Everflame: The Shard

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Alex knelt down beside Listy and looked up at her face.
"Dont worry Roxy, she'll be back soon," he said and patted her shoulder. He then stood up and prodded the guard. "Uh, where has she gone?" The guard turned to him and shrugged.
"Most likely to choose who will go with you. Most likely one of the Chapter Chosen, a leader or teacher." While they talked, the chosen loomed in. A short single step just a little closer over the girl.




Dim Lane watched Talin with an odd look and when she jumped off him, he made a point to walk between her an him as she led the way. He flew up the tree and perched himself atop the treehouse and looked out over the village.
"Still can't believe I'm here," he said with a breath of a laugh, then looked down through the door of the treehouse. "Are you feeling okay now Aria? I can get you some food if you want."





Andreya laughed in Leo's ear and pulled out her pistol and held it up beside his head.
"Well she gave mine back," she said. Little Hands giggled with her and Saviour ran full tilt. They soon reached the outskirts of the village and tore towards the dome. Little hands pulled out the pistol and aimed it ahead. She balanced herself in the lizard's stride and steadied her aim before firing the shot. A flash of green burst from the pistol and blasted into the primitive wall. It punched a small hole and spread long reaching cracks. Saviour raced harder, and weaved past the houses, down a street. Villagers whipped past in a blur as the cracked dome flew towards them. Saviour didn't stop. he put his head down and charged, tail whipping behind him. Little hands ducked and Andreya pushed Leo down to follow as they slammed into the wall and burst through the other side, into the dome.





Aman opened the door and stepped in, with bowl in his one hand. The white robe he wore was stained from head to toe, a dark mess. He walked forward, up to the creature and shivered with a smile. He bit his lip and pressed up to Entaru with the bowl held high to the creature, up to its mouth. The dark water sloshed and foamed with smog. It seemed to pulse with darkness as the Lord poured it into the mouth of his God.





Chosen Akela knelt down behind Meredith and pulled her into a hug.
"You made a right choice." Then a knock came at the door. Akela looked up, confusion on her face. "Come in," she said. The door swung open and behind it stood the Queen. "Majesty," Akela said. The Queen nodded and strolled in with a smile to Meredith and Siyan.





The old rabbit turned in her chair, with a wide smile stretched on her aged face.
"Dont worry about that my dear. Things like this never stay in one room forever." She smiled, while Reeza turned away from them and mimed vomit. Then there was a sound, a scratch. The ears of both rabbits twitched and their faces lit up.
"Hey, she's here," said Reeza. The door crawled open, and the fireplace spilled light into the entrance. There stood another rabbit. Tall, long legged, with a deep, long lashed eyes and wide hips. She stepped inside and froze standing between Yenchi and Imshi.
"Oh... they're here." She looked from one to the other while Ophelia started to laugh.
"Imshi, Yenchi, this is my daughter and your guide; Neesa."

[tangletail]

Leo rolled his eyes as he tossed his hands into the air and growled lowly to the girl after emerging into the dome, "Spectacular entrance, but later if we all survive this ordeal, you and I shall have 'words' over this." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly reached forwards to snatch the gun away by the hammer, "Gimme that!". With a single finger acting as a pivot point underneath the trigger, he spun the gun forward so the handle was now fully in his grasp.


"So Ms. Andreya, you have been in war yes? Any tips?" he asked as he hopped off the lizard, and took a quick glance at the area around him.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin followed Aria into the treehouse, making sure his larger frame was not causing structural damage to the tree itself through weight and movement alone. When they got inside, Talin immediately sits down and cracks his knuckles before looking at Dim Lane.
"What Aria will need, is more water for all the fluids she lost. Same for myse-" He picks up the sound of an explosion, but the lack of follow-up made him put the thought aside.
"Anyway, I just need to patch up whatever was damage in Aria's throat, then I can go to the dome myself since I don't seem to be suffering from the same symptoms despite being a conduit of the Seeker's power."

[Grace.E]

Aria sat next to Talin as her mind experienced a flashback...

Aria was sitting in the tree by herself, her silence was her only protection from her angry father. he heard him calling her name and threatening to give her a good whipping.Aria built this place for that reason, he never found it, the tree was her only friend and protection, her father would never be able to climb the tree anyways.

Aria came back her eyes slightly clouded as she began to cough again, this time not as violent. she coughed up mucus again and she went to the widow and spit it out. she noticed her home out on the hill through the clearing, it was distant but it was a rather large home. but she didnt point it out, but she smiled at Dim Lane and his fascination.

[KittKat chunky~]

Imshi shot a thin-lipped frown towards Reeza as he showed his distaste. With her hands on her hips she sought a snide comment, only to have the thoughts sent scurrying from her head as the door slid open.

Yenchi's gaze flicked over the newcomer, from her hips to the tips of her ears. With an almost embarrassed expression he glanced across at Imshi. She appraised the girl more slowly, her amber gaze eating up the curve of the rabbit's hips and soft fur almost lazily.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Neesa." Imshi followed the greeting with the traditional clan gesture, a flowing movement of the hand that ended in a slight stooping to one knee and a bow of the head. Yenchi merely nodded his head slightly to her, eyes glancing to Imshi again. She had returned to her usual posture, hands on hips and straight-backed, her wings fanning out behind her so that the feathered tips brushed the earthen floor.

[Self-sain]

Siyan forced him self to compose, not knowing what to do, he dropped to a knee and bent his head. Meredith though a dear, she was oblivious as to who she was and simply what she was.
  "Majesty? That is an odd name, where did you get it?" She smiled as she asked this, Siyan shook his head, grabbing Meredith and forcing her down.
  "You are suppose to show respect and get down, haven't I taught you better."
  'No-' Meredith thought to her self, though she though it  be best not to say.

[x]

Listy squirmed, feeling more uncomfortable and left out. It wouldn't be as bad if she wasn't blind, but it was still bad. She dreamed about what the place looked like, how pretty it would be if she could see it. As her mind dreamed, her body grew very hot, her eyes watered, and very slightly, at the base of her neck, sweat started to mat her fur. From the corner of her mouth, a single trickle of a strange black fluid leaked.
 
The little deer felt it, and, with her wrist, wiped it off. She opened her mouth and touched her tounge to see if there was more, and there was...quickly she shut her mouth and let out a tiny whine.

[Entaru]

Entaru drank deeply from the bowl, the dark water filling his mouth and throat and spilling down his chest.  Deep inside he felt like something was clawing its way through his body, tearing at his insides to get at the water.  His vision blurred as more of the water spilt down his throat, until his world went completely black.  Then he saw something move in the dark...huge...formless...as black as the darkness it dwelled in.  Then a speck of red light appeared...then another...then two more...then three...then five.  Twelve red sparks shifted and disappeared behind dark shapes, only to reappear again brighter than before.  Before he could decide what it was it was looming before him, staring down at him with the red sparks it kept for eyes. 
 
Then he heard something...a dripping noise.   Looking down, he saw a droplet of water on the ground, looking as if it had come from nowhere.  Then, the droplet turned red...as crimson as blood.  Not...not like blood...it was blood.  Another drip fell from nowhere and splashed against its predecessor.  Looking up, past the looming monstrosity, he stared at the black sky.  At first there was nothing...then, as if someone had turned on some hellish shower, blood began to pour down on him and the creature like rain.  The creature looked at him knowingly as it began to dissolve into the blood, as if it was happy this had finally happened, until it was completely gone. 
 
He stood in the sea of blood for a moment, before the hunger wrenched at him.  Lettting himself fall into the sea, he began to drink.  He couldn't breathe, but he kept drinking, never getting his fill.  He drank for what seemed like thousands of years, the only thing in his mind the unquenchable thirst for more until finally he had drank it all.
 
On the outside, as soon as he had finished the water, he had dropped to the ground and begun to seize.  He began vomiting and crying blood.  Finally after a few minutes, he stopped moving with all of his blood pooled around him, and a horrid scream frozen on his face.
 
Inside, Entaru heard a cackle from behind him and a slow clapping.  Turning around, he saw himself, grinning from ear to ear and covered in hundreds of tattered rags.  "Well done, boy.  I didn't think you could do it, what with you being a toady to that idiot priest all these years.  You're tougher than you look.  Just as dumb as your master, but tough.  For that...I'm willing to give you one thing...just ask."
 
Entaru swallowed hard and bowed, knowing who he was standing in front of.  "My lord...you know of what I want already.  To serve you...that is all."
 
The doppelganger cackled again and nodded.  "Yes...of course.  Wish granted."  Snapping his fingers, Entaru felt himself getting pulled towards the duplicate but let himself go.   The doppelganger opened his mouth impossibly wide and Entaru closed his eyes, accepting his fate as he was swallowed up.
 
Outside, a half an hour after he had stopped moving, Entaru's body twitched.  The scream slowly melted away into a smile as they stood up.  There was enough of his blood at his feet to kill a man, but they stood tall.  They both looked at the room around them with new eyes, and let out a happy sigh of relief.  Then they started to chuckle quietly, and it slowly began to build into a giggle, then a laugh, then a guffaw, until it rang through the temple and into the town as an insane cackle that shook the ground like a small earthquake.  The whole planet seemed to shiver as his laughter rippled through the atmosphere.
 
Nero was alive again....

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"Well I've learned a few lessons over the years." Andreya said. She bent down from the lizard and snatched the pistol from Leo's paws. "Number one, don't let the scientist decide who gets the guns." She looked into his eyes and levelled a stare at him. "Number two, stop whining, start moving."
"Stay on Saviour, we not there yet." Little Hands said. Andreya grabbed him and dragged him back on as Saviour marched to the stairs. Andreya patted Leo on the arm. "I'll give it back when you need it," she said and handed the gun to him. "Give it back when you're done." Little Hands huffed in derision and urged Saviour on. The Lizard raced forward through the corridor. His legs pushed up against the walls until they reached the staircase.
"Hang on," Little Hands said and the lizard clambered downward, near vertical as he raced down the stairwell, deep into the crater.

Then came the laugh. Wild, growing. It was around them, in them like the very air. Little Hands' eyes went wide. Saviour stumbled. The group fell into a pile, spilled out on a landing. The massive thud of the great lizard may well have been silent. The screech and scream of a devil's glee burning the sound in the air.






Dim Lane hopped down to perch on one of the branches beside the window.
"I guess you didn't think coming home would be like this, huh?" he said and attempted a weak little laugh. "Would you like some water? I can get that." He flapped his wings a little as though to remind her that he could fly. "Or are you okay for now, because I was thinking that maybe I could go and do some research and investigating and the like." He bounced on the branch and hopped a little closer to the window, leaning forward to whisper into Aria's ear. "I would go now but I'm getting a bit suspect about our... friend." He jerked his head in Talin's direction. "I'm not sure all his attentions are on the mission, if you know what I mean." He glanced down at her chest. "I think one of his objectives isn't of intellectual pursuit, if you get what I'm saying." His head bobbed between gestures to him and back to her. "You kno-"

He stopped.

The sound of laughter trickled out from the village. It grew. It clawed its way out and tore the air. A sound, a presence, as though Seeker's touch was torn from the village.






Neesa slid past Imshi's wings and curtseyed in return to her.
"Pleasure's all mine," she said and then turned to look over her shoulder at Yenchi. She had a little smile as she looked him up and down then moved to face him. "And quite a pleasure to meet you," she said and took his paw in hers. "I'm Neesa; I'll be... um... helping you out." Her eyes were quick to drift downward.
"Oh for Seeker's sake," Reeza giggled as he shook his head.
"Oh what?" Neesa replied offended. Reeza pointed over to Imshi.
"His girlfriend is right next to you." His practically popped as he spoke. Neesa paled as she turned to Imshi.
"Ooooohh," she said and put up an apolagetic smile.
"Yes young lady," Ophelia said with an accusing stare.
"Oh but mum," Neesa said as she slumped in disappointment. "You can't just throw cute guys at me like this. You know what... time... I'm at."
"Whoa," Reeza recoiled in shock at his sister. "I did not need to know that." He put his hands up held down his ears as he slowly turned away from the conversation.
"Neesa." Ophelia seemed just as shocked though her voice didn't raise. "There are guests here," she said.
"Well," Neesa shrugged at them all. "They know what I'm talking about. They're not kids."







The Queen gave a little nod and a smile at the young girl, then wasted no time in urging Akela over. They moved huddled to the corner and whispered to eachother.
"There's a girl in the main entrance hall who says she has some kind of connection to a black hyena creature called Nero." Akela frowned and the Queen nodded in agreement. "Now I want you to take her to that village. Not too close, I want to see how she reacts. If you find out how she's connected, then bring her back to me and we'll decide how to proceed." Akela nodded. She hadn't said a word before she turned back to Meredith. She walked to the little fox and knelt in front of her while the Queen disappeared back down the corridor.
"It looks like something has come up," Akela said. "So I'm going to have to leave you here for now. Somebody else will take over and you'll be brought to a secret place where only people like you and me can go. Be nice to them, okay?" she said then stood up and patted Siyan on the shoulder. "Trust us, we promise she'll be safe and happy." She looked into his eye trying to peer into his understanding, then turned and left the room.
The was silence for a while. The statues had slowly gone dead once more. The room smelt of dried grass.
Eventually another chosen appeared. It was a man, though small and slender. His blazing white weasel muzzle poked from beneath the shadow of his hood.
"Is this Meredith?" he asked and pulled off his hood. A blaze of red fur ran from a widow's peak, back across his head and down his neck. "Say your goodbyes."







The chosen stepped closer to the girl. They surrounded the group and even the guard looked a little unnerved.
"Are they supposed to be doing that?" Alex asked, but it was never answered. The door opened and the Queen marched past toward the entrance. Her badger guard followed along. The chosen parted for him then reformed as he left. When Listy whimpered, Alex looked down at her and saw the stain on her hand. He patted her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked.
The door opened again and Chosen Akela entered. As though in a dance, the circle of Chosen swayed back and drifted toward their corners and offices. Akela moved to them and held forward her paw.
"I am Chosen Akela, I'm here to find a hyena."She nodded down at Listy as Alex shook her paw.
"Oh fantastic," he said, and turned to the girl. "Isn't that great Rox--." Akela squeezed his hand tight with a violent force. He looked at her and her eyes were wide, scared almost. All the Chosen in the room had frozen. It soon passed and Akela let him go. She smiled in apology at him, but the whole room stared at Listy. Akela scowled.
"Yes, fantastic," she said. "Are you her guardian," she asked Alex who shook his head.
"Oh no, I'm just a regular guard. From what I can tell, she hasn't got anyone to look after her," he said, pointing to her with a shrug.
"Good, go back to your patrol, we'll take it from here," she replied, curt, almost angry. Alex winced but gave an eventual nod and knelt at Listy's side and took her hand. She felt cold.








Aman was sat in the corner of the room. He watched the entire time. He was naked. His robes torn and bitten apart. He was covered in blood. He'd smothered himself in it, drank it. He licked his finger and then chewed on it as he looked up at Nero's form with unrestricted lust in his eyes. He stroked down his chest and mouthed his words.
"My lord."

[tangletail]

 The feline scientist had seemed to pay no attention to either of the two as the air around them seemed to have felt a little to familiar. His eyes narrowed as his upper body turned slightly to gaze over his shoulder, seemingly through the walls and corridors that were laid out ahead to the source of the dreaded tainted air. He remained silent as a smirk grew over his face. “I remember that feeling...” he started off with a chuckle as the rest of his body followed through with the rotation.

 
He slowly drew a paw to his ear and gave it a light scratch as he mumbled something to someone who he had felt was there before crouching down to the ground in sheer disbelief. He heard the screech from down the hall and looked up to the direction it had came from. “Nero, you ole happy and jolly bastard,” he laughed out in sheer hysteria. He couldn't help but to bring himself back to his feet now, but how could he? His sense of reality had finally been heaved cleanly out the door with Nero's return, that the bear idea of life it's self had became an utter joke.

 
“Ok...” he giggled as he tried to stand up, gripping a stitch in his side and falling over once more, “as soon as I can finally stop... laughing, I will see what I can do.” Giving up on the attempt of standing now, he began to crawl quite humorously still laughing down the hallway towards the source of what could mean the end of his existence. Although, he truly no longer cared, he saw something quite odd upon the rip between time and space to what is now, something he could never un-see and tormented all instincts to deny what was against his own knowledge. A sight that dieing could become  a sweet relief then an unending grief.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin couldn't help but listen to Dim Lane, and how flushed his face got when Dim started talking about his priorities. He was going to interrupt him, but the laughter did it for him. Sadly he could not make use of said interruption as a roar filled his ears, the source was nowhere to be found, and it was certainly not coming from his own mouth. He could feel the pull of everything around him, as well as him pulling on everything else.

The sensation ended quickly though, as Talin had more practice than Chronin in that regard. He did not wish to see if the sensation was imagined or very real, as he still had a patient to heal, if the sensation he experienced did not somehow kill her beforehand.

[Grace.E]

Aria when she heard the laughter stood up and stared in the direction before she climbed out of the tree house and onto the tree branches as she expertly climbed the tree all the way to the top. looking over the valley, she then clmbed to the very top branch and stood on top. this is bad....really bad...

[KittKat chunky~]

In an almost comical opposite to Neesa's paling, Imshi's white-furred cheeks flushed and her wings gave a strange flutter. "Oh, no I'm not... We-" She muttered, words stumbling over each other as she glanced to Yenchi, then Reeza and finally back to Neesa.


Yenchi returned the glance and shrugged. "No, she's right. I'm just her sworn servant." His eyes lingered on Neesa longer this time, flicking only once to Imshi with a hurt expression. "Nothing more."


"Well-" Still Imshi's wings fluttered, following her tail in its agitated flicking. "Close friends definitely, I just-" She stumbled over her sentences again. The dignity and confidence was lost from her expression, replaced with a torn confusion between two choices. Her amber eyes slid over Neesa again but this time, instead of slow appreciation, there seemed almost to be envy in her gaze as it flicked from her to Yenchi.

[Self-sain]

Siyan's lip curled at the man's forwardness. But he put it behind him, now was not the time, now was the most perspicuous time. Siyan pulled Meredith in close, squeezing her, the scent of flowers that her fur contained flooded Siyan. He was determined to remember everything about this moment, for it was this moment that he had to hold on to. For it was this moment that he had to continue to live for. It was this moment, for all good byes must not end.
 
Meredith hugged Siyan back, tears crept to the corner of her eyes until the liquid couldn't be contained any more, falling to the ground. Meredith whispered 'I love you to Siyan' before she pulled away, walking next to the man, her eyes fixed on the ground.

[x]

Listy wanted to say something, anything to Akela, but she feared opening her mouth and revealing her problem. She also feared that soon she would drown in the black tar substance, if she was not able to keep swallowing it at a fast enough rate. Frightened, she gripped Akela's hand tightly, knowing she was cold and growing colder. Her eyes searched the Chosen's, and something tingled deep in her flesh. Nero, or at least the Nero she remembered, was trying to tell the child something, but she didn't understand...