In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
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There aren't enough praises in the world I'd like to give to wonderful coders for the Proboards community. The following have contributed to World Destiny in some way: W3 Schools for countless how-tos and countless of other souls who have helped get WD up to where it is.
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The overcast sky held a dull glow over the city of Traverse Town, illuminated by the street lamps below. It was a beautiful night. Large snowflakes danced in the air, reflecting the lights that shone in the district and making the town that much brighter. It was a heavy snowfall, and the streets already had a fine coating of wet snow. Given the time and the chill, most everyone had taken shelter indoors, warming up by the fireplace with a nice cup of tea, and leaving the crumpled shape of what appeared to be an oversized bird alone on the streets.
The feathers stirred, streaked red with blood, and from the ruined plumage emerged two human arms that pressed two gloved palms on the snow dusted cobblestones. Unsteady as they were, they seemed to find some sort of hold, lifting the young girl from her daze as she tried picking herself up from the cold, damp ground. Her wings shot out, freeing themselves from the way they had been pinned beneath her, but she only managed the strength to fall back on her rear and find support from the brick wall at her back. Her butt was cold and wet, and the wall behind her felt like ice on her back, but she dismissed the discomfort for something far more pressing. A low groan escaped her, her hands fumbling for the buckle at the back of her head. Her goggles were too tight, and the way her head was pounding like taking a hammer to an anvil, it was all she could do to relieve the tension wrapped around her skull that threatened to explode.
She let loose a sharp breath of pain as she pulled the leather strap tighter to free the buckle. Removing the goggles from her eyes, relief flooded her senses but only for an instant before the chill and dull aches of her injuries settled over her body. Resting her back against the wall, the girl let the snowflakes fall over her, cold but somehow soothing her body riddled with scratches and cuts as she opened her eyes to take stock of where she was. The bright lights of the street lamps did not do well for her head. Bringing a hand up to shield the glare, she narrowed her eyes and looked about herself, but she could make neither hide nor hair of anything. The only thing she could discern was that she was not where she last remembered, losing consciousness as she sank in a pool of darkness deep in the wilderness. Had they captured her, the monstrous black insects with beady yellow eyes who had swarmed her, forcing her Guardians to retreat and leaving her alone to her fate? Her mind went instinctively to Jispo, recalling the small hinko screeching at her side as she was pulled into the shadows.
"Jispo," she breathed, grasping the amulet around her neck and relieved to find it still there. Taking a deep breath, she focused on his Gateway symbol. Nothing happened, not even the faintest of a glimmer as she sought to call her companion. She was too exhausted, too weak, but even so it concerned her. Despite lacking the energy to complete the link between realms, she should at least have been able to sense him, but his bright light was gone as though snuffed out like a candle in a breeze. Tears came unbidden to her eyes as she thought the worst, until she realized she could sense none of her Guardians. They hadn't all died, she knew that much, at least. She had seen them fade, sensed their light even as the darkness engulfed her. Jispo wasn't dead—he couldn't be.
Shaking her head, which proved to be a terrible idea of an action, she pushed the thought from her mind. She would get to the bottom of it, eventually. Curling her wings around her to shield herself from the elements, she took a solemn respite, mustering the strength and warmth to rise and discover just where she had been taken.
Sept 30, 2012 20:09:48 GMT -4
Last Edit: Nov 6, 2012 16:20:16 GMT -4 by Bluebird
He didn't walk the streets, for he knew the Heartless roamed them. Instead, he lept from roof to roof, using his enhanced sight to see every little detail in Traverse Town, from shadow to Shadow. He kept his bo staff in hand, in case the Heartless surprised him, and he felt the feather-soft flickers of fire in his soul, as he let Phoenix fill his whole essence. Her heat kept out the chill of the rain, and a simple Fire spell would dry him off later.
Eventually, he finished his hunt in the Second District, and ran in the direction of the First District, intending to go to the Third afterwards. As he made the transition, something caught his attention from out of the corner of his eye, and he turned, his staff held at the ready. But...it wasn't a Heartless or a Nobody. It didn't look like an enemy, and it appeared hurt.
Later, Leo would reflect on what he did and ask why. Lowering his staff, he jumped onto the road and looked towards the wounded figure, who had a pair of...wings. Pushing this oddity aside in his mind, he felt the fires in his soul travel to his fingertips, sputtering in the rain. However, some of the sparks stayed lit, and they glowed dimly as Leo coaxed Phoenix to cast a spell for him.
As the sparks floated towards the figure (and, as Leo noticed, it was female) they glowed a radiant gold. They would land upon her, but instead of burning, she would feel merely a warmth as the Curaga spell did its work. He smiled, then dismissed Phoenix, and finally spoke.
Still curled up beneath the protective shelter of her wings, the girl was unaware of the stranger's approach. It wasn't until she felt the shift in energy did she venture to peak from her crimson streaked plumage, recognizing the blurry shape of a tall and slender being that stood before her. Her wings opened further, allowing the chill to hit her as she leaned forward. A harsh shiver overtook her as she squinted her eyes to get a better look when the fiery sparks he sent her way began settling on her wounded body. Close enough now to see the golden wisps, the girl felt a sparkling of electricity and a warm glow as they became absorbed into her skin. Unaware of what was happening, the girl quietly became hysterical, her body tense and rigid as her mind focused on the access points of the odd spell.
Then, a most peculiar sensation fell over her. All of her aches and pains, the hammering in her skull, and her exhaustion and fatigue seemed to dissipate, as though melting from her body to be washed away to the cobblestones below. But what was even more strange was the fact that her cuts and scratches she had received also faded, leaving only the blood on her skin to be rinsed away by the dense snowflakes. Confused and afraid of what was happening, the girl's mind raced, trying her best to make sense of what was going on around her, but being unused to spells of healing she was at a complete loss.
"Hey. Are you alright?"
His words hit the winged girl harder than the chill, breaking her from her thoughts. Turning her attention back to the being, her eyes widened. He was the one responsible for this, he had to be. Her left hand reached out, searching for her hammer, praying that it had not been left behind. Her palm fell over the handle and she gripped it instinctively. Now that it was back in her possession she rose to her feet, finding strength where she had none before. Her body convulsed in a shiver as her fingers shifted, seeking a better grip as she fought to quell the rising fear in her heart. It was all beginning to make sense. Finding herself in a strange, new land, her Guardians cut off from her, and the way her body had seemingly healed itself in front of her very eyes. She was dead, and this strange being had come to take her to the fated Crossroads where she'd either walk the path to become one with the Elements, or simply cease to exist.
The girl was not righteous by any means. If he truly was here to lead her to her destiny, she had no doubt in her mind which path she'd be forced to take. Pressing her back harder against the wall with the irrational thought that she might be able to meld into the cold, coarse stones, she tightened her grip on her hammer.
"Who are you?" she snapped, her voice hot with fury. Despite the cold her palms were sweating inside their gloves. "Come to take me away?" He was going to force her to walk a hellish path of torment only to be rewarded with the very end of her life. Jispo, her beloved Jispo … she'd never see him again, never feel his soft fur, feel the pain of his tongue as he worked to clean the crook of her nose, or hear his chirps and mews in their one-sided conversations. She slumped against the wall, tears flowing freely from her eyes. He wouldn't take her from him. She would run away forever.
"I won't go," she cried, her voice cracking with sobs. She threw her arm back, striking her hammer hard against the brick wall. "You can't take me away from him!"
Oct 2, 2012 17:19:41 GMT -4
Last Edit: Oct 3, 2012 20:33:17 GMT -4 by Bluebird
That was not the reaction Leo expected, not at all.
As his mind raced, he came to two conclusions: she was new to Traverse Town, potentially BRAND new, and that he had to defend himself before anything further happened. His staff raised before him, and for once he was glad the enchanted oak would not shatter under the blow of the hammer. Once again, the sparks appeared around him, but this time they glowed a deep crimson, and flickered into magical flames around his feet, flames that ignored the rain. An outline of a bird was made from the flame, and from it a crimson bird appeared behind him.
A very angry looking phoenix, that is.
As Leo backed up a bit, Phoenix seemed to envelop him with her wings, in a protective gesture. He relaxed a bit as he recognized the embrace of his mother's spirit, but still looked warily at the girl he had just saved.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I just found you here, injured and alone in the rain! So I healed you!"
He noticed that she wasn't standing to attack him, and he lowered the staff to a non-threatening position. He then went a step forward, Phoenix following him forward, still embracing the neko prince.
"My name's Leo, and I doubt this is the world you come from. This place is called Traverse Town, and it's where the refugees from worlds destroyed by the darkness appear."
Then he realized thee last statement she said, and felt a pang of sadness. Had she lost somebody important to her, someone in her life that she cared for deeply?
She had angered him, that much was clear. The being seemed to grow in size before her, summoning a horrific beast of fire that enveloped him completely. The girl's breath caught in her throat, all pretense of fighting forgotten as she cowered before his presence. Snowflakes still fell in dense clumps, coating her wings, hair, and bare shoulders, but even the damp chill was forgotten in her fright.
Strong, she had to stay strong. If she ever wanted to escape from this place and return to the physical realm, she had to stay strong, show that she had some fight left in her. She couldn't die, not yet.
Her body convulsed in a wicked shiver; it was getting harder to ignore the cold. The being took a step forward, and despite her resolve she shrank under his approach, pressing herself harder against the brick wall at her back. It felt like ice against her bare skin, but she relished in the feeling. It meant she was still alive, she could still feel cold and pain, and that meant he hadn't taken her yet.
He spoke to her, spouting things she could not comprehend. He had found her here, taken pity and healed her? She shook her head. It made no sense. Her mind raced back to the lore she had grown up with. When one died, creatures such as he hid in the shadows, using the darkness as gateways to steal the dead from the living, to bring them to this strange plane and present them before the Crossroads. The dead was healed before the journey, that much she knew, so they could be at peak physical strength, but she had always understood that the one who brought them to this plane was the one who stood by them throughout their journey. Yet this one claimed to have found her, as though she had come here of her own accord. It was against everything she had ever known.
Her head shook in disbelief. "You can't fool me, Nightstalker," she said. The grip on her hammer tightened, and in her other hand her goggles were held in a vice-like grip. Perhaps he was playing a game with her, just because he could. He was spouting nonsense. Worlds destroyed by darkness? Traverse Town? She did not understand. "You're here to take me to the Crossroads. I'm not going. You can't make me!"
She ignored his last question, refusing to play his game of ignorance. Her body trembled in the cold, snowflakes scattering from her wings while her breath came in quick gasps, fogging before her in a white mist. It was an indication of her level of panic, but somehow she held herself, her anger keeping her fear in check. Until this Nightstalker—Leo, he called himself—started treating her with respect, she would do nothing he asked.
Leo shook his head at the girl's reaction, wondering what she was rambling about. He understood none of the things that she called him. He looked over his shoulder at Phoenix, who was still enveloping him protectively, and shook his head. With a small nod, the avian seemingly turned into crimson flames, and they shrank down to a smaller size, until her avian form reformed as a bird the size of a parakeet, which perched on his shoulder. Phoenix let out a few chirps, as a sort of apology to the frightened girl.
â€I honestly don’t know what you speak of. I’m not here to hurt you in the least, and if I wanted to take you to these “Crossroadsâ€, I would have to know what they were, right?â€
He looked over the girl, who was trembling in fear, and then shrugged some snow off of his shoulder. Since Phoenix had separated her essence from him, he had begun to feel the chill, and he shivered a little. He knew that the cafe had warm drinks, and he looked in its direction.
â€If you please, I could leave you be and go on my way. However, the cold would surely kill you, and I don’t want to see that happen. I know of a small cafe, and they have something that should take the chill from your bones. I’m sorry I frightened you, and Phoenix didn’t intend to frighten you...she was merely protecting me.â€
He held out a hand, giving the winged girl one of his signature small smiles. Phoenix fluttered happily on his shoulder, trying to cheer the frightened girl up.
â€Your drink is on me. You don’t have to come, but I’d appreciate it if you would. I’d sooner buy you a drink and save your life then find your frozen corpse tomorrow. What do you say?â€
The girl blinked, and for the first time doubt filled her mind on who and what this being was before her. At first, it seemed as though she had gotten through to him, an impossible feat when dealing with Nighstalkers, but the way the fires died around him as though he had taken her feelings to heart, the girl had no other explanation.
It was the sound of a bird's chirp that drew her attention. Nightstalkers didn't chirp, and there should be no animals where she found herself—between realms to prepare for the Crossroads. Her lips pursed in irritation, wanting to believe that it was another game this Nightstalker was playing to ease her into a false sense of comfort so that she might be more willing to comply.
But the words he spoke to her seemed to hold such sincerity. Without being able to rely on sight, the winged girl was well versed in the intonation of speech and general body language. She shivered again, her body convulsing in quakes as the snow and wind cut deep to her bones. The cold was painful, her teeth beginning to chatter as she fought the numbness overtaking her body. A warm drink sounded so enticing. Was she wrong? Was he really not a Nightstalker as she had believed?
Almost as an afterthought, she remembered the goggles in her right hand, bringing them to her eyes and looking through their cobalt lenses. The world before her sharpened in focus, bringing a certain clairvoyance impossible to view with her own eyes. What were once blurry objects now had definition, and the girl could finally take in the strange new world she found herself in. That, however, held no interest for her. For the first time, she could see the being before her, who, and more importantly, what he was.
What she saw was something she never expected. A young man with cat ears and a tail, with a fiery red bird perched on his shoulder. With that, a sudden realization came to her. He was a Kitteh, a Terran, to be more formal, and that bird was his Guardian. It made perfect sense, the way he had become enveloped by a swath of fire at the winged girl's threat. His Guardian was protecting him, protecting him from her.
For a brief moment, the chill of the night lifted from the young Aeristocrat. This young man was no Nightstalker—he was a Terran, and what was more, had a Guardian to boot. The girl had never encountered another Tamerran that could summon Guardians like she, but here one was, standing before her in the flesh.
"You're a Kitteh, and you have a Guardian," she said, stating the obvious but it did not matter to her. Dropping her hammer to the ground, she threw herself at him, enveloping him in a tight embrace. She squeezed him tight in her arms, wrapping her wings around them as her body convulsed with shivers and sobs of joy. "I thought you were a Nightstalker," she breathed, not realizing that he had denied knowledge of them and the Crossroads, which was something every Tamerran believed. Such thoughts did not occur to her. Here was a young man of a familiar race, with a familiar that made every impression of being a Guardian that this winged girl was so used to.
To be honest, Leo had no clue how the girl would react. So far, she had cowered in fear of him, and had a weapon drew. However, he did not expect her to envelop him in the embrace that she did. It shocked him for a moment, but he then returned the embrace, allowing the winged girl to sob on him. He held her close, trying to remove the chill from her body via body contact. A surge of pity washed through his body, and he knew that comforting the young girl was the right thing to do.
"Of course you're not dead. And you...may have me confused for something I am not... I'm what people call a neko, though I presume that I remind you of these kittehs. And yes, Phoenix is my guardian."
He felt the girl shake, and even though it could have been shivering, the sobbing, or a mix of both, he knew that she would need to get somewhere warm soon, lest she freeze. However, he opted not the break the embrace just yet.
"Hey, it's all going to be okay. Let's go to that cafe, get our drinks, and then talk there. I don't think you can last much longer here in the cold. Does that sound okay to you?"
She clutched him tighter to her, hearing his words but still not understanding them. The word "neko" was foreign to her, and she clung to the hope that perhaps he was from an indigenous tribe that had little contact with the outside world. He may not have been a Kitteh, but he was a Terran—he had to be—and so the young Aeristocrat dismissed his words. He still had a Guardian.
Her head was resting in the crook of his shoulder, drying her eyes as the rest of her began to freeze. Ice formed in her hair and plumage, clumping together and bringing a weight that dragged her down. She had lost feeling in all her limbs, wings included, and without thinking she released him momentarily but only to slide her hands and arms beneath his jacket and hold him closer to her. She was not normally this touchy-feely, but he was so warm and her body was like ice. She didn't want to let go. A rough shiver shook the pair of them, her wings rustling as her teeth began to chatter once more. Her nose was running and without thinking she wiped it on his shoulder, then rested her head at the base of his neck.
A deep sigh escaped her. They had to go or he was right, she'd risk freezing to death in this strange, new land. It took more effort than she could ever believe, but somehow she managed to nod her head.
Yet she could not let go.
Oct 7, 2012 20:31:53 GMT -4
Last Edit: Oct 7, 2012 20:35:32 GMT -4 by Bluebird
The young neko prince sighed as the girl still hugged him, though he had started when she slipped his hands under his jacket, taking his warmth. With a small smile, he reached down and picked her up, bridal style, but adjusted to where she didn't have to let go. Then, as an afterthought, he shrugged his jacket off and put it over the girl's shoulders, which would help keep her even a little bit warmer. He fixed it to where her wings didn't get in the way, then leaned down and grabbed her hammer, though this was a bit awkward.
He then walked in the direction of the cafe, with the winged girl in his arms. Though it shamed him to admit it, it did feel good to have someone holding him after all this long, but he dismissed that thought for the moment. She needed to get to safety, and he was quick to enter the warm atmosphere of the cafe.
It was a cozy little place, warmed by a roaring fire. There were several tables here and there, but Leo made a beeline for the couches near the fire, and sat the girl down. He left his jacket on her, then stood and stretched a little, dismissing Phoenix, who disappeared in a small burst of fire. His tail flicked a couple of times, then sat next to the winged girl, who seemed to be getting warmer. He handed her the hammer, then relaxed for a moment, letting the fire erase what little chill was in his bones.
In the back of his mind, he hoped the girl would hold him again.
The winged girl was compliant as Leo picked her up, her toes curling inside her wet boots once they had been lifted from the ground. Cold and exhausted, it felt nice to be relieved of such burden. Had the girl been forced to walk anywhere, she was certain her legs wouldn't have been able to support her. Resting her head against the Kitteh's chest, she watched with half-lidded eyes as they began their trek to the café.
He felt so warm to her, and he had lifted her with such ease, as though she were light as a feather. She hugged herself closer to his body, feeding off his warmth, shivering and sniffing as her nose continued to run. She was so tired; it was not long before she closed them completely, dozing in his arms. Or maybe she just went unconscious.
Regardless, it was the breath of warm air that roused her, her eyes fluttering as she took stock of where she found herself. The café was bright, brighter than the city lights, and she turned her face against Leo's chest, blocking out the pain and convulsing in a shiver. It was a short distance, but soon she felt Leo place her gently on a soft cushion. She held onto him as long as she could, her grip breaking like ice as she let go. Without his warmth, her arms wrapped around herself, finding the jacket he had placed over her shoulders and pulled it to a more fitting position.
The warmth of the fire nearby drew her attention, and she turned her head in its direction, watching the flames as feeling came back to her limbs. They pained her and she shivered violently, her teeth loud in the small café as they started chattering. She sniffed, wiping her nose on her arm as she tried to absorb as much of the fire's heat as possible. She felt miserable; cold and damp, her butt wet and freezing. She shuddered in a sigh as her body convulsed in a terrible tremor.
She turned her head as she felt a sudden weight sit down next to her, seeing Leo as he passed her the hammer. Reaching out her hand, she tried to retrieve it, but she was too exhausted to hold such a heavy thing and it was scarcely in her possession before she had dropped it to the floor in a loud clatter. She left it there and turned back to the fire.
They sat in silence for a while, before a young girl with an apron came before them. "How are you two doing … oh my," she said, catching herself. Blood still stained the winged girl's body and feathers. Seeing this and her manner of dress, the waitress recognized immediately what must have occurred. "You poor dear," she breathed. "Let me get you a blanket." And with that, she turned and left.
The winged girl watched her go, then sniffled a few times before a proper sneeze erupted from her. Dropping her goggles on the cushion to the left of her, she rubbed her arms with her gloved hands. Despite everything, she was beginning to feel better. The warmth was nice, and Leo's presence beside her was comforting.
"It's too bright in here," she said, complaining, squinting her eyes to relieve some of the pressure that was building inside her head. "I wish they'd snuff out some of these lights."
She shivered. She had so many questions, she didn't know where to start. Who was Leo? How did he find her? What tribe was the Neko? How did he acquire a Guardian? Did all Nekos have Guardians? If so, what could she learn from them? What were those things that attacked her? Where had they gone? Why wasn't she dead? So many questions, but she didn't know which one to ask. She figured she might as well start with the most basic.
Once again, pity filled Leo as he watched what happened when he let the girl go. Scooting closer to her, he once again wrapped his arm around her, though this time he whispered a small arcane phrase. Once again, he felt Phoenix's magical touch, and he emitted a heat, which he shared with the young girl. The embrace allowed him to channel as little of his magical power as possible, though he would only be able to maintain it for a little while. He completely disregarded the waitress who had offered to get her a blanket, for he felt obligated to care for the girl himself.
"Sorry about how bright it is. Not much we can do, though."
Leo smiled as he saw that she had wrapped his jacket around her better, and then continued.
"This world is called Traverse Town. It's a sort of in-between point of light and dark, a town in perpetual twilight. People are sent here when the Heartless attack and destroy their worlds, but only if they have the purity of heart to survive. I'm one of those cases...the power of my guardians saved me, but in turn I was forced to watch as those monsters devoured my whole kingdom. I'm afraid that..your old home may not exist anymore. However, in traveling the other worlds...you may find pieces of your home."
He looked into the fire for a moment, before continuing. He knew that what he said would hit her like a hammer to the gut, but there was no way around that.
"I must say, I didn't expect to save such a unique girl in the snow, though I'm glad I did before things got worse. As I stated before, my name is Leonardo, though you may call me Leo."
As Leo scooted closer, the winged girl leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder and shivering. She caught his whispered words, and though she didn't understand them she somehow knew they were linked to the fresh wave of heat that enveloped herself and Leo. She shivered again, kicked off her boots and brought her legs up to the cushion in a cross-legged fashion, then removed her gloves and struggled to unclasp her utility belt, dropping them to her side next to her goggles before rubbing her arms with her bare hands.
A pout formed on her lips when Leo mentioned there was nothing to do about the brightness of the room. Surely the establishment could have blown out a few candles for her sake. What was the point, anyway? It was nighttime; the only lights around should have been the fire and a smattering of candles scattered on tables. Who in their right mind would want so many lights this time of night? Everyone should have been getting ready for bed. She had to admit these Neko were strange people.
She was already beginning to dislike them, the feeling of injustice and exhaustion warping her mind to unreasonable prejudices. Leo was all right, but the rest of them ... they could all burn in a fire. She thought about curling her wing around herself to give her eyes a bit of darkness and to put on a show of her discomfort, but she didn't want to block out the fire's heat and Leo could only give so much. She tried closing her eyes but even with her lids shut it was still too bright, so she concentrated on the Neko boy's words, hoping that a bit of concentration on another matter would alleviate the growing hammer in her skull.
What he said caught her off guard. Her eyes opened but only to blink as comprehension slowly dawned on her. Heartless ... attack and destroy ... survive.... Only a few words registered within her tired mind, but it was enough for her to leap to her own conclusions. Your old home may not exist anymore....
She shook her head, refusing to believe. If her world was destroyed as Leo implied, then it was true, her Guardians were lost to her, their Gateway Symbols useless, nothing more than dead weight. It was exactly as she had feared. Jispo had been taken from her, devoured by those creatures as her world succumbed to their ruthless attack. She could not bear the idea.
Slowly, she sat up, removing herslf from Leo's touch. She hadn't paid attention to his last statement, her mind too wrapped up in her own thoughts. The icy hand of fear and distress had her throat in a vicelike grip. She could barely breathe. "No," she said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "You're lying."
He was wrong, he was lying to her. Her world couldn't be destroyed, that was impossible. He must have meant the Aeristocratic city that dwelt in the clouds, but that had nothing to do with the Spiritual Realm where her Guardians resided. They were still out there; she was just too far away to feel their presence. Whatever happened, she had been taken far beyond the safe haven of the woodlands she had last stepped foot, perhaps thousands of miles, if not more. She had to return. Once she got close enough, she'd feel them again. Jispo was out there waiting for her, she knew this. It had to be true.
Hot fury filled her heart, warming her far more than the fire or Leo's touch ever could. "You're lying," she hissed, her voice stronger, her face twisting in a fearsome expression as she spat the words at the Neko Kitteh next to her. Her eyes burned, and despite herself she could not stop the tears from falling. How could he be so cruel?
She stood in a panic, her eyes searching for the door. She had to leave. The room was far too stuffy for her. It was too bright, too stuffy, too small. She could hardly breathe. Her wings twitched, her breath coming in quick gasps. She had to return home. No matter where she was, she'd find her way back, she didn't care how.
He knew things were getting worse when she stood, and he watched as she slowly slipped away, into the state of being that he had once felt. His ears lied back on his skull, and old memories came back, ones he would rather forget.
The blood of nekos everywhere...an entire kingdom being massacred at the claws, hands, and other various weapons available to the Heartless...the screams of children being killed before their mothers...
He didn't even realize as he stood, and laid a hand upon the girl's shoulder. Suddenly, tears he had thought long gone were once again emerging from his eyes, and he looked to her, almost pleadingly.
Finally, the sound of the castle doors being bashed in...what refugees there were screamed, and he stood before them, his claymore held forth and his armor flashing in the light. As the doors were bashed off their hinges, he yelled to the warriors and mages of his people.
"CHARGE!!""
It was a simple touch, and gentle at that, but through both the touch and the look he gave her, he tried to relay the message to her. That one that everybody had to hear... "I am so sorry..."
He didn't know that it would be the death sentence of his people. As he watched the army fall before him, he fell to his knees, as if in defeat. His sword fell to the ground, and he watched. There was nothing else he could do...nothing to make things right.
The hand on her shoulder slipped behind her neck, and he pulled her into a tight embrace, sobs now causing him to shudder. The girl had reminded him of all he had lost in the assault on his world...and the legacy he had to live for. THIS was his purpose.
A low whisper escaped from his lips, punctuated with heartbreaking sobs.
"I am so...so very sorry...
And, for the first time in quite some time, the neko prince cried.
ust to know that you can bleed
Oct 12, 2012 17:13:39 GMT -4
Last Edit: Oct 12, 2012 21:24:56 GMT -4 by Deleted
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, shoving Leo away from her. She had been in Panic Mode not to realize his touch, his attempts to soothe her. Her claustrophobia was acting up, confined as she was in this small room with bright lights everywhere and walls surrounding. She didn't realize how tiny it was. She could barely stretch out her wings. Constricting the girl as Leo had done had not been a good move.
"You don't know!" she cried, bringing her hands to her chest, tears falling from her eyes. "You don't know what I've lost!" Her Guardians, the one thing that set her apart from everyone else in the world, taken from her. Jispo, beloved Jispo, the only creature she had ever known to love her so unconditionally, gone.
It could not be true. This Kitteh was wrong, lying. He did not understand. "You still have your Guardians!" she screamed, turning all heads in the small, bright café. She did not care. Leo still had Phoenix, and probably others. She had nothing. How dare he have the gall to cry.
"Jispo is out there somewhere, I know it," she said, somehow getting her tears under control. Her body racked in a vicious shudder. The room was far too small. She could feel the pressure of the walls as they closed in around her. Her wings stretched, revealing their full span, and she shivered as her right wing brushed the side of the wall near the fireplace. She could not stay here. A terrible feeling of restless energy enveloped her, her shoulder blades crawling, her wings itching to take flight.
Before any logical, rational thought could break through the thorny vines of fear and panic that surrounded her, the winged girl was on the move, practically running as she made her way to the door. She found it only by chance, gravitating towards the sudden draft as some fresh patron sought shelter from the growing blizzard outside.
The chill was the first to hit her as she stood at the threshold, door held wide open. The wind had picked up, the snowfall heavier than before. She winced at the biting chill, now without even her gloves and boots to offer the most minimal of protection. There was no time for hesitation; with two painful, freezing steps, the girl pushed off from the snow-laden ground, her wings unfurling to catch the icy breeze. It was so cold. Her hair and veils whipped around her, her feathers ruffling as she tried to combat the wind into something more stable. She was not so practiced in her wind manipulation to keep her safe in such inclement weather, but still she tried. She had to return home. Jispo was waiting for her.
She climbed. She had no bearing, no direction to go, but she didn't care. She just had to return home. Her great wings flapped, her eyes closed to near slits, her body numb from the chill, but still she pushed forward. She'd find her way, once she could sense his light.
The strain was too great, her exhaustion overwhelming. Not even twenty feet above the ground and she lost control, the wind bending her wing at an awkward angle. She lost control, tumbling through the air and crashing to the ground, the snow providing a pitiful cushion. The girl cried out as pain lanced through her left shoulder blade, sending a horrendous shockwave down her side. She was certain she heard something snap—hopefully it was only her pride.
Lying once more in a crumpled mess in the snow, realizing at once the foolishness of her actions, the winged girl curled into a ball, wishing for death. Battered and broken, having lost the one thing most dear to her, there was nothing left for her.