Rainforest Cliffs Tumbling down - Printable Version +- the Rift (http://riftrpg.net) +-- Forum: Archives (http://riftrpg.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=20) +--- Forum: Year 1173 (http://riftrpg.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=29) +---- Forum: Completed (http://riftrpg.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=25) +---- Thread: Rainforest Cliffs Tumbling down (/showthread.php?tid=128) Pages:
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Tumbling down - Otem - 07-14-2017
@Erthë RE: Tumbling down - Erthë - 07-14-2017 You gotta have the patience and believe you're gonna make it Gotta hold on Tired and drained from her effort of trying to control the rampaging energies this accursed place had unleashed within her, Erthë herded the protesting colt back towards the Portal. Why she insisted on returning there was something she had not lingered over. Perhaps it was a vain hope that the vortex might suddenly open in the other direction again and let her return home to her own realm. Or that others might appear to bring further news of Helovia and its state. Or perhaps that she was still dreaming, stuck in a very realistic nightmare and any moment now her father or the Lady Moon would shake her and make it all go away, if she just stayed as close to them as possible. It didn't really matter why anyway. One place was as good as any, for none of the regions here was home to her. The rainforest by the sea might smell and look like her Edge, and the white beaches might appear to be the same as the Endless Blue, but they would never truly be the same. Important key factors had been lost, nothing would ever be as it once was and for every dreary, wet, miserable day that passed, she withdrew further into herself. Turning her back on what scant light there was, as it was not the light she wished to see. Once they entered into the forest, Erthë took the lead. Hard eyed and leery of every scent and sound she brought them northward, driving them on as quickly as the weak legs of her child could handle. When the sound of a voice nearby reached her, the little mare tensed and instinctively reached for the magical energies that pulsated within her, teeth searching for the handle of an ivory bow - before she remembered that it would be of no use. Another thing the Rift had taken from her. The list was growing long. "Who speaks?" she asked, with a sharpness to her voice that she had not intended. It made her sound older, tired, the timbre and tone so similar to her own mother's that Erthë's gut clenched with longing. She was the mother now... the notion was so strange that she still could not quite wrap her head around it, even as she held out her burning wings to block the path to the colt behind her. I know you're tired of surviving but you gotta keep on trying Hold on! RE: Tumbling down - Otem - 07-14-2017
@Erthë RE: Tumbling down - Van - 07-14-2017 It was not fair, he decided, as he hurried along in the wake of the pale mare. Were moms always this commanding? First she dragged him this way, through dense woodlands and over difficult sandy beaches where vast, terrifying waves thundered in against the shoreline. Left him, too, without explanations or reassurances to do whatever she wished. Then, just as he had started to enjoy himself in the surge - playing with blue crabs and lavender kelp while darting in and out of the swell as it lapped at his feet - she dragged him off again, back the way they had come. Not once did she pause to ask his opinion on the matter, not for an instance did she consider the fact that he might not want to run around at her heels. He'd much rather stay with his dad. Or his twin. Actually, Van would really prefer to just stretch out somewhere and sleep. His body was aching, and it would only get worse the further the more he exerted himself. Telling Erthë would not help much; the mare only frowned at him when he complained, her eyes cold and distant and the words she offered as unhelpful as her attempts to keep him and Alvah dry at night. When they stopped, relief flashed through the bright amethyst eyes. His legs were not strong, his body not durable or fit; the little chest heaved and the heart raced visibly beneath frail ribs. Pattering in pace with the falling rain. It took him a moment to realize that they were no longer alone. Though his mother tried to keep him back behind vast ivory wings, Van ignored the warning and ducked in beneath the bright sparks that fell from the wingtips, curiously studying the filly up ahead. "Oh" he heard Erthë say, her stance relaxing noticeably beside him - though the glare she passed down on him was terse enough to make him flinch. Boy, would he be in trouble when they got home. "I am sorry, Otem... this place makes me nervous, and I forget my manners. I am Erthë, and this is my son..." "Van" he chimed in, to his mothers obvious chagrin. Finding it pointless to worry about scoldings when he was already in trouble, the stocky colt pushed himself out from under the cold wing and tripped confidently towards the large girl, his expression brazen as he looked her up and down. That she was older than him was obvious, but it was hard to say who of the two mares were younger. His mum was shorter, did that mean anything? "Do you live here?" he asked. RE: Tumbling down - Otem - 07-14-2017
@Erthë RE: Tumbling down - Erthë - 07-14-2017 You gotta have the patience and believe you're gonna make it Gotta hold on Staring her son down was less effective than she would have hoped. Erthë gritted her teeth against the urge to lecture the brat about doing as he was told - it would hardly work anyway, and this was not the time. But his question, childishly unveiled and startling in its bluntness, made both her and the younger girl uncomfortable. Seeing the helplessly confused look Otem sent her way she gave the boy a sharp nip on the withers, heard his squeal of protest with some satisfaction - it hadn't been that sharp, thank you - but could not do much else to comfort the other. In fact, the query made her want to fall on her knees and weep. "This place is not our home" she said sharply, addressing both the children with a harsh jerk of the neck that threw her flame-laced locks back over the shoulder. "A home is a place where you are safe and sheltered, a haven for heart and soul and the place to which you long to return. Every second spent on this side of the Portal is a moment of exile for us all." Even for you, she thought as she looked down at her son. Perhaps especially for him, for he would never have the memories she possessed, the awareness of what a fertile world overflowing with light and peace was like. Van and Alvah had been born in the Rift, and not a moment passed that Erthë did not weep for their fate and the dark future that awaited them. I know you're tired of surviving but you gotta keep on trying Hold on! @Otem RE: Tumbling down - Otem - 07-14-2017
@Erthë RE: Tumbling down - Van - 07-14-2017 Van flinched again at the tone of his mother's voice. It was hard and sharp but frayed at the edges, and when it made Otem cry the colt looked at her with a world of accusations in his eyes. What did she say all that for? It wasn't their fault that they were homeless, right? At least he didn't think so. But now that the concept had been brought up, and he saw the heart-wrenching sight of the crying filly he felt his own lips begin to tremble. Why though? He felt no pain (not beyond the usual ache) and he felt no real sympathy for either of the mares. Perhaps it was just the fact that it had been a long day already, and he was tired and sore and his mum had nipped him and maybe crying was the appropriate thing to do. But though tears actually began to pool in his brilliant eyes, they quickly vanished when the pale mare walked up to Otem instead of him, eyes soft and her wonderful ice cold wings rising to embrace the filly. Jealousy thundered through his entire being, for her comforting hum was much sweeter than he'd ever heard before, and her eyes looked almost soft. It was a bit too much to swallow. He was crying too, wasn't he? So why was he not wrapped in the cold comfort of her wings? He was her son, her oldest son even. It was so unfair! Glowering a bit at the tall yearling, as if daring her to try and steal his mum away with any more bawling, Van puffed out his chest and pretended that it didn't bother him to be left out like this. "Where is your own mum and dad?" he asked her, the voice carrying the same velvety whisper as before... though there was nothing he could do about the sulky undertone it carried. RE: Tumbling down - Otem - 07-14-2017
@Erthë RE: Tumbling down - Erthë - 07-14-2017 You gotta have the patience and believe you're gonna make it Gotta hold on Her frozen heart warmed with sympathy for the girl, the most intense feeling she had experienced since she awoke alone on the forest floor. It was equaled only by the regret that she could not do more to comfort the child. Both these emotions surprised her, enough to make her wonder whether the shock perhaps was beginning to loosen its grip on her. Ignorant of, or perhaps just ignoring her sons baleful glares at her, Erthë gave Otem a sad little smile and nodded. "Yes... I am sorry" she said, and let her wings settle back down against the sides. "It is my nature..." There was nothing she could do about the cold, unfortunately. Her children had somehow managed to survive within her womb - perhaps due to some magic of their own, or thanks to the life-giving energies of Helovia - and they did not seem overly bothered by it. But they too suffered when her control over the Rift's energies faltered, and more than once they had wrestled themselves free with blisters and frost glittering within their coats. It was unfortunate, but Erthë had no way to turn the chill off. No more than she could make it stop raining, or take away the pain of loss this filly was feeling. "Could you tell me their names?" she asked gently. "It might be that I know of them... " Sensing the curious gaze of the colt Erthë shot him a glance and winked, actually smiling a little at his astonished expression. "I traveled more often than not throughout Helovia. I know a good many names that would make your jaw drop, Van." It had been something to brag about then. Now, the thought of those legendary brave only caused her grief. I know you're tired of surviving but you gotta keep on trying Hold on! |