, “Are you alright?” what came out was, “What in the gods' name happened?”


As her eyes darted over the surroundings, she noticed her long sash on the ground next to the harpy, the red fabric as bright as blood in contrast to the scattered leaves. It must’ve loosened and fallen off her waist when she got up. She also spotted her bag laying next to a tree, contents spilled and probably broken. Right now, she couldn’t even find it in herself to be annoyed by any of that. She unclenched her hand and stared at the long black feathers.


“Y-you…” she stammered, swallowing down hard as her vision blurred. “You dropped me. You let me fall.” The last words dropped from her lips like the most bitter of poisons. Phoebe cursed under her breath as a bluish flame burned the feathers to ash.


Calm down, was the mantra she was holding on to. Breathe in, breath out. Calm down. Don’t let the side of you that is feeling only fear consume you. You’re not an animal. You’re not a deer that was just dropped from the sky. You’re a human who is jumping to her own conclusions. It’s possible that the whole thing had just been an accident. What reason could the other male possibly have to drop her?


“What happened?” This time the words came out in a softer tone, not one drop of accusation in them. The steel in her eyes melted and she forced herself to face the young harpy. “Did something happen with your arms? Did you lose feeling in them? Are you alright?” It was when that question left her mouth that she remembered to inspect the creature before her for any damage. And that’s when she realised that the only reason she was alive was because Kito’s wings had shielded her.


The curse that tumbled out of her mouth would have made even Almas blush.


“Your wings!” Phoebe took a few steps away from the tree and closer to Kito, stumbling far less now that her all her senses were back on track. "Are they damaged?”


Less than two hours with her new travel partner and she had already gotten him hurt. And they were both in a forest as well. The gods must be laughing at her right now.


@Jayus


 

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Mayweather Beckons

May had been cheerily tending the camp-site, preparing food to be cooked and ate as she hummed a sweet and pleasant tune when a familiar little raccoon scampered up to her feet. Seeing as she suspected Ezi to be following Severis around and keeping up with him, she kneelt down to take Ezi in her arms.


“What’s wrong, dear? Why have you come back early?”


It was clear he was distraught as he squirmed and leaped out of May’s arms. She released him in alarm and watched as he returned from where he’d come from. Mayweather had been around him enough to understand his intentions. She hurried after Ezi, avoiding the sharp twigs of bushes and winding roots until she stopped beside the raccoon who was now perched on Severis’ chest. A hand flew to her mouth and she quickly knelt beside him with wide eyes.


“Oh, no! What happened?” She asked Ezi as if the raccoon would be able to tell her. First thing is first, she had to figure out what had brought this on. Of course, she assumed it was the injury from the horrid creature. He had insisted consistently that he was fine but a part of her figured he wouldn't have told her if he was having a stroke, let alone about a physical injury. Not to mention the cut on his face looked a lot worse than it had before. “Alright, go get me those purple berries, Plum Pockets, as you know we call them,” May chuckled softly as if to lighten the situation and keep the panic at bay, “and some foxglove. Don’t give me that look, you've collected plenty of those.” While Ezi scurried off, May did her best to put Severis in a more comfortable position. She considered going back to camp for some cloths or something of the sort but didn't want to just leave him. Untying the white apron, she folded it nicely and placed it snugly beneath his head.


“Please do hurry, Ezi…” She murmured softly.


A couple moments later the sound of scampering feet could be heard and Ezi returned with a couple of plants dangling from his mouth. Luckily the little raccoon was wise enough not to bite down too roughly on the things he collected, for one so that he did not ingest any of the plants and so that they didn’t get ruined on his journey back.


“One more thing. A big leaf. The biggest you can find! And make sure it’s clean too.”


After another trip, May laid the emerald coloured leaf on her lap and placed the other two things on the waxy surface. Using the flimsy form to her advantage, she mashed up the two substances without actually touching them.


“You know, Holy Basil might help with the pain,” May said softly, glancing down at Ezi to see he already had what she was talking about clamped between his jaws. “You know me so well! Or rather, I trained you well, dearest.”


Adding it to the poultice, she took a bit of it on her index finger and began to gently apply it to the wound on Severis’ face. It should help the with inflammation and, if this was just any old injury, it would help it heal up nicely. Now, there was just waiting, May guessed. But that in itself was hard. Maybe he hadn't been all that welcoming to her, but she was worried sick about her travelling partner all the same.

There was a slight rustling in the undergrowth. Out stepped a tall woman with pale skin. Clearly elvish. She had a scowl that never seemed to leave her face. “What are you children doing here?” She looked around as if searching for something. Eventually her eyes settled on Severis. “So that’s where it’s coming from.” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you two?”


Mayweather glanced up when another person joined them, an elf, she noted after a moment’s inspection. She seemed bothered and at first, May couldn’t find her voice. “Hello, I'm Mayweather! And this is Severis…” Not sure if that was the answer the woman was looking for, May waited for an answer, glancing between her and Severis.


The woman sighed. “The boy has been injured. What happened?” She crossed her arms impatiently. She didn't seem too pleased with May’s answer, but didn't care enough to pry further.


“He was attacked by a monster… I don’t know what kind it was,” May said sadly, suddenly realizing she was a lot more useless than she had realized.


“A monster…” The elf stepped closer to Severis. She leaned in to get a closer look at the wound. She touched the injury with two fingers. “Demon.” She muttered with anger lacing her voice. “He’s poisoned. It will kill him.” She sat back on her haunches. The elf stared up at May. “You two fought a demon… yet you’re still alive?”


“Yes… We had some help,” May said quickly, not sure if she should openly speak of the godly weapon. She was more concerned about what the woman said. “Die?!” Her voice was no more than above a whisper.


The elf looked to the sky. “The warning lights…” Her eyes rested once again on May. “You are the wielders of the Holy Weapons.” She stated bluntly. She glared at Severis. “And you just had to go get filled with demon poison.” A long, exasperated sigh escaped her, “little tamer girl, do you want to save this boy?”


“Of course I do!” May exclaimed, her eyes getting wider. If not for their friendship, something that May wasn't sure if Severis even thought existed, then for doing as the gods said. And if not for that, then simply living out the rest of his life. She wrought her hands in dismay.


“Then I’ll heal him.” With one fluid movement, the elf had Severis draped across her shoulders. “Bloody Saviours-to-be. Too much effort, the lot of ya.” She grumbled as she began walking. “Follow me! You might be able to learn something to help you when it happens again.” The elf called out to May without even looking away from her path.


Mayweather hurried after the elf woman, having trouble keeping up with the taller woman’s long strides. “When it happens again?” She questioned the elf’s word choice.


“Girl, you are going against the Demon Lord. You will come across more of his lackeys and you will get injured from it. All you Saviours-to-be don’t have enough experience to get away from the battles unscathed.” The woman explained as if she was speaking to a child. “Save your breath.” She stated when she noticed Mayweather opening her mouth. “Questions can come after this boy is no longer on the verge of death.” Mayweather nodded solemnly.


The trio soon arrived at a small hut that stood in the middle of the forest. It almost looked like it was a part of the trees that surrounded it. If you weren’t looking for it, you could quite easily walk right past it without noticing. The tall woman’s stride didn't falter in the slightest as she approached the entrance. The door opened of its own accord when she neared. May had to blink at the strange sight a few times before she was able to rush after the elf.


Upon entering, May saw the bizarre sight of items rearranging themselves. A table’s contents were moved to a spot that was cleared on the floor. The elf lay Severis down on the table before moving to a wall that was covered in different herbs, many of which May had never seen before.


Each of the tall woman’s movements made it seem as if she had dealt with the same situation many times before. “Don’t stand there impersonating a fish. You are the group's healer, are you not?” May quickly snapped out of her stupor.


“I don’t know.” She answered honestly. She had some confidence in her healing capabilities, but she didn't know the other members of the group well. It was quite possible that they were more able than she was.


“What is your weapon?”


“My weapon?” The sudden change in conversation startled her.


“Yes, Parrot, your weapon.” The elf woman stepped away from the wall, arms laden with herbs, vials and equipment. She dropped them on the table where they neatly arranged themselves.


“The scythe…” May didn't quite see how that knowledge would help this current situation. The woman was the one who said not to waste her breath. The woman paused for a moment before continuing to a different section of the hut.


“Is that so? Then what is this boy the wielder of?”


“He… He was chosen by Caedis.”


“Swift Drinker?” The elf narrowed her eyes as she hummed in thought. “If he had it already, that would make this far easier.” She muttered to herself.


The elven woman stood next to where Severis lay. She stretched her back, several bones popping in the process. “Now watch me carefully, girl. I will only do this once and you need to learn all of it.”


Mayweather nodded. She kept her eyes glued on the woman’s hands. The elf picked up a few vials.


“Tetri root and Holy Basil. Slows further spread.” She explained, holding up the small glass container with dark green fluid in it. “Given through oral consumption.” The elf held up Serveris’ head and tipped the concoction into his mouth, causing him to cough a few times.


The next hour went on in a very similar fashion. The woman would state what was in whatever she used, what it did, and then how to use it. When May told her what she had applied to the wound, the elf’s permanent scowl lifted slightly, but only for a moment before she got back to work.


After an hour, the pale woman finally stepped back. She wiped away the sweat that had beaded up on her forehead. She looked over her patient and then to Mayweather who was fidgeting nervously. The elf sighed as went to sit on the couch that was pressed against the wall. “If you catch it earlier, it isn’t nearly as difficult. Was he moving around a lot after he got hit?” At Mayweather’s nod, the woman let out another tired sigh. “That explains a lot. Movement helps the poison spread far faster.” She gestured for May to come closer which the girl did hesitantly. “You need whoever is poisoned to stop moving as soon as possible. However, in the middle of a fight, that isn’t exactly an easy task, is it?”


Mayweather furrowed her brow at the woman. Previously, she was far less willing to talk. Now, she was being quite chatty. The elf seemed to read the youngster’s mind. "Listen, Tamer Girl. I am only telling you all this because I don’t want that demon bastard to come into power of this world. He caused a lot of shit here a thousand years ago. If you want to stop it happening again, you better listen and participate.”


“Sorry ma’am.” Mayweather hung her head.


“Alright. Take a seat. We have a lot to go through. Your friend won’t wake for at least another three hours.” The far smaller female sat across from her host, ready to listen and learn. She wanted to be able to help the others when the opportunity arose.


“Now, as I was saying, you can’t just stop moving in the middle of a battle. It would quite easily cause you to stop moving permanently. As a healer, you have to get to them. Do you remember what slows demon poison spreading?”


“Tetri root and Holy Basil.” Mayweather answered after a moment of thought.


The elf nodded. “Good. Get to the injured person, and give them a swig of that as soon as possible. It will make your work far easier after that.”


The two females spent their time waiting for Severis to wake up by the elf explaining the best methods to counteract demon poison as well as a few other useful healing tips. Thanks to Mayweather being a relatively fast learner, they were able to get through quite a lot. The elf even gave the youngster a few scrolls containing instructions on how to make the poultices.


The woman’s scowl remained, but Mayweather had warmed up to her quite a bit. The elf woman stated that she was going to restock on some of the herbs she had used. May took the opportunity to read through some of the scrolls. She pulled up a stool next to Severis so she could keep an eye on his condition.


@The J

 

[TerraBooma]

"Water? R-Right!" Kiara nodded and quickly left the room, a dutiful look on her face. Kiara didn't quite have the medical knowledge of her mother yet but it was clear to both Sammy and Adruo that the will to help people was there, and Sammy couldn't help but laugh happily for a second before returning his focus to Adruo. "Are you your alright? Those bad guys got a few hits in...that hammer looked pretty nasty." Sammy shuddered. "I don't think weapons are that cool anymore...least not as cool as they used to be. Hey Adruo..." Sammy's voice trailed, off confusion fusing into his tone. "Why did those men want to hurt Leafy?" He looked down at his chest, as if pondering. "People don't make sense, you and Mister Elf are nice, but those weird men attacked us for trying to help Leafy...it's weird."


Sammy sighed and looked over at Romon, who was still asleep, before returning his gaze to Adruo. He saw the pained look on her face and smiled. "Hey! What's that look for!" he giggled. "That's all just lame gloomy stuff, Everything's fine! Mister Elf will wake up and you guys can go kick some butt! Gramps said there's no way you can lose to whatever your fighting...not that he told me what. But your the good guys! You gotta win!" Sammy grinned, and despite his brush with death the young boy seemed determined in his words. There was a youthful belief that although naive was also refreshing. "The whole village has your back! Gramps said if things go belly up-whatever that means- you can always come back here okay? Cause we're not goin' anywhere!"


Sammy grinned and held out a thumbs up, smile wide on his face. "So you just go get better and kick some butt! Get better soon too!" Sammy paused for a moment, then started to look a little sheepish. "And...you know. Tell me and Kiara lots of stories while you get better?"

 

[minismurf]

Chilali seemed quite flustered when she returned into the hospital room, "What happened?" He asked as he looked at her with a questioning look. He wouldn't nag her if she just wanted to just waft it away, however he would keep it in mind ask maybe ask her about it later. As she apologised over her miss about his legs with the shirt he just shrugged it away "It doesn't really surprise me too much, I didn't expect you to have clothes for arachnid hybrids anyway" However when she offered to fix up the tears in the shirt he didn't argue either, he just turned around and let her do her work, as she did he decided to ask her again about whatever happened outside the room. "So who was it that you met out there?" He'd heard her talking to someone, however he hadn't managed to determine the other persons voice since Chilali most likely had stood in the way of the other persons voice.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo

Adruo moved her arm to test out its movement when Sammy asked about her condition. She was surprised that she could move it at all. She clearly remembered it being caught in the jaws of a giant, demonised wolf. It still hurt like all hell, but at least it was still usable. "I'll be fine." She told the child with a small smile. Her smile faded at his next question. She looked at her hands in her lap. "Sammy, remember when I said that Leafy was magical? Well, Leafy is so magical that many people don't believe that he would exist." The storyteller took a deep breath. "In hunting, the rarer the creature, the more money you can get from killing it. Since Leafy is so rare that people don't know of his existence, that means that there would be a huge amount of money that they could get for killing him." She looked back up at the youngster. "People are greedy, Sammy. They let money fuel their actions, not their morals."


The dragonkin followed Sammy's gaze to the elf across the room. Her brows knotted in worry. Surely he should have awoken before her. Were the seals so harmful to him that they caused him to suffer more damage than she had? She made a mental note to question him about it when she got the chance. She couldn't help but smile at the young boy's encouraging words. "Thank you Sammy. We will definitely visit if we're in the area again." She returned his thumbs up, biting back a wince at the pain that the movement caused.


She raised a questioning eyebrow at Sammy being suddenly shy. Adruo had to hide a chuckle behind her hand. "If you want, I can tell you a story now. We will just have to wait for Kiara to get back, okay?" She gave a wide smile. She still couldn't get over how cute the child was. He and Kiara were an adorable combination in her mind. She also had a sneaking suspicion that the boy had a little crush on the hybrid. Too cute.


@TerraBooma

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali

Chilali brushed off Sylvanus' question with an "it's nothing" before she got to work. "I still should have thought of it." She argued weakly. There wasn't really anything she could do to fix her mistake except hem the holes, which was an easy enough task to accomplish. She considered all the other things that she might have to take into account since Sylvanus was an arachnid while she pulled the needle through the fabric. It was monotonous, but calming work. It gave her a chance to think while keeping busy.


Her hand froze in its motions. The mage shook herself and continued, a little shakier than before. Her mind pulled up memories of conversations from many years ago. "I... believe her name is Mara." was all she was able to answer. Chilali focused on her breathing as she finished up with her job. "That should do it." She said once she had finished and stepped back. "If you need anything else, just say." She went about packing away her needle and thread. Her hands still shook slightly, she noticed. "Weak." She scolded herself under her breath.


@minismurf

 

[Jayus]

Fekitoa watched as she attempted to get off of him only to roll into his wings. He waited for her to answer him, but as time passed it was becoming more and more clear she wasn't interested in answering his question. He was too tired to lift his head to look around at what she was doing and simply looked up at the sky he had just fallen from. It was a faded lilac already and the tree tops that circled him were broken. The branches hung by threads only to snap and fall onto lower, weaker branches in a chain reaction of destruction. He was almost impressed.


Kito was getting increasingly worried by her silence, but Fekitoa saw the opposite. He was getting more agitated by what she was going to say when she did speak.


“What in the gods' name happened?”


And there we go. Fekitoa tried to raise himself off the rock to go calm her, but every muscle in his body screamed at him that it was not going to happen. It was odd, he thought, he had taken worse falls surely he had only gotten the wind knocked out of him. He tried again, but eventually slumped into his fate watching carefully as he could see the realization dawn in her eyes by what had just happened. He wasn't ready for her to have a panic attack, he could barely deal when Kito had one, but he stayed quiet hoping that whatever she was going to say he would be able to find the right words to soothe whatever worries she had.


“Y-you…” she stuttered shifting an accusing look to him. “You dropped me. You let me fall.”


Fekitoa's mouth dropped. Well that wasn't what he was expecting. He tilted his ear to her direction trying to see if he misheard or give her a chance to repeat herself. He clearly must've heard her correct because she wasn't screaming hysterically or hyperventilating or even looking around in crazed daze which has occasionally happened when Kito has fallen from the sky trying to practice his flying skills.


'Fekitoa, I know what you're thinking.'





'I'd be worried if you didn't.'





'Fekitoa, please don't be offended.'





'Is she an idiot or something? Oh yes that's exactly what I was trying to do I decided 'You know what let's just fall from the sky. You know for the fun of it because I have nothing better to do with my life'. Honestly.'


He shut his gaping mouth and bit his tongue down trying not to go off at his new partner. He was going to attempt to be as civil as he could for as long as possible until Kito took control. He couldn't stop his glaring though. Did she really think that little of him already?


Finally she seemed to realize he was hurt and tried to ask him if his arms were okay. He moved his hands away from her reach and shielded them close to his sides. He looked away from her. He wasn't prepared to answer her just yet, he was still peeved with her. A curse spat from her mouth and immediately that seemed to jolt his attention. She asked him about his wings, a look of what he guessed to be guilt gracing her delicate features. He decided she must feel a tad bad for how she reacted and was about to speak when his head suddenly felt heavy, like a ball of lead had magically appeared in place of his brain. Now the pain made sense. It wasn't so much the fall, but the continuous swapping of who was in control. They realized at a young age if they swapped too much the pain would be excruciating to deal with. It was then they had decided not to swap over quicker than 6 hours at a time. Five if they were pushing it.


Stumbling to his feet he held his head in one hand and beat his wings before folding them neatly behind his back. Luckily he had a powder in his bag that could dim the headaches and hopefully get them flying again, but it required water. He looked down the path they were meant to follow and decided it would probably take twenty minutes if they flew. The mountain was too tall to risk climbing now so if he couldn't they would have to set up camp. Which didn't seem like a bad idea, but he had to think of mom. Thankfully a river was a short walk away and if he could just get to it then that problem would be solved. He looked to Phoebe. She was still staring at him waiting for an answer, but she wouldn't like it if he were honest so he didn't speak at all.





"I asked if you were okay." He looked her up and down. Ah. He noticed her hands. He reached for her one hand and turned it. He could fix that easily enough. Oakenwood would sting if not treated, but the remedy was simple enough. Surprisingly enough the bandage also needed to be damp. He tiredly moved his eyes to a large root that was good enough seat if any.





"Go sit. There's a river nearby. I'll be back in half an hour with some medicine and then we can fly back up."





'Fekitoa I don't think she wants to fly that soon.'


'We don't have time for what she doesn't want.'





Being satisfied with all he had to say he winced in pain and began moving his way down to the river.





@SepiaInk

 

[SepiaInk]

Spoiler

Phoebe yanked her hand back from Kito’s grip and held it close with the reddened palm against her chest, eyes narrowed to slits as she took a step back. Everything about the young harpy felt off. The warmth was gone and there was nothing shy or gentle about the way he carried himself or stared at her.


Something had changed.


"Go sit. There's a river nearby. I'll be back in half an hour with some medicine and then we can fly back up.”


“No,” was her immediate answer, indigence flying off her tongue like an arrow shot.


Why did everyone she meet assume she had to be an incompetent half-wit!


Close to stomping the ground with her boots, she moved to sweep up her red sash. After shaking the leaves off the fabric, she made quick work of wrapping it around her waist, though still careful to do it so the bland red side, and not the one with the gold trimmings and drawings, was facing outwards.


“What reason is there for me to stay here? It’s not as if I’m unable to walk, I’m perfectly fine.” Having already tied a knot, she pulled the ends of her sash even tighter around her waist, as if to prove her own words. "You, on the other hand, are clearly hurt. So, if anything, you’re the one who should ’sit’.” She made sure to put as much emphasis on that last word as possible, gesturing to the root of the okenwood tree which the young harpy seemed to be under the impression would affect a half-deer shapeshifter the same way it would a human.


With just a few long strides, she was next to the foot of the tree where her rucksack had fallen. Every belonging of hers or Dr. Silas that hadn’t been broken beyond repair she pushed into the bag before hoisting the strap over her shoulder.


Ignoring whatever response Kito might have shot back at her, she rushed past him towards the path he’d been heading to before. “My deer form can find the river just fine,” she assured him, but stopped dead in her track when the image of Destin, lying dead before her, flashed across her mind.


“I…” she cleared her throat, glad to have her back facing the other. “But I suppose it’s best if we don’t split up.” Her hand came up to brush over the top of her head. The velvet protrusions were gone, and she could see the dark brown tones returning to her hair, swallowing up the silver. “If you are in pain, then I suppose you can lean on my deer form,” Phoebe offered, half hoping the other would decline it, since letting the other touch her animal form was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment.


As she listened to Kito’s reply, she turned to face him head on, still too wary to have her back to what was starting to feel like a stranger. Or maybe this was the real Kito?


She didn’t like two-faced people anymore than she enjoyed being called one.


@Jayus


 

 

[Jayus]

He couldn't understand what she was getting so worked up about. She looked increasingly irritated with him despite him being on his best behaviour.


'I don't understand what am I doing wrong? I asked her if she was okay, I offered to do all the work. Does she need me to baby her as much as you?'





'Let me be in control, Fekitoa. If that's okay?'





The pulsing headache rippling through his mind said otherwise. The pain grew larger and larger, blurring his vision and making him listen to her whining all the more painful. With a firm 'no' he dismissed Kito's idea and tried again to listen to the girl before him.


“My deer form can find the river just fine,” she said defiantly. Staring at him daring him to argue otherwise. He raised a single eyebrow. She had no idea what this side of the forest was. He himself wasn't familiar with it too well and yet here she was trying to suggest he sit down. He was about to dismiss her idea when a feint look graced her face. It was as if for just a moment she had seen a ghost and had completely disarmed her tough act.


“But I suppose it’s best if we don’t split up.” She reasoned and all he had planned to say dispersed like the wind. He nodded, agreed it was the best plan and began walking. What she offered next surprised him a bit. With a scoff he shifted his head to where she was standing.





"You can go in your deer form if you wish, but I'll be fine. I know where we're going from here. Are you worried about me, Silva?"





'Okay Fekitoa I have a different plan. If you won't let me be in control please let me tell you what to say. Please."


Fekitoa's leer shifted from her to the ground, getting increasingly annoyed with the blurry spots sitting in his vision. He just wanted everyone to be quiet until he got to the river.





'If it means that much to you fine. What do you need me to say?'


He listened carefully. Sighed at the idiocy of it all and looked to Phoebe.





"I hit my head when I fell. I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I almost-"





'did.'





"... Did... get you hurt with my idea of flying. I take full responsibility. I just want you to be safe which is why I told you to stay behind."





He fought with himself on the next part he was going to say, but if it meant Kito would be a little quieter until he got to the river he decided it was worth it. With a small intake of breath he faced her. Staring into her eyes not sure if he could see the kindness she held when Kito spoke to her. It stung a little that he could ruin a friendship in under ten minutes.





"I'm sorry."





His eyes widened with surprise. That sounded oddly genuine to him. Too genuine.





'Great! Now smile!'


'Now you're pushing it.'


He sped up his pace and made a sharp left. The trickling sound of running water consumed the air and filled the sense with a sharp freshness only cold air could bring. He turned around to check if Phoebe was still keeping up and once making sure she was in view walked to the edge and knelt down on his knees. He checked the temperature of the water and consistency hoping there wasn't any impurities. Kito began whimpering. He had forgotten for a moment it was one of Kito's greater fears. Promising to make it quick he decided to heal Phoebe first.


Opening his satchel he dug around until he found the bandages woven with a soft fleshy root. He poured the contents from a sash containing an aged flower into the middle and spread it evenly. Dipping it into the water he waited for a few minutes, carefully monitoring the process. Once he was satisfied he wrung it out and double checked both sides before repeating on the other one. He looked to Phoebe and beckoned her over. He reached for her hands, but remembered how she flinched from him the last time he tried and stopped himself.





"Either you give me your hands or I grab them. And... I'd prefer not to do the latter."





As soon as he was able to get Phoebe's hands he gently held them with his one hand and with the other carefully wrapped the bandage careful not to miss a spot. He tightened the knots and muttered a sorry. Looking over his handiwork on both her hands he let out a tired sigh. Exhaustion was setting in over the throbbing sensation he was feeling.





"You can take those off tomorrow. I need a minute."





Without another second to lose he pulled out a small iron cup and emptied a blue powder in it. He scooped some water into it and watched as the blue turned into a bubbling purple froth. A strong odour of rust and mould bubbled from the concoction. Fekitoa's face contorted in on himself. He couldn't handle most foods on a normal day, this was the equivalent of torture. He was almost considering the headache. Swallowing it in one gulp he broke into a splutter of coughs and gags. Wiping his tongue with his hand he let out a few more sounds of disgust and tried to shake off the taste still lingering like a bad thought. Fekitoa turned around now aware of Phoebe still present.


Standing up and with a cough he tried to dismiss his actions. It was time to start flying. Although the headache was disappearing it made Kito's voice more coherent, and he did not like the idea of flying just yet. Annoyed he looked to Phoebe to shut him up.





"We can fly or set up camp. Your choice."





@SepiaInk

 

[TerraBooma]

"A story!? Right now!" Sammy danced a little jig on the spot and knelt down next to Adruo, a brainstorming look on his face on what kind of story he wanted to hear. "I know! Leafy! I wanna hear bout Leafy. Where is she from anyway?" Sammy paused for a moment. "Did Leafy ever have any big adventures? How did Leafy get so powerful! I wanna know!" He bounced a little in excitement, ecstatic for story time. Kiara came in a few moments later, cup of water held carefully with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth as she made very sure that nothing would tip it over. The cup she held was full almost to the brim with water, it seemed that in her haste to fill the cup she didn't really decide when to stop filling the cup. She set it down next to Adruo, on a table within reach, and went over to Sammy's side. "What're we doing? Why you kneeling down Sammy?" She cocked her head, curious. "Get down! Hurry! She's going to tell a story about Leafy!" Kiara's eyes lit up and she giggled excitedly. "Really? Woooah! Are you really Miss Addie? Yay!" She sat down beside Sammy, both heads peaking up at Adruo with expectant look on their faces.


As the story went on, Sammy and Kiara would both yawn occasionally, and Adruo had to wonder what the last time they slept was. Still, they held on for a remarkable amount of time, listening in anticipation of what would happen next. Eventually however sleep took the young ones away, first Sammy, and then Kiara about ten minutes later. They slept kneeling against the bed, heads down next to Adruo. Sammy snoring softly and Kiara making barely a noise. After a few moments of this, Adruo would hear a familiar voice from across the room.


"Your a good storyteller, I still think you could be a bard." Smiling weakly from his bed, was an awake Romon. "Nice to see your alright, that was a hell of a fight huh?" He chuckled, voice low. "At least we won...how you feel?"

 

[SepiaInk]

The bandages were useless. Aside from the redness, the skin of her palms hadn’t reacted to the okenwood’s poison. One of the perks of being half-deer. But she still let herself be pampered, just like that time when someone else had done the same useless action for her. She hadn’t said anything back then either.

‘You shouldn’t just go around rubbing your antlers everywhere, Phee, you silly. There are a lot of poisonous things out there, you know.’

​

Clenching and unclenching her hands, Phoebe took the time to admire the other’s handiwork. Not for the first time, the oddness of the situation sprung to mind, her thoughts going to her fellow colleagues and whether or not they would ever believe her if she told them she’d had her hands bandaged by a harpy, and perfectly so. Creatures both wild and pure, unrivalled warriors of the air; that was always their portrayal in the grand paintings and illustrations of old books. A romanticised portrayal, yes, but one Phoebe had gotten familiar with. And it was strange (or maybe not so much) how thoroughly the presence of limbs could shatter that image.


Seeing the other going through the motions of preparing the medicine, it became clear that he was more human than harpy. A hybrid in its truest form. And that brought up questions that hit a little too close to home than Phoebe was comfortable with. Questions like how the other had gone through his life with the knowledge that he would never fit in with others of his kind. That, on the most fundamental level, he was inescapably different and would be treated accordingly. Did he have a place were he belonged, where he felt at peace with himself? Back in the town he seemed shy and painfully self aware, but mostly happy. And now he seemed somewhat… he seemed…


"We can fly or set up camp. Your choice."


Phoebe frowned, but not at Kito. Her reply, though soft in tone, was immediate. “We’re not camping.” Ever, she wanted to add, but that was beyond childish and did not need to be voiced. Eventually, they would be forced to camp, and she’d have to keep her emotions in check when that moment came. Just … not now.


“Kito Cynwrig,” she began in a somber tone, though it was lost a bit when she crossed her arms and shifted from foot to foot. “As you probably already know, Semino had chosen someone before you, and that someone … also accompanied me in travel.” Why did the words have to get stuck in her throat? “We were … He…” Inhaling sharply, Phoebe turned her back to the harpy and rubbed the skin under her eyes. “There was a lot of miscommunication between us and our ideals clashed more often than not. And I believe that was part of the reason why … our mission was unsuccessful.” With a deep breath she turned around to face the male once more. “I’m telling you this because I don’t want to make the same mistake. We need to communicate honestly with each other for this journey to go smoothly,” she took a step closer to Kito, measuring her words while at the same time trying to gage what his response would be.


“So I need to ask.” They were eye to eye now, the air between them thick with tension. “Am I speaking with the same Kito Cynwrig as before? And if not, then who are you?”

@Jayus
​

 

[Jayus]

Oh.


Her words slowed in his mind. He could only piece them together moment after moment, but it helped make sense of her behaviour. How she seemed to carry a ghost with her, how her eyes glinted with something he could now recognise as a burden and how her words echoed with remorse.


She lost someone too.


The memories of it all flooded back to him and once again he was that sad child with a thin grip on what was real and what was not. That thin veil he wished to hide behind. Behind the truth where the blood from those he loved couldn't reach him. He forced himself back to reality with the advice from his mother.


He saw that same sad child in her and without even thinking he wrapped his arms around the girl who was inches from him and squeezed her into a tight hug.


"I've lost people too."


The words came out soft, barely an exhale of air, but shook stronger than any mountain. He suddenly became increasingly aware with what he was doing and he felt shocked with himself, but the only thing he could think of was how much this had helped him cope with all of his lost ones and how much it could potentially help his new partner.





"This may not work for you, but look up at the sky. Just listen to me and do it alright?" He waited for a few moments to pass or until she gave any indication that she was looking up at the vast sky, now a darkening plum with a few stars studded through the air like a fine fabric. The hug began to feel awkward under his grip, but it was too late to turn back now.


"Find a star. Any star that catches your eye. Do you have one?"





Again he waited patiently. He couldn't tell whether she was getting annoyed or not by his attempts, but he decided not to think too hard on it. The whole situation was uncharacteristic enough. What had even possessed him to do this in the first place?





"I know it sounds idiotic. But my mom told me whatever star catches your eye is the person trying to get your attention. Trying to say they're still here for you. No matter what."





Cautiously he released his grip, his hands still on her shoulders and looking down at her with eyes having lost an undeniable spark from the harpy from earlier.





"It doesn't do much. But it helps."





Kito was begging him. Begging for Fekitoa not to tell her the truth. It hadn't even been a week. It hadn't even been a day. She could walk out on them, ignore them, get them killed. Nobody had ever responded in kindness to their condition how could she? Kito was in near hysterics, shrieks bordering a panicked cry and Fekitoa slowly edged him down. Promising him he wouldn't do anything stupid. Kito pleaded for him to lie but Fekitoa simply dismissed that idea. They would have to tell her sooner or later and he wasn't known to be a liar. Besides she wouldn't believe them in any case. He couldn't help, but let a smirk, a sort of half-smile plagued his face for an instant.





"Don't get too used to that. You're quite the smart one aren't you? I didn't think I'd have to explain so soon."


"My name is Fekitoa. And I'm one half of a soul." He was thankful it was dark. It made reading her face harder and he didn't want to. He could still see the light catching in her brown eyes and reflecting a message he refused to read too deep into.


"Whether you believe me or not is not up to me. You can chalk it up to the headache if you will. After all Kito will be back tomorrow and you won't have to deal with me for a while."





He carefully hovered his hands to around her waist. Shooting open his wings, the night seemed caught in his feathers, moonlight running down his edges like a silver stream.





"But what does matter right now is flying. So I guess the real question is although I'm not the harpy who flew you this morning. Do you trust me?"





@SepiaInk

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo

Adruo chucked at the young boy's antics. She was glad to see him so energetic. It meant that his wound was barely troubling him at all. "Leafy?" Her eyes widened slightly before she smiled. Of course the child would want to know more about the walker. It wasn't a tale she had told in a long time, so recalling it would be a little more difficult. Even so, it should be fine. Adruo was proud of her memory.


She couldn't help but smile as Kiara came back with a look of determination set upon her face. As the children chatted, the dragonkin shifted herself to a more comfortable sitting position, resting against the wall. She nodded to Kiara's question with a smile. "Can you pass me my satchel?" She pointed to the item which sat nearby. Once she got it, she dug around inside before pulling out a rather aged looking scroll. "Here it is." The parchment was opened and shown to the children.


Drawn in sepia colours were seven majestic creatures, similar to what Leafy looked like. Adruo pointed to one that stood near the centre. "This is Leafy, the nature elemental walker. All the others on this page are also elemental walkers. They each have their own element, just like the gods. We aren't too sure where they came from since they were here before any recorded history. However, it is mostly agreed that they were created by the gods to look after our world so the gods were less pressured. Others say that the walkers are actually a part of the gods. The gods took a piece of themselves and moulded them so they could walk on our plane of existence. We definitely know that the gods care for the elemental walkers. When someone attacked the water walker, Lady Lacus got so upset that she came and scolded them to made sure that they wouldn't do it again." Adruo gave the children the very censored version. In actual fact, a small group had killed the walker. Lacus had tortured them for three weeks straight by keeping them in a state of almost drowning. She then made them watch as she flooded their entire village, causing the death of everyone there. She then ended it by spiking them with ice rods so that they took two days to bleed to death. Not exactly a kid-friendly story.


There was not too much information on the elemental walkers. The main stories about them were of when the gods came to the mortal realm to let out their wrath on those who dared to harm the creatures. Luckily, Leafy had been known to help mortals quite a few times. Adruo told the children of the instances where Leafy regrew a forest that had been destroyed in a massive fire. It had become more leaden with fruits and nuts than ever before. Leafy had cured many different ailments just by touching the water the ill drank. There were several similar stories, but the children were clearly having trouble staying awake. In fact, they were already asleep.


Adruo stroked the young one's head the way her mother used to do for her. They looked so peaceful. The same thing happened to Adruo when she was younger and listened to her grandmother tell the legends. It was some of her fonder memories. Her head snapped up as she heard someone speak. A voice somewhat raspy from sleep, but clearly Romon's. Adruo smiled, her face showing her relief to see him awake.


"Bards are expected to sing. I have absolutely no musical talent. Bards put birds to shame. I make birds ashamed." She joked in good humour. Her face fell when he spoke of the fight. She looked down to the sleeping Sammy. "I made so many rookie mistakes. It's shameful." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper. She took a deep breath before continuing. "But I am well enough. I should be able to move freely come tomorrow."


The dragonkin looked over the elf at the other side of the room. "What about you? Why were you unconscious for so long too? Was it from those runic markings on your back?" She didn't bother trying to hide her worry.


@TerraBooma

 

[The J]

Severis' dreams were feverish. He dreamed of feral monster chasing him, demons slicing him in two, the world being destroyed by the demon king. All nonsensical and discontinuous, but his dreaming mind took it all as fact and he slept fitfully, twisting and turning as his muscles began to work again.


He woke with a start, instincts kicking in as if threatened, reaching for his dagger but finding none there, then looking around. He saw May, but essentially disregarded the her as he stood up, immediately looking for his possessions.


"Where... what happened? What have you done with my belongings? May, we need to continue the quest, or the..." Severis nearly immediately collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily with exertion.


His eyes widened as he realised what had happened, remembering collapsing. "What... what happened?"

 

[TerraBooma]

Romon shook his head. "Rookie mistakes? No, that's a lie. If either of us made rookie mistakes in that fight..." Romon's vocie trailed off. "Well, we probably wouldn't be here right now, their leader was tough." Romon winced slightly and reached instinctively to his back when Adruo mentioned the markings adorned behind him. "You figured that out huh? I had to trigger one of my sets over a skirmish like this...my master would kill me." Romon chuckled sheepishly. "I'd show you if it didn't hurt like hell to move, but you know the tree? One of the roots is probably faded now." He sighed. "The mark of the great bear is useful as you saw, one of my most reliable sets. Makes me a juggernaut in combat of sorts, hard to take down, and...like you saw with that hammer, a lot sturdier. Most of my sets are strong in some way, but I can only use them once before my master needs to reapply them, and she's the only one in the world I know of that can do it, if finding the blades takes too long, or if we get into too many nasty fights...well, we'll need to make a pitstop."


Roman glanced down at the kids, more specifically Kiara. "She saved us you know." He said, looking back up at Adruo. "I think Leafy did something too, based on what I overheard in bouts of consciousness...but she's stronger than we think. Hybrid's are good casters but if what I overheard was true..." Romon rose a brow, curious. "She might be the strongest healer in the region, it knocked her out cold too, at least for a shorter time." His gaze turned to Sammy. "I didn't stay conscious much longer than you, it's possible that something triggered in her when she saw Sammy get shot...speaking of which." Romon frowned, a thinking look on his face.


"Something about those hunters, it doesn't add up. No matter how good the pay is there's no way in hell a random merc company is going to be willing to take on a target like a walker, especially with how thin their numbers are-er...were. Between the god's wrath and the sheer power things like Leafy poessess, it should have been suicide to think about it. Leafy didn't fight much either, even with her life in danger. Something doesn't add up." He looked to Adruo.


"Thoughts? I might be overthinking it."

 

[SepiaInk]

Spoiler

Find a star, he said.


Phoebe almost laughed. Every night of her whole life up until then could be measured by the amount of stars she’s seen; those born, dying and dead, those cataloged and those forgotten, those with stories and those whose light was cold, distant and meaningless to most. The northern night sky was her home, the moon her guardian, and those lights the only thing that would keep a Ghost company in the endless darkness. There was no map she trusted more than the one she’d painstakingly charted of that starry dome.


Find a star, he said. How could she, when they were all so precious to her?


And yet, her gaze did find itself drawn to one spot. The always present constellation of Didymos, The First Shapeshifter, sobbing in both joy and sorrow for all eternity. True, it was difficult to miss Didymos and its Two Souls, but she’d be lying if she said her gaze didn’t often linger on a particular group of stars. Two on the tail of The Wolf’s Soul and, recently, the star right at the place were its heart would be.


Lycaon. The name of that lonesome star was Lycaon.


Of course it was.


Something tightened around Phoebe’s heart and she tore her eyes away from the lights before whatever it was could take over her mind as well. Pressing her forehead against the young harpy’s shoulder, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath, refusing to acknowledge the sting that grew beneath her eyelids with each word uttered by him.


It did sound idiotic. A star is just another sun. People can paint it in any way they like, but that’s all it will ever be. The stars are constant, unchanged by anything that happens in this world, which is why they can be so comforting. The thought that any of them could be a person she knew, watching her and trying to “get her attention”, wasn’t one she or anyone should be entertaining, no matter how much the fragile part of her mind may need it.


"It doesn't do much. But it helps.”


No it doesn’t. It doesn’t help at all. It only hurts more and she doesn’t know why she keeps doing that to herself every night. It was madness. And the harpy was just as mad. Why had he hugged her? Why did people insist on touching her out of the blue like this? It wasn’t the embrace of another that would help this sickness of mind. How could it? It was just skin, and the warmth that came from a pumping heart, no different than her own. That was it.


"My name is Fekitoa. And I'm one half of a soul.”


Phoebe blinked. Time stood still for a moment as she tried to process those words and the ones that came after. It was dark, or it would be if the deer part of her didn't adjust her eyesight as soon as the moon was out. She could see everything clearly, and what she saw gave her some peace of mind. There was only truth to be read in the male’s pale face, and the new information corresponded with her earlier suspicions.


“Do you trust me?"


There was a long pause. There had to be one. All things considered, she was dealing with a different person here, someone who had yet to gain any semblance of her trust. But then again, it wasn’t even a day long that she had met Kito, and she still agreed to let him carry her.


If this was all true, then both Kito and… Fekitoa were her partners in this journey. Semino himself, a god with a far greater knowledge than her, had chosen them for a reason. She had to learn to trust both. After all, had she not asked the same of them?


Quid pro quo.


“I know what it’s like to be half of a soul,” she admitted, wondering if he - no, they - knew the story of Dydimos. “Fekitoa,” she rolled his name around on her tongue, wondering about both the distinct southeastern feel to it and its meaning. Somehow it seemed to fit this side of him. “I trust you.” A short pause as she lets her gaze fall on the wide wings, feathers glowing in the moonlight. “Though I’d greatly appreciate if we could keep the rest of this day devoid of any more ‘accidents’,” she requested, hesitant even as she stretched her arms to wrap around the other.


On a normal day, this kind of position and amount of unnecessary touching would be unbearable to her, but seeing as not falling was priority number one, she figured she’d make could an exception on such a rare occasion.


She was counting to ten and all but deaf to the world once more when the harpy took flight. The dynamics, however, couldn’t be more different. There was much more force in the beating of his wings, carrying them farther and faster. The grip on her waist was stronger, tighter. The odds of falling this time around were definitely slimmer, but Phoebe still held on tight, face buried in the harpy’s shirt, eyes shut and teeth shattering in the bitting rush of air.


It might be awe-inspiring in books and art, but flying was definitely not her thing.


@Jayus


 

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus stretched his legs as he stood there, taking in the feeling of his new clothes. They fit very well actually, the shirts arms was a little short but he could care less if his hands would get frozen, it was the limbs on his back that he was more worried about. Since they didn't have any thick skin, but more carapace, and no flesh to provide proper body heat they could very easily freeze solid. However that was a problem he'd have to bother with once they reached The Blue Isles further up north. Speaking of which, they really should get going soon if they were ever going to find their weapons before the revival of the Demon King "Hey Chilali, what did the Headmaster say about us getting horses now again? Because we really should get going soon if we're ever going to be able to defeat the Demon King"





@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Mayweather

The small female snapped to attention when Severis awoke in a rather surprising way. Luckily, the elven healer had warned her of the side effects that came from demon poison. That did little to help her in her current situation. How was she meant to help Severis? He seemed like he was about to let anger take over when he fell, unable to hold himself up any longer. May quickly hurried to his side. Ezi whined from his seat at the far side of the room. The scent of demons still hung thickly in the air.


"Are you alright?" May fussed over her travel companion, making sure his wound hadn't reopened and that the gauze was still in place. Seeing that everything still looked healthy, she sat back on her haunches. "The creature that attacked us was a demon. You were infected with poison when it cut you." She explained, gesturing to his cheek. "An elven lady brought you here and healed you. She stepped out to restock on some of the medication she used."


@The J

 

[Jayus]

Fekitoa raised an eyebrow sceptically looking down at this funny shapeshifter.


'No I don't think you understand there is literally two of us.'





It irritated him a bit, but he felt overall relieved with her answer. Both because it so happened to finally end the headache and silence Kito's shrieks of terror. That and he was done talking for the day, he could almost feel his vocal chords strain with the effort of having to string sentences together. The moment between them had finally passed, if there even was one to begin with what with her tight expression. Gripping her in a strong embrace, a bit different to Kito's method of flying, he beat once against the air. A strong pulse of wind swept them up with minimal effort and the two shot through the sky like an arrow before slowing to a reasonable pace. By Kito's or Phoebe's protests it was hard to tell at this point.


He didn't listen too much though. He was tired of wasting time and most of all he was a little confused. Why had he hugged her? It hadn't made sense to him. He looked down at the long locks of hair swatting in the wind and tried to see what he felt about them. At this particular moment... Nothing much. He snorted. Must've been a moment of sympathy and the shock of having to deal with another person.


The familiar sight of his home let him realize how much had truly happened today. This was going to be hell to explain to his mom. The hut was old and not much to look at. Bricks falling at the edges and dust around the windowsills left it looking lifeless and lost. Ever since his mum became ill she was unable to do her usual everyday chores and with nix to no visitors Fekitoa never saw the point of cleaning up. He dropped Phoebe the few centimetres that they hovered off the ground and although the distance was small she didn't seem too happy with how he handled the landing.


Fekitoa simply rolled his eyes at this and moved past her, ignoring whatever it was she was or wasn't saying. The stone path they had been so proud of was cracked and broken from age and covered in a thick growth of weeds. Trees with overgrown leaves hung sadly around the house and a firepit that they used to light up every other night to 'create galaxies' remained untouched. Overall Fekitoa guessed his home really did look soulless, ironically despite the situation. The flower garden that never happened, the smell of freshly baked bread non-existent, it seemed almost dead. But Fekitoa knew where that life was hiding.


Opening the door it let out a creak loud and hard enough to shake the hinges creating a chorus of piercing sound. He waited for Phoebe to get the idea to follow inside and pointed at the spot she stood. Silently asking her to wait right there. His whole plan was to be in and out. A softer creak could be heard from an adjacent room followed by a voice as pleasant and soft as honey.





"Kito? Kito is that you?"

Spoiler

A woman stepped out dressed in a trail of feathers of the deepest silvers and dark hair streaked with grays of the purest steel. Her face and how she seemed to carry herself told the story of her once confident self, but her eyes and her legs shaking slightly under her weight despite her best efforts proved otherwise. She was beautiful yet tired like a tame storm after a vicious hurricane and carried with her a faint glow that livened up the small space with a bit more energy.





"It's me, Mom. You shouldn't be walking."





Her expression shifted slightly, a little struck by the change. Usually Fekitoa would only show up much later after Kito had perfectly arranged the medicine and cooked supper like he always did.





"Fekitoa? Is everything okay? Was today a particularly rough one..." Her motherly voice softened as she finally seemed to notice the third presence in the room. Her rose-gold eyes widened in shock as she looked from him to her. Her mouth trying desperately to find a reason or to generate an excuse.


"This is Phoebe, an acquaintance of mine. I'm one of the Chosen picked by Semino to save the world from the potential Demon King. I'm just going to go grab a few things and I'll be off." Fekitoa said briskly and started to walk off to what seemed to be his room.


Her motherly instincts seemed to finally kick in.





"Oh no you are not, Mister! I need a longer explanation then that! You are going to make your guest some tea firstly."





This went back and forth two or three times before Fekitoa finally had enough and moved to the kitchen to make the three of them tea. With him out the room she finally let out a breathy, tired sigh. A little shaken, her wings slumped gracefully to her sides, falling like an evening dress. She turned her attention to the anomaly in her home and cleared her throat.





"Hello sweetheart, sorry for being so rude. My name is Nayeli. I would shake your hand, but sadly unlike my son I'm not as unique." She chuckled in an attempt to make light of the situation and bowed her head in good faith.


"And forgive me for my son, he is quite rude at the best of times and quite bull-headed, but he means well. Forgive the state of this place." She spoke suddenly realizing the specks of dust floating about the wooden floors.


"I was honestly not expecting company, especially from Fekitoa. Please, please have a seat." She ushered Phoebe to the living room and she slowly sunk into the couch, closing her eyes for a moment and scrunching her eyebrows in a tight knot thinking long and hard over something. Her forlorn gaze shifted to Phoebe. Studying the girl up and down.


"Is this about the lights everyone was talking about in the village? I'd like to know the full story."





Fekitoa returned moments later with some freshly brewed green tea. He placed the cups before all of them and left some sugar cubes on the side for Phoebe uncertain of how she liked her tea and the medicine his mom needed to take on the side for her. He sat on the opposite couch and tried in vain to drink as fast as he could to avoid the dreaded conversation he was expecting. Sadly, the tea was a bit too hot.





"I'm not ready for you to leave just yet." Nayeli said flatly.


"This isn't up to you, Mom. This started a few days ago and we need to go now. I'll send Aunt over to help you."





"This isn't about my health Fekitoa. What you expect me to say hi and goodbye to my son before a journey in what, twenty minutes?"





"Yes."





Nayeli sighed dramatically and placed her wing to her face as if to rub out the frustration.





"Either way. I'm not comfortable with you two leaving in the dark. Please stay for the night and go in the morning. You'll have a warm bed to sleep in."





"I'm just going to fly us through the night and stop off at whatever inn is in our direction."





"And if there's not one?"





Fekitoa clucked his tongue.





"If not, who cares? I'll fly a little further. We need to cover ground."


Nayeli shook her head unsure of how she raised someone so stubborn. He was his father's son. And hers too. Nayeli looked to Phoebe.


"Phoebe we aren't going to break anytime soon. You'll have to decide for us. What would you prefer?"


@SepiaInk

 

[SepiaInk]

Gods, she was just like her.


This adult female harpy was almost the splitting image of Lynn. The steel locks and worn look aged the beautiful yet frail woman, and the wings that framed that weakened body made her seem more distant and unfamiliar, but this is how Phoebe imagined her old friend would look like after all these years. The waves tumbling down from her head to her shoulders, those full, slightly cracked lips, the impending storm raging in those eyes.


They were as far from the sea as they could be, but the former librarian still found her brain flooded by the taste and smell of salty breezes.


Mother and son spoke, unaware of the thoughts rushing through her mind, and though brief moments of silence called for her to fill them, the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. Not even the male harpy’s indifferent attitude towards the whole situation, which was not only surprising but infuriating to her, was enough to shake her out of this odd moment of disconnect. Suddenly conscious of her blatant staring, Phoebe dropped her gaze to the cup of tea in her hands. The salt was still there on her tongue, so she ignored the sugar beside her and brought the rim to her lips.


“Phoebe, we aren't going to break anytime soon. You'll have to decide for us. What would you prefer?”

You can go sard yourself and the horse you rode in on! Phi, love, this arse and I ain't gonna break anytime soon. You decide.

​

Hot.


Phoebe chocked and fumbled to keep her grasp on the cup, cursing loud and clear as some of the tea sloshed out, burning her fingers. Placing it on the table with a dull thud, she brought the fingers to her reddened lips to lightly suck on them, eyes stinging a bit from the pain.


After the feeling faded, she looked up and remembered exactly where and with whom she was. Her whole face burned with embarrassment as her actions replayed in her head.


“I’m sorry, I-I-“ It was the most infuriating thing, but she found herself unable to face Nayeli’s gaze, or her son’s for that matter. In a flash and without any thought put into it, Phoebe stood up and bowed in much the same way she’d seen some of her former coworkers do, dark locks falling over her face like a curtain. “I apologise for my language and behaviour, mam.”


Damn Lynn. It was all her fault for rubbing off on her!


Straightening up, Phoebe coughed into her hand and tried her hardest to stare at anything but the two people sitting in front of her. “I suppose...” Her thoughts tripped in their haste to collect themselves in the proper order. “It’d be foolish to just up and leave as were are. The closest town is still far from here, even at flying speed it would take more than a day. Travelling at night would also be … unwise.”


Knowing that she was speaking to someone’s parent made this harder than it should. Every word needed to be measured as she didn't wish to upset the mother, but not being straightforward and clear about the details of what they would do was also unacceptable to her. The knot in her stomach tightened.


Why had she agreed to come here?


“It will be a long journey, so resting beforehand and taking time to prepare for it would be the most beneficial course of action at this moment,” she stopped here, not really knowing how to properly invite herself to stay at someone’s house. Was there even the need to ask, seeing as she rarely ever slept indoors anyway? But there wasn’t exactly a stretch of woods for her to safely graze or sleep in, so how would that work?


“However, I do not wish to impose,” she added, crossing her arms and falling into a slouch as she risked a glance at Nayeli. “I'm a shapeshifter, so I’ll be fine wherever. You and your son would perhaps prefer some privacy to further discuss this… change of events.” At this point she couldn’t help the slight frown on her brow as she glanced at what was clearly still Fekitoa in that male harpy’s body, what with his indifferent and rough attitude. "I will gladly respect that.”

@Jayus
​

 

[Jayus]

Nayeli rose from her seat, slowly as though her weight on her legs would give out at any moment. Fekitoa shot his mom a disapproving glare from where he still sat, upset she had not first taken her medicine. Quietly he too got out of his seat to help her, but she shooed him off.


"It's alright honey. Just go get a cloth to clean up the tea if you can."





He didn't seem particularly fond of the idea nor did he wish to do it yet the look she sent him left him no other choice. His gaze shifted between both the women before making his way out the room.





"Don't worry too much love it was an accident. Fekitoa always was unable to tell when the water was just right. I swear sometimes I think that boy is trying to brew up liquid fire." Again she chuckled at her own joke. A light laugh like a bubbling stream escaping her lips. Composing herself a more stern look fell upon her face.


"You are a most welcome guest in this house, and shapeshifter or not I will not allow someone invited in this home to go lay outside in the grass when we have a perfectly good spare room. Unless of course you prefer the outdoors? In any case down the hall to the left is a spare room if you wish to drop off your things. It was FeKitoa's room back when he was much younger, but eventually we had to make a bedroom next to mine. He was always complaining about being too far away from us. There's a bathroom directly opposite where you can freshen up. I'll bring a fresh cup of tea later. One that isn't so scorching."


With a playful wink she watched as Phoebe made her way down the hall to the right of the living room. Once more the house grew quiet. A sound she had sadly become familiar too. In times like these she would hum a song, but at this moment she didn't feel much like singing. Fekitoa had just about finished cleaning up and was walking down to the left hallway where the kitchen was situated. She blocked the path between himself and the kitchen and rested her shoulder on a wall. Folding the tips of her wings in front of her and furrowing her brows into a disappointed scowl.


"What happened today, Fekitoa?"





Fekitoa didn't look her in the eyes, finding far more interest in the fern-stained cloth.





"I was Chosen by Semino. Simple as that."





"No, no, don't give me that." She looked to see if Phoebe was anywhere nearby and lowered her voice. "Why are you here so early. Who is that girl and why does she seem to have a clearer idea about what is happening than you do? You're bright Fekitoa, you are aware of the world around you. You would've known when those lights showed up if you were Chosen."


Fekitoa looked around the room. Taking a good look at the cracks, the off-coloured walls and the holes he had called his home.





"We've swapped too much. It's not so bad anymore, Kito will be back in charge the day after tomorrow hopefully. That woman is Phoebe Silva. She is also a Chosen. The previous Chosen of Semino... " He lost his train of thought. His voice slipping away into the silence. Nayeli waited quietly for him to finish. Knowing well he would. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Even the creaking of the house seemed to halt if only for a short time.


"The previous one didn't make it."





Nayeli felt her heart give in and shatter like glass into the pit of her stomach. She started to shake her head. Fekitoa tried to calm her, but she cut him off.





"No Fekitoa. No. I refuse. Tell Phoebe, Semino needs to find somebody else."





"I am that somebody else."


Nayeli wasn't happy with the answer. Fekitoa tried to reason with her, but she wasn't having it. She was thinking a mile a minute trying desperately to convince her only child it was a bad idea. Fekitoa had a response for everything she could throw at him. It's not safe. No one will be safe. It's too short notice. They didn't have much time. He could die. The whole world could die.





"It's just not fair." her voice faltered. Going a pitch lower and more sombre than her usual cheerful tune.


"Haven't we... Haven't we been hurt enough?" She somehow looked more tired, the wrinkles gracing the corner of her eyes more prominent. Fekitoa didn't have an answer for that, a good answer at least. One she'd like to hear. Kito didn't seem to have a good answer either. He moved her to the couch and once she was safely seated he sat down next to her. She rested her temple on his shoulder, the familiar smell of pine and old books lingering on his shirt. She wanted to believe she'd sense it again.


"You're worse than your father. Out of all the traits you had to pick off him it was your damn need to do what was right."





"I got being stubborn from you."





"No, no that's your father too. I'm not stubborn I'm just always correct."





The two sat there for a moment, a melancholy stillness befalling them. Eventually Fekitoa moved the still steaming cup of tea to his mom and poured the medicine contents into the cup.





"You drink your medicine and just stay seated for a bit. I'm going out."





"Out? Now? You must be joking."





"I'm going to see Aunt real quick. I'll be back shortly." He let himself linger in his seat a moment longer. Tilting his head he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Nayeli looked at the back of the door and back to her tea, seeing her crestfallen gaze staring straight back at her. Something stirred deep within her and she knew this feeling all too well. She heard footsteps.


"Oh, Phoebe you just missed him. Fekitoa went out to see my friend Calandra if you wish to go look for him. Otherwise I can always answer any questions you wish to know. If you have any to begin with or how about that tea I offered you now?"





@SepiaInk