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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 15, 2008 6:20:30 GMT -5
"Not anymore she can't! What, you think I would just let you get away like that? Oh no, no, no, that simply won't do! She's here so the crimes of the past are undone....but hey, why don't we make it more obvious for you in the meantime?" Snare snickered darkly, wildly, and her fangs snapped forward. They were embedded deep at the start of one of Annelise's charred, ruined limbs and with a sickening pull, she began to tear it away from the young healer's body.
And all she could do was scream.
Flashes of another pair of she-wolves were painted behind her eyes, another dark male waiting helplessly, getting as close to her as he could get yet still too far away. The limb dragging from the socket...tug-of-war...
She jarred herself from the nightmares, too late to this one part of her mobility, but just intime to bury her claws in the eyes of her attacker.
"Shade, Babylonia's here....you have to leave!" She warned him breathlessly, eyes desperate yet overflowing with unimanginable pain as blood swelled and gushed forth from the new gouge in her body. Not just pain for herself, but pain for him, seeing him risking such things for her. Snare wailed in pain, tearing away from Annelise, tearing away her sight as she collapsed and seised on the forest floor.
The scream split Babylonia's intense feelings of compassion, desire, love into a million pieces, and anger began to creep up her spine, anger that this was possibly her last real moment with Euphrates, and perhaps Sumer, too, and it had been cut short. She sighed softly and licked Sumer's ears once more. "Go, love, go to your brother. Perhaps he'll love you all the more when you are back with him, and perhaps you shall both think less of me and think of me less," she woofed hoarsely. She whipped around and was gone into the fogs, gone before they could see something that witches weren't supposed to do; gone before they could see the melting crystals rimming the ice of her gaze.
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 15, 2008 23:01:05 GMT -5
Sumer hesitated, unsure if he wanted to return to his brother-- the brother he had basically "betrayed"-- at this moment. But what else could he do? His mother didn't want him here right now... for who knows what reason.
Slowly, Sumer looked up to signal something to his mother... but Babylonia was gone.
Alone, guilty, and exhausted, the neophyte turned his form and padded off in the direction he guessed was camp, trailing after his brother's scent with his tail dragging behind.
Shade widened his eyes, Snare having dove from nowhere and in moments was tearing Annelise apart.
"....no... no! I'm not leaving you!"
With a deep snarl ripping through his muzzle, Shade dived for Snare, aiming to dig his fangs into her neck with claws slashing about in an almost wild frenzy.
"LET HER GO!"
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 16, 2008 6:26:30 GMT -5
"Snare!" Babylonia snarled into the mists, the pain and sorrow from the parting with her children had iced over into steely, cold, hard anger that was apparent with an unmistakable edge. She whipped around and darted back towards the area where she and her fellow wretch had taken their stop, intent on delivering a perhaps unearned punishment for her stupidity. She tells me to go to my son and yet she doesn't have the sense to keep her jaws shut! No matter. I'll see to it that this isn't the last time I cross paths with them...Her heart clecnhed for a minute, her breath stopping, then she shook herself and plunged onwards. Annelise was freed from Snare's snapping momentarily, and perhaps Snare was no longer a problem, seeing as she was probably blinded, or at least dealing with impaired vision for the time being. Biting down on her tongue, Annelise rolled over to her stomach. Glaring desperately into the fog, she snagged cobwebs from the brush around her, so very thin and definitly not enough to do her much good. She didn't have time for searching now, though. If she and Shade were going to get out, they had to leave now. And she couldn't leave fresh trails of blood in their wake. Carefully, but most definitly swift, she wrapped the webs around the stub, tears leaking from her lids without even the posibility of being stopped. The world was still spinning, the images were still blurring, and the pain was still gushing from her like a volcano. No sensible wolf should even be able to do this much, find bandaging. But Annelise had lived with worse pains. Maybe not tangible, but they were internal bleedings. She squeezed her eyes shut, not thinking any longer of the day her life was torn apart on the mountainside, but of the very first time she could recall waking to the world, her first days of love and laughter in the Silver Mist nursery. Arroyo's face was painted next to Siveria's, and Kar was there, too, her dearest brother. "Snare.....there's no way I could walk.....let alone run....." she coughed, mind racing desperately. Snare was wheeling with agony, plunging into the forest this way and that without being aware, turning and twisting directly at Babylonia and-- Thud.--collapsing right on top of the furious she-wolf. 
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 16, 2008 21:08:34 GMT -5
Shade wrenched himself apart from Snare, muzzle stained crimson and claws dripping. He staggered to a halt on the ground, remarkably unscathed from the quarrel... but immediately feeling the effects of moving his injured shoulder crash upon him. Pain siezed him, and he was still for a moment. Blood rushed to his head. ...Babylonia is distracted... this could be my only chance... don't freeze up... move.Blood flooded down into his limbs as he swiveled around and raced to Annelise's side. "Hurry; there isn't much time..."Seeing no other option-- and hoping to GoldenWolf that he wasn't hurting her-- Shade grasped Annelise's neck scruff and pulled her up, roughly tossing her onto his shoulder. He winced, sensitive burns cloaked by her bloody skin. But, with a grunt, he managed to haul her onto his back and began limping as fast as he could manage toward the lakeshore. Get away from fog... get a Healer... maybe to Siverians?((okay, I cracked up at the Snare/Babylonia part XDXD And look at Shade-- he's like Hercules!  Ok, not really, but... XD)) |
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 17, 2008 6:34:11 GMT -5
(( XD This thread was too serious! LOL ))
Annelise's teeth clamped down on her tongue, seeing as it was the only avaliable hold or anesthetic at the moment. A tiny trickle of red seeped out, the pain in her mouth being not even a fraction of the agony where her leg used to be, but it was enough to distract her to readjust on Shade's back.
"Shade," she coughed hoarsely, spots of crimson spattering her muzzle. "We'll never make it. I don't know what'd holding them now...."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
"GET OFF OF ME YOU FAT---"
"MY EYES!"
"...but they won't be held up for long...." She thought of her packmates, just devestated by the recent loss of the battle, and of Corsivo and Mystic.
They'll be barely healed themselves, they don't need me bringing Babylonia back into the picture. Snare's useless for now, at least, but it won't stop Babylonia.....nothing will stop her. It's a terrible truth, but one all need to keep in the back of their minds for frequent reference.
The Eternal Tree, perhaps, would open its arms to her, but if it would not open for Shade, too, there was no point in going. And who knew? Maybe their ancestors couldn't even see them through all of this murk and haze. It wouldn't be a surprise if they didn't even realize Shade and Annelise were there.
"...where....?" she woofed roughly after a moment of thought.
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 17, 2008 9:04:34 GMT -5
Shade slowed to a quick stop beside the Twilight Lake, staring out into the gloomy, nearly-black waters with his paws dipping in the waning and waxing of the tide.
Where are the waves coming from, I wonder…? Ah well, to the… Siverians?
He sighed suddenly. He had to absolve himself of any denial, much as he wanted to continue believing that going to the Siverians was a solution.
But what would be the point? his logical side reasoned. Annelise is right—I can’t make it over there faster than Babylonia… and even if I could, it would mean sacrificing the Siverians’ safety by leading the she-devil to them…
“…where…?”
Annelise’s soft whisper of breath flooded his lungs with extra energy.
Wherever I go, I need to do it fast… and Annelise must be safe.
His eyes drifted—and locked—onto the nearest object along the lake.
The Eternal Tree.
…it’s the only place within range, he reminded himself, breaking into a dead sprint toward the tree. And he ran as if the Devil himself were after him… and, quite possibly, the ‘devil’ was in pursuit.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 17, 2008 20:10:10 GMT -5
Annelise restrained any more screams or whimpers ; it would be useless and might even slow Shade in their desperate flight.
She couldn't grip, not with the splitting and severing still resounding and surging through every cell in her body, just as she could not stop any tears that may have leaked through.
Though Shade did not answer her question aloud, she felt the energies of their location and knew them well. And here would be the end of them if Twilight could not see the two pack wovles fleeing from the wraiths of hell.
There was once a time where no evil could be done in the Twilight Clearing. In fact, Annelise had firmly believed this until her kidnapping. But she recalled the first Moonless Meeting in this Valley, where the last leader of their old days perished, and it made little sense as to why she could have ever thought things would remain the same. Now, she could only hope and pray the Eternal Tree would be open and sealed for their refuge.
And so pray she did.
The old verse was simple, yet it was not often used. These deperate measures were not often used. But they said the words would only work if willed into existence. Not only willed. But if they were wanted. And by the way it was woven, it was lieproof. Fear for your own life could not and would not bless you here....
Open for me,
My sacred refuge,
Open to me and my heart's carrier.
Should you deny me, my sacred refuge,
Then my murder is your doing,
For my life is meaningless without my heart's carrier,
And so I should die as well.
The words were blaring in her head with a desperate, yet firm, undying conviction.
When Annelise was with Shade, she remembered those happy days in Silver Mist without the tears, and with a smile instead. And when Shade was there, the grays seemed so much more like rainbows, the downy haze seemed more like the soft feathers that lined nursery nests. And most of all, when Shade was there, she was thinking of very little else. When Shade was not there, she still thought of little else.
Maybe love was the right word. Maybe she didn't know a thing about it and didn't know what to do with herself. Maybe both statements could be true. All that mattered now was that the words served their purpose. After all, at least the phrases she quoted were literal, as well. That could never hurt...
Babylonia stormed after her runaways, hot on their trails as she plunged into the broken woodlands.
My children need a healer, and I will MAKE YOU PAY, Siveria, for taking their first lives, for keeping my cooped up for so long!
I swear this to you, your bloodline will end by MY claws, MY fangs, someday. And so it will be....and so it is!
She saw the wolven blurs in the mist as she closed in fast. However, the strangest thing occurred ;; she felt as if there was a heavy weight on her back, like she was carrying something.
She gave her pelt a rough shake but did not take her eyes off of her target. She gritted her teeth as symptoms increased, but still, would not be completely detered.
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 21, 2008 18:58:23 GMT -5
The tree was growing larger and larger with every bound, but for Shade it was very slow progress. He muscles screamed in pain, his joints protested against the heavy weight dragging him down... yet he kept reminding himself of the fate Annelise would meet if he stopped now.
She is in much more pain than me... now fight it like she is.
He never glanced back, but he could feel his withers rising in subconscious fear. He could feel Babylonia's presence, charging after them. Maybe even gaining.
Spurs of determination digging into his sides, Shade gave a mad dash toward the entrance of the tunnel.
A dozen yards...
Half a dozen yards...
It was so close now... so close...
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 21, 2008 19:11:27 GMT -5
The energies flowed through her, and though her eyes were shut, the sight beyond her eyes was painted with dazzling stars, midnight specters that descended from the heavens on powerful wings and rode the etheral winds that swirled around Shade and herself without stirring the earth. They threw snarls and glares of diamonds at Babylonia's advances, which seemed to slow, just slightly, in response.
"It's open, Shade, it's open," she breathed, clamping down on the inside of her cheek once more to supress some of the pain that was spurring up through her skeletal form.
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 21, 2008 19:28:41 GMT -5
The moment Annelise's words left her maw was both the fastest and slowest seconds of Shade's life.
On one hand, he was running faster than he had thought possible, energy exploding through him and the earth torn up in his wake.
However, at the sime time, every detail flashed through his eyes... the soil. The fog. The sky. The tree. His heartbeat. Her heartbeat. Her breathing. The pounding pawsteps of Babylonia on their tail. The howling of wind whipping through his ears. The scent of smoke, forest, and...
...Dad?
He stumbled, then. Paw catching on a recess in the earth, he stopped breathing, hurling forward and clearing the final yards, rolling into the belly of the Eternal Tree.
Something stabbed at his shoulder and knocked his head, and when the world finally stilled, all he could see was the blackness of wood in his face.
"...Annelise?"
He lifted his head slowly.
What if she was hurt in the fall? Oh god... oh... please let her be alright...
"...are you... are you alright?"
He feared the answer... or, rather, he feared not hearing an answer.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 21, 2008 20:13:30 GMT -5
Crash. Tumble. CRASH.[/b]
There was no way to physically or mentally perpare herself, to be thrown into the heart of her last refuge. She hit the wood hard, then landed in the corner of the earthen cave, the surface far from view at this point. Her eyes flew open, squiting to make out Shade's form, but settling instead for his nearby scent. It took her a moment, but she managed to respond to his question.
"We're safe," she coughed roughly, not wanting to even know for herself what her stub of a leg was looking like.
A great relief came with the entrance to the Eternal Tree. Out there, in the cold Autumnal air, she's been freezing, wracked with pain, and stinging from the smokes and gases. Here, the nurturing wood gave a gentle warmth to its residents, and though she couldn't see what used to be her leg, she felt the wild rivers of blood slowly trickle to a halt.
It wouldn't heal her completely, being here, seeing as she didn't have lives to give for healing, like leaders did. However, it would give bother Shade and herself much rejuvination. As far as her leg went, the bleeding would stop for good here, unless she provoked it too much later. Infection would be at bay until she rentered the rest of the world.
CRASH.
Babylonia slammed headlong into the thick-trunked oak, tangles of branched barely trembling as they threw down the tyrant and sealed her from her prey. She cawed and roared with a mixture of livid anger and pain, splinters piercing her gloriuos body as it fell.
She rose slowly, pink leakings from her skin here and there, and turned to glare with unmasked, rabid hatred at the tree as it stared simply back.
"Another day, then. But it will be so, hear me, it will be so!"
She turned a slunk away into the mists, without her children, far from being healed, and even further from revenge.
Diablo, then, will do, I suppose. If he even cares for death threats anymore! Hmph. The old madhouse probably doesn't even remember his own name, let alone mine. Let's hope he remembers his herbs, though....
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 22, 2008 22:51:02 GMT -5
Shade couldn't remember ever feeling more relieved in his life than when he heard Annelise's sweet voice seep through the darkness.
"...thank Lupus."
Purposely ignoring any injuries on his person, Shade leaned forward and licked Annelise's ear multiple times before controlling himself and falling back again, breathing heavily from the effort.
"...for a few seconds... a couple times... I thought I lost you..."
Even though he knew that they weren't allowed to interact because of their differing loyalties, Shade couldn't deny the love that he felt toward the wolf beside him.
If I had lost her...
Abruptly, a sense of calmness settled on his form, soothing his wounds and mind alike. They had escaped, and, for now, they would not have to worry.
They were safe.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 23, 2008 6:33:06 GMT -5
"Lose me?" she chuckled softly, voice cracking slightly. "They can have all the limbs they want, they can decapitate me, they can burn my body over flames, but Shade...you'll never lose me." Her hoarse tone was a sure one, and also urging him to find the deeper meaning in her words.
For now, this would have to be enough. She slumped back down, letting sleep wash over her.
(crappy post, sorry! =p )
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Post by .Rabid Lycan. on Sept 26, 2008 20:57:32 GMT -5
Shade rested his head beside her, their bodies pressed together and offering a blanket of warmth to wrap around them. In the still silence of the Eternal Tree, only the sound of their heartbeats could be heard... and, to Shade, the sound of Annelise breathing was the most beautiful lullaby in the world. I love you, Annelise... he thought, smiling before drifting into a weak slumber. ((right back at you & I don't know what else to post XD Oh, and do you want a thread with Babylonia and Diablo? It's just an idea-- I'm bored X3)) |
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Sept 26, 2008 21:07:52 GMT -5
(Yes, I think we can leave our love birds here for now. =] And sure... By golly....Diablo is probably gray by now XD He has great-grandchildren....then again, so do some of my other chars, but Diablo and Lucinda didn't have pups until later in the game Do you mind starting it? =] ) |
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"My name is Percy Jackson, and I am INVINCIBLE!!"
