A Watery Grave?

[Shinny]

Eden was a stretch of snowy white with large patches of ice sprinkled everywhere. To the distance there were rich blue seas, the kind that gave slight pangs of fear to your heart for how unfathomably dark and deep they are… your imagination running wild with the possibilities of their depths, and what they may contain. Ice caps and froth were gathered in throngs, bobbing in accordance to incoming wave’s pulls. Life in the lands of Eden was sparse, if not near nonexistent. Perhaps if you watched closely, tentatively, you might catch a bird fluttering across the celestial canvas, or see a snow hair dart across the frozen tundra. Aside from these rare signs of life, this territory was vacant, derelict… of alabaster, and nothingness.

In the distance, a storm brews. The skies are slathered in gray, pregnant clouds that were ready to burst. Thunder echoes off the snowy slopes of Eden, while lightning flashes in dances across the ocean bordering the territory. Nestled near the ocean that’s gradually growing restless is a small cliff face and, beneath it’s jut that extends in a humble view of the ocean, is a cave known as Quel’Als -- Eden’s den.

The she-wolf’s tortured, fevered mind knew not what sanctuary was, not even in sleep. Tossing and turning within the confines of Quel’Als, the Dire’s head was a maelstrom of memories. Black lips were drawn back, exposing a pearly-white snarl, as the snippets of what once was became more vivid.

Just a puppy, she remembers the suffering and pain of Devil’s Backbone--that the barren waste provided no water, no food, only the promise of death. Demons plagued the territory, ravaging the already parched lands. She remembers the holy bruises, sweet infections, the sorrows of loss, and the emptiness of loneliness… but most of all, she remembers the fear, the constant, never-ending fear.
She had found refuge in a cave. Shinny felt starvation take its toll on her already malnourished body, and she knew the end would come soon. Like a sniveling coward, she had chosen to starve over searching for food--over the possibility of being ripped to shreds, and having her innards feasted on while she was still alive. At least this form of death would be, to an extent, peaceful.

Her head rolls to the right to be placed between her ebony paws, as the muscles of her eyebrows wilt into a frown. Once fiercely taut lips were pulled down at their corners, and the wrinkles along the bridge of the Wind Rider’s nose had disappeared. Her expression was indefinable, almost lost…

Images of Black Eye filled Shinny’s mind, bringing warmth to the arctic touch of darkness. His smile made her heart flutter in ways that it never had before, and his unconditional love had filled missing pieces of her life. He was not a Dire wolf, he was just a creature of neutrality -- not Light, nor Dark. Black Eye and Shinny both knew the hardship of loss, and used each other to replace their lost families.
Memoirs of Dark Opal, Black Eye’s pack, flooded her. A year she spent here, blossoming into nearly a full-grown wolf, in the company of Black Eye and Dark Opal’s members. There were no whispers in her head back then, only peace…

It had been so long since she had seen Black Eye in this way. It was like her memories had somehow preserved him exactly as he was, making him untouchable to time itself. She couldn’t barricade herself, especially not in her dreams, for what happened next, though.

Pain. Deep, bottomless pain, and hatred--oh, the hatred. The madness overrode everything else, as she was devoured inside out by her loathing. Her fury knew no boundaries, mercy or discrimination. It was universal, and there would be Hell to pay.
Black Eye looked painfully serene. No heart beat in his chest, and his body had grown stiff from rigor mortis. The Dire wolf’s mind would forever remember this image, for it was the first time she remembered seeing death. What she immortalized the most with her recollection is that it was a beautiful day; Mother Nature’s symphony played in the background, as the sun shone down magnificently on Dark Opal’s landscapes. And yet, despite these radiant conditions, Death was right there before her very eyes, permanent, unjust, and very, very real.
At first, she had expected the world to come to a stop. Black Eye, her other half, had passed away. Why did no one else seem to notice? Why was this Realm not thrown into chaos? But, as time passed on, Shinny came to realize that only her world had come to a stop, and only her world had been thrust into turmoil by this loss. The members of Dark Opal would grieve, but not like Shinny did.

A low whimper escapes her mouth--a low, pitiful sound. Perhaps the only time such a noise would be heard from the Wind Rider.

Perched on a cliff face neighboring Devil’s Backbone and Dark Opal’s territory, the Dire wolf mourned to a blood red sky. Her wolf cries were beautiful in a dismal sort of way.
And then, for a long time, there was only darkness. The blackness that made her feel empty, with fear crawling in her hollow insides--the kind that plagued her childhood… You see, Shinny was no longer living, but simply existing. Only this, and nothing more.

Tossing and turning, her insides were burning…

It’s a year after Black Eye’s death now. She’s exploring the no wolf zone between Evil Wind and Timberfalls when she encounters a male Dire wolf named Black Lightning. He was… a remarkable creature. The only wolf Shinny has ever adored in the way a lover would, but he sought only companionship. The reigns of his heart were pulled by a deceased mate so, to compensate with the ache in his chest, he used Shinny to fulfill it.
The image she sees in her head now is pristine. Shinny remembers everything of this day, down to the breeze being downwind. Lady Luna was a faint, distant crescent in the sky, as the sun slowly sagged in a recede behind the horizon. Colors of a flesh wound painted the empyrean, littering it with dull but extravagant stars. He was there, gazing into the pool of water down below. Black Lightning reminded her of Black Eye, from the multiple shades of dark brown and black of his pelt to the mannerisms he held. Memories of Black Eye had flooded her in that moment… And then Shinny… snapped. It was the first time she ever attacked anyone without any reason other than her heart and desires willed her to, yet she did so with dexterity. By the end, Black Lightning had her by the throat, and had shown her mercy. From there grew a beautiful friendship, and an endless love that was one-sided. But as we all know, love can be a double sided sword. Her love for Black Lightning drove her into a madness.

The pitter-patter of rain is heard in scattering drops across the rocky top of Quel’Als, before it begins to poor down in sheets. Usually this would stir Shinny from her fevered dreams, but today is different--she’s locked away, as if a prisoner…

It’s been half a year. Black Lightning lay broken, battered and beaten on the ground, resting in a pool of his own blood. This was the second time Shinny cried, and mourn she did. He was dying right before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her small, lithe form curled up besides his, trying to nurse his wounds to somehow bring him away from the brinks of death.
It didn’t take long for him to die. His condition had been more than just critical. Black Lightning’s body had been torn to mere ribbons by the fang and claw of which he had lived by. With his last words, he said that he was happy that he’d finally be moving on to the afterlife… so he could finally see her.
That moment never left Shinny. It’s always in the back of her head, eating away at her. In a time where she should feel nothing but melancholy, she was overwhelmed with rage. He had proclaimed his love with his dying breaths for the she-wolf Shinny could never measure up to.
Twice she was abandoned by death.

Lightning strikes in the background, as the cloudy skies wreak havoc on the frozen tundra of Eden. The oceans bordering Eden roar, slapping in frothing waves against the arctic land as ice caps crack in violent crescendos. The rain has become so violent now that it’s rising at alarming rate, along with the water level… Freezing water that happens to be increasing in lapping waves to the entrance of Quel’Als.

Dragging Black Lightning’s body to the river had been quite the feat. Pushing him into the water was one of the hardest things she had ever done -- letting him go, that is. As he was pulled by the current and into its depths, a large part of Shinny went with him, too. It was something that could never be recovered, and she was forever broken by this.
Shinny died that night. Not in a way of body, heart, and mind, but fell into a soulless paralysis. All life that Black Lightning had breathed into her was taken away in the blink of a watering eye, and she was left with nothing but her loneliness, ache and fear.
But fear, what an ugly thing it is. It drives even the strongest into a delirious, crazed condition, paving their walkways with self-destruction and massacres. It can turn even the noblest of wolves into killers.
She wants to watch the world burn.

And, as if a dam had been broken, the water comes forth with thunderous ferocity. In just three seconds, there’s already a foot of icy cold water in Quel’Als. Jostled violently from her dream, the Wind Rider’s eyes snap wide open… to only fall shut in a flutter as the back of her cranium ricochets off of a outcropping rock on Quel’Als’s stony wall. Unconsciousness nearly claims Shinny, and a dazed, confused she-wolf is faced with quite the predicament.

For a second, the Wind Rider doesn’t think, just reacts. Her wings extend, crashing into the stone walls besides her, as she realizes that this den is quite… well, lacking in space; chunks of granite tumble down, as the cobble acts like an anchor on her wings. She struggles against these bindings for an extended period of time and, as her wings flap in helpless fashion when they became freed, the water is now to her neck.

Water is now entering Quel’Als at lightning fast pace, creating a backward suction -- in other words, in the exact opposite direction that Shinny needs to go! Her wings crash into the water and into the walls as her paws work fiercely against the pull that’s dragging her ultimately back toward a watery grave.

And then she sees it… a large, torpedo shape heading straight toward her. As it nears, its silhouette becomes more detailed. It was something that Shinny has never seen before; prehistoric it looked, with scales covering its body, and two large, bulging eyes that glowed in the darkness of the waters. Its lower body resembled an eel, until you saw its tail -- long and thin, it lashes against the current, forcing it forward with the momentum of a bulldozer. Its mouth unhinges, revealing three different rows of pointed teeth, as a loud, high pitched noise emanates from its depths. This noise could be heard from above, but only to the keenest of ears -- its like an alien shriek, resonating out with deafening decibel that seemed to be amplified by the water. Its mass was… impossible, it seemed. It was, just simply put, giant.

The monster comes crashing into Quel’Als, but only its head can fit. Its eyes seemed to glow even more fiercely as it encountered this obstacle, and its mouth opened to its fullest -- calling out, shrieking, and wailing, as its jaws then snapped shut. Of course Shinny moved backward toward the further more wall, but not in time to be completely safe from harm. Its mouth opened and snapped close again, this time snaring one of the Wind Rider’s wings.

She yelped out in surprise and pain, but mostly from how lethal the creature’s teeth were; like thousands of needles, they pierced effortlessly into the feather, flesh, muscle and bone, cleaving violently to take a giant chunk. Estuaries of blood oozed out into the frothing water, painting it red. When her back touched on the furthest part of Quel’Als’s walls, the Dire wolf’s eyes widened abruptly, realizing her predicament.

Water continues to poor in, rapidly filling the sanctuary of Quel’Als up. The very place that was her only means of safety was going to become her grave! Either she could drown, or she could try to escape…

The serpent-like creature shrieks out again, wildly pushing into the insides of the cave. The entrance was nearly beginning to crumble from the brute strength of the beast, as dollops of rock came crashing down all around Shinny.

If she didn’t do something fast, she was going to die!

OOC I didn't proof read, sorry!

[Unoma]

The ocean crashed roughly against the cliff, beating itself against the side, screaming loudly into the air with eeach foamy splash. Sitting upon the cliff was a beautiful feline. Stretching her large sea blue wings, the white and light blue female was lazily gazing into the horizon. White orbs shifted slightly to the ocean below her, watching each wave come and go.

An odd noise graced her ears lightly. It was low and hard to hear, but it faintly graced her with it's presence. Trying to pinpoint where the alienish noise came from, she stared down at the ocean. Unfamiliar with the are, she had no idea that a cave laid down towards the ocean. Another noise quickly erupted from the ocean. A faint yelp like noise, tingled her perked ears. She figured, she might as well, go ahead and check out what is going on down there. There was nothing to do up here anyways.

Standing, she moved to the edge of the cliff and stepped over the side. Large wings spreading, she dove downwards, before hitting the water, she flapped her wings and brought herself to a halt. Hovering over the watery surface, white orbs looked around the side of the cliff. A cave opening could barely been seen, only when the tide pulled itself back, could she see the opening. Moving towards it slightly, it didn't take her long to notice the large creature that was blocking the entrance. Staring thoughtfully, she figured that there must be something in there, since the aggressive creature was digging at the sides of the cliff.

For some odd reason, she wanted to see what the thing was in the cave. Figuring it would be interesting to see what was in there, she decided to distract the creature. The prehistoric creature was gigantic though and it would be impossible to defeat it herself. Knowing her speed, she could escape it....perhaps. Not caring, she dove herself into the water behind the creature. Balancing herself under water, she watched the scene closely, before charging at the creature and digging her claws into it's back, scratching and clawing at it's reptile like flesh.

The creature roared with fury, as it turned to see the winged feline digging into it's flesh. Vartija moved backwards quickly. Swimming up to the surface, she let her head break through the water. Gasping in breaths of air, she floated above water for a moment, for the creature had disappeared. Swimming to the entrance of the cave, she peered into the cave, as the waves rocked her back and forth. Seeing an hurt wolf floating in the cave, she narrowed her white orbs slightly.

" I suggest you swim....fast."

Her tone held no emotion, or even concern for the females health. And as quickly as she spoke, she was gone. When and if Shinny moves to the entrance of the cave, she would see an odd scene before her. The feline was hovering in the air, wings flapping lightly, as the large creature had returned and was leaping out of the water at the feline to try to grasp her in it's fangs.

Vartija looked down at the creature before her, knowing that she must keep it distracted for that wolf to be able to vanish out of sight. Flying around to the back of the creature, she dove downwards onto it's head and began to use it as a scratching post. Pissing off the creature even more, to where Vartija was it's only worry. Flying off it's head she teased and taunted the large beast.

If that wolf was going to escape, it better do it now.

[Shinny]

Trying to device a plan in this current situation was improbable, if not impossible, and the pressure of uprising, deadly currents put the Wind Rider’s mind in a complete jam. The only possibility of escape seemed to be by somehow escaping from the depths of this cave, and that would be through the unhinged jaws of this unknown beast frantically trying to make its way inside of the den’s mouth…

So was this it? The end?

Just as soon as this dark thought flickered ominously through Shinny’s head, the creature began to thrash wildly and - withdraw - for something else had caught its attention. The she-wolf didn’t think, just reacted; immediately her legs work to bring her outside of the den, trying to make her way toward the shores. An emotionless, cold voice issued a suggestion (?), in which the Wind Rider savored a glimpse from her peripheral vision to draw some kind of comfort with the knowledge that, indeed, someone was here distracting this beast. Who, what exactly it was, and all those other questions were trivial as of this moment. No, the only thing that mattered as of now was making it to the safety of the shore’s banks, and out of this beast’s element.

Much like a shark, there were electro receptive organs that sit in the beast’s nose. Anything that was living and submerged in this salty seawater produces an electrical field that the creature can sense in short distances, and also gauge their locations. This creature was equipped with the senses, reaction time and capability of a killing machine. Its intelligence level is questionable, but it was smart enough to know when prey is less accessible than other another morsel of flesh -- a particular morsel of flesh that was already bleeding, and much more vulnerable.

Its turn form turns from the airborne feline. The beast’s massive gate causes a mini-wave from its sudden pivot that knocks into Shinny, and the Dire wolf has a very short amount of time to acknowledge the fact that it had decided to get to her instead.

She tries to push up, to take flight, but her wounded wing impairs what should have been a beautiful take off. Her tattered appendage sags, tipping her half-way risen body into a sideways flip, straight down to the jaws of the beast…

Luckily, or at least lucky when considering what else its fatal teeth could have latched onto, its incisors worked like a grinder on her lowered wing. Unluckily, it immediately submerges itself, and engages into a death roll, never once faltering with its tenacious grip on the Wind Rider’s wing.

The world to Shinny becomes a haze of crystalline blue tarnished with flourishing ribbons of red. There was a high-pitched wailing that pierced her ears until everything just… dies… down, as if someone had turned down the volume. A once all but too fast world becomes slow motion, while the glow of this aquatic killer’s eyes is the only thing that Shinny can distinguished in the gloom of Eden’s ocean. Lightning crackles in flickering dances across the water’s surface, some kind of signature of where oxygen should be, and everything continues to go terribly, terribly wrong.

From above, Vartija would see what could be easily assumed as a slaughter. The ocean’s froth makes discerning between shadow and actual creatures impossible, alongside the estuaries of red that are spreading in alarming amounts on top of the wildly churning surface.

But it would seem this Wind Rider’s desire to live is much stronger than an ordinary wolf. Where defeat seemed inevitable, the Dire wolf knew there was a way out. How could she have survived so many battles, to be pathetically thwarted by some unknown creature while sleeping?

Mistress, it is not your time.

The whispers are distant, but distinct -- the voice is familiar in too many ways, for this being was apart of Shinny in a way that no one aside from her own kind could ever fathom. Inside her very core and soul this entity exists. Her life being endangered was just as perilous as his, so this next words that come are desperate, a plea -- for both of their lives:

You cannot die!!! Enji is almost there… Careful, mistress, careful… Keep breathing, and keep living!! Without you, I am NOTHING!

The shockwaves of pain that were violently shaking her body had subsided, and now an act of numbing adrenaline was occurring. As her heart pumps within her chest, strength courses throughout her limbs, giving her a moment of superhuman -- or, in this particular case, “superwolf” -- strength. With a shudder, she uses her opposite, unharmed wing to pivot her lithe form up, and to place herself on top of the creature. There was a deadly cost to this movement, and that was her right wing; the bones inside shattered audibly, as inconceivable pain was most definitely VERY conceivable to the she-wolf in that instant. She knew better, though; if she was to allow the pain to disarm her for merely a second, all this effort would have been pointless. Her now useless right appendage works like a fold on the side of the beast, as her head cranes over its form and -- during its wild thrashing, to try to discharge this unwanted bulk on top of it -- her fangs viciously work in ripping and clawing, destroying the voluminous, oval eyes that protrude from its giant head.

A loud, high pitched wail, unlike any others it had yet to produce, splits through the water, actually causing vibrations, although this went unnoticed by how furiously the water rolled. Immediately it relinquishes its hold on Shinny’s wing, recoiling in horrified fashion -- a newfound blood gushing from its gaping sockets. Wary eyes watch as its form moves away, further, further and further, until it would find sanctuary in the depths of Eden’s oceans once more… perhaps, for the moment, gone…

Once its form had become one with the blues of the ocean, no longer within her eyesight, Shinny knew the fight was over. Her ruined wing fell worthlessly to her side, and her lids felt suddenly heavy… and then there was only darkness, nothing else.

[Enjirou]

Everything was going so… wrong!

While Shinny grew weaker, weaker and even more weak, so did the Wind Spirit. Without his Mistress, he would be nothing -- forced again to return as one with the entity known as The Wild Winds, and no longer know what freedom was.

He was fearful for himself, and for his Mistress. He no longer thought as an individual, but in synchronization with her -- he was NOT his own entity, but APART of her. All her thoughts, inner workings, everything… he knew, and she knew him, too.

And so he arrives on the scene, far too late to be an essential key in Shinny’s survival, but to be the finale of reassuring her safety. The black tendrils dive into the waters to curl in encircling, hugging fashion about his Mistress and carefully, but quickly, raises her to the watery shores. He does not stop here, for he’s no fool and knows how fast the waters are still rising, but carries her carefully to an approximate 30-40 feet from the water’s edge. Here, he places her underneath the outcropping of a cliff face to shield her from the hail and rain, and lowers along her. His mass becomes heated, not too hot to be harmful to his mistress, but he knew if he didn’t keep her warm and these conditions kept up, she could very well die not only from her shocked state, but from the freezing temperature of the lands. Hypothermia would set in, and his efforts would be useless if he didn’t keep her body warm…

So, from beneath this cliff face, Enjirou hugs in a close, protective manner over her Mistress, as a low, ominous hiss exudes from his form. His ‘eyes’ were fixed on the feline creature that hovered nearby, not knowing whether this being could be trusted or not…

[Unoma]

White orbs watched as the creature turned it's attention from her and moved quickly towards the wounded wolf, who was swimming for shore. Flapping her wings softly, she watched as the creature latched onto the wolf. A quick thought of it was over, breached her mind lightly. Turning her attention to the horizon behind her, she gave a soft sigh, yet felt no pity for the dead creature.

Yet as her head turned and eyes fell back to the scene, she noticed the creature was hauling ass back towards the depths of the ocean. Giving a slight hmm noise, she flew towards the wolf slowly, only to see a Wind Spirit drag the wolf to shore. Well well, so this wolf was a Wind Rider. Interesting. Flapping her wings slightly, she began to glide towards shore. Landing against the soft sand lightly. Waves crashing behind and touching her light blue paws softly.

Moving towards the fallen Wind Rider, Vartija made slow, graceful steps as she finally came to the side of the wolf. Taking note that the wolf was female, she glanced towards the spirit that seemed very protective of the female. Glancing over the wolves appearance, she noticed the wolf looked like the description of one they called Shinny. That took her interest quickly. Seeing the creature was highly injuried, she turned away from the two and spread her wings, taking a beautiful and graceful take off. To the eyes of Enjirou, he could see the female disappear into the horizon.

After about twenty to thirty minutes, Vartija appeared back into the sky. With a light green plant helding softly in her maw. Landing back next to the Wind Rider and her Spirit, she laid the plant beside the female. Looking at the spirit, she nodded her head lightly at it.

" Don't worry. This plant will help heal her wounds. "

She gave no smile to Enjirou or showed any sign of comfort to the distressed spirit. Instead, she smashed the plant against a nearby rock with her paw and began to spread the goo from the plant along Shinny's wounds. Lightly pushing the cool medicine against her flesh. When finished, she looked at Enjirou then back to Shinny who was still out cold. Knowing she needed to be warm, Vartija moved to the side of Shinny and laid her body against her's. Spreading out her right wing, she laid it across Shinny, to let her insulated feathers give her warmth.

[Indio]

((I’m sorry, Dani. Kept ya waiting…))


“No I don't mind keeping this bottled inside me
You came along, and tore this wall down around me
Looks like you found me
Now I know why
I felt like sh*t when I woke up this morning…”
--

Damn it.

Damn it all to hell.

How could things go so quickly for bad, to worse? It seemed he could never get a break, no matter what he did. A loner, he had constantly lived from day to day, scrapping to survive. Beta to Shinny, he was reduced to babysitting Nero, Corvus (who, admittedly, wasn’t that bad) and Evo Noir, who was actually not as much of an annoyance as one would think. Nero had been exiled first. Finally, Indio had been forced to leave, in order to simply eat. Upon his return, the others had scattered, and he was left to scrap his way through life once more.

Indio was nothing if not faithful, and so he had gone in search of Shinny. She was his bitch priestess… the pagan goddess he all-but worshiped. Had she asked, he would have walked the world over to pluck a blade of grass she wanted. The mahogany wolf, marked only by the black ‘brand’ on his shoulder, would have done that, and more. It had been weeks, really, but he was never one to give up hope. He had once tracked vampire scum to their resting place, and destroyed them. He could, then, track down the Wind Rider he had always been able to count on.

A scent, so brief it would have gone unnoticed by another, wafted past his nostrils. Large, heavy paws stopped, as lungs expanded, taking in the scent. It was the coppery tang of blood. Nostrils quivered, and he caught even more minute traces. One, a feline. Too far away to tell what breed, or gender, just yet, but definitely feline. The other, a breath of fresh air. A breeze. The wind, literally, was knocked out of his lungs. It was obvious to him who it was, for only She could smell like that.

He was finally on the right track.

Paws resumed their movement, turning from their path to follow the new trail. He hoped it wasn’t cold; he had nearly found her once, but by the time he had arrived, the trail had gone cold, and Shinny was nowhere to be found. With each step, though, he knew the scent wasn’t cold, for it grew stronger, warmer. Upon his arrival, a low snarl began when he noticed the feline. Blue paws. Oh, wasn’t this positively pathetic.

Eyes shot to Shinny. She was wounded, wrapped in the cocoon of Enjirou. His ears went back in distress, worry flooding his features. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by an expression of indifference. In an instant, he appeared more dominant than before, body language nearly possessive. It mirrored his mood perfectly as he continued to watch Shinny's lungs rise and fall. Until...

“Who the hell are you?” His voice was sharp, demanding. It was not a request; it was an order. Beta he may have been, but his tone was that of an alpha. Black, heartless eyes turned on her, before he looked to Shinny. He had to make sure she was alright, and padded closer, nodding briefly to the think, inky mist that was Enjirou.

“Shinny…” his voice was barely a whisper. She was the one chink in his armor, it seemed. He slipped forward, nosing at her neck. “Shinny… wake up.”

[Shinny]

I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T FORGET.

I'm really sick, at the moment. Well, not as sick as I was just last night. I'm past the "getting worst" stage and now journeying toward "getting better" part... thank god. Anyway, I'll probably have a post up tomorrow, and, if not then, the next day. Right now I'm still too dizzy with a searing headache to give posting a try.

[Kozmo]

((Don't worry about it, Dani. Just concentrate on getting better, okay?))