When the night has come

and now I'm reaching out with every note I sing and I hope it gets to you on some pacific wind wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear tells you that I miss you and I wish that you were here Just as I had feared, what waited for us on the other side of the portal was anything but good. The atmosphere alone was ominous, the shock of what had just happened still very much present and leaving surely everyone reeling. Friends and family had died trying to protect one another, trying to protect their home while many more hurried through the portal as quickly as possible. Truth be told, a part of me had felt ashamed that I had failed to raise a hoof against Kaos and his madness, but it the thought was a fleeting one. As much as I loved the lands that had become my home, my family was infinitely more important, for they had become my world, and without them, life held little meaning. As we came through the portal amongst so many others, I looked frantically over everyone; my beloved, our brace son, and the companions that had been ever at our sides for so long. One, two, three, four, five... They were all there and seemingly unharmed, but before I could even attempt to form a word in my throat, one of the last things I had expected to happen happened. Like a terrible dream, it all unfolded so fast. From where she had been perched atop Tristan's head, Suli curled her lips back and let loose a vicious snarl. I had heard such a noise come from the green several times prior, right before she would take off in pursuit of prey, but this time it was different. No longer could I feel the build-up of excitement from the dragon right before the hunt, the thirst she felt for blood on her tongue before she took off. In fact, I couldn't feel anything from her at all, and that was when I knew that something was terribly wrong. "Suli!" I cry out just as the green shoves herself from Tristan's head into the dark skies, an uncharacteristically barbarous look tinging her violet eyes. She ignores my concern, however, and seems only to grow agitated at it. With another malicious sound coming from deep within her throat, Suli opened her jaws as though intending to attack, but the fire fails to come. As though possessed, she takes to the skies without another thought, leaving us behind in a mad fit. The display had been enough to invoke a painfully sorrowful trill from Merlin, who had clutched just a little tighter to my nape. He trembled, and understandably so, and I only wished that I could provide him comfort and an explanation, but I am simply dumbfounded by the event and can barely find it within myself to move or even speak. While the connection between Merlin and I did feel significantly off, it was still there, and from what I could tell, loyal Kasai seemed to have no intention on following suit with Suli. "I-..." It's a weak and feeble attempt to speak, but with a deep breath I swallowed past the growing lump in my throat. In such a foreign land, and especially after the events that had just transpired, it would be foolish to go rushing off after the green, as agonizing as it was to even think about moving on. The silence that falls around us in the brief moment following the dragon's outburst is damning, and with shaky breath, I break it. "Are any of you harmed?" "Speak."

You are in a foreign world, now; the undergrowth is thick with both bright eyes and strange colors. Ferns whose leaves glow blue, trees whose leaves pulse with red veins, and shadows which have colors. Helovia was far from a dead land, but the entire earth here oozes power and presence. You have the distinct feeling that you will never truly be alone here. There is always something out there. Watching. Waiting.

the Rift

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[ TRANSFER NOTES: DESTRIER ]

Magic:
Offensive: Ability to super-heat and desiccate air, causing it to ignite in his target's breath.
Offensive: Blood is lava, which raises his body temperature and causes his skin to look cracked and leak lava when damaged. (This might be a mutation, or vanity magic if you want the blood just to "look" like lava - I'm hesitant to make it a mutation without talking to my other half first, because I think it'd take magic to be able to have blood that would melt your veins XD)

Items:
Defensive: Dragonscale armor with mithril braces beneath. Wool lines it along all pressure points. It can collapse into a decorative mithril tail brace engraved with a Celtic dragon.

Amulet:
Your amulet whispers out of existence.

Companions:
Merlin: Dragon
Obtained: 9 March 2015
Birth Date: Early Scorch, 1170

Frozen:
Suli: Dragon
Obtained: 9 May 2013
Birth Date: Early Drench, 1167

The rest of your items were unenchanted, so they transfer over fine!

T R I S T A N Nestled between his parents, Tristan had not looked whilst the slayings had occurred. The colt had kept his head down and low, turquoise eyes clenched shut, ears pinned flat against his skull in a sad attempt to keep out the wails, the sobs, the screams of those who perished or those left behind. He let the protective bodies of his parents urge him onwards, never once cracking an eye open for even a second to lay witness to what was transpiring around them. The scent of incredible terror cloyed his nose and stained the air, and despite experiencing the crest of his second year, the sooty Prince found himself huddling between his parent’s broad sides as they ushered him into the unknown, following them blindly but with complete trust. There was nothing else that they could do except obey, for Kaos had demonstrated quite clearly what might happen if they were to try and oppose him. What awaited them on the other side, however, was nothing like he could have imagined. Through the Portal they had gone, and only when all four hooves seemed solely rooted to the ground did vivid eyes open, regarding this new world with wide, slow blinking eyes. The shadows terrified him and he quivered in fear, the glowing eyes that glittered in the foliage causing him to shrink to his parent’s sides. Smoke and mist wafted through the air, limiting their visibility and making the whole place seem as though it were haunted. Maybe it was. Suli was a familiar and soothing weight upon the crown of his head, Merlin nestled in Destrier’s mane, Kasai on Romani’s other side and growling with displeasure. This world was new, terrifying, and he found himself desperately wanting to go home. Home doesn’t exist, a twisted part of his mind provided, a dark, bitter voice that flared periodically from the depths of his mind, ’Home’ is nothing more than shadows and forsaken lands. This is your home now.’ It was right, so right, but it didn’t mean that Tristan had to like it. He didn’t. He missed the Hidden Falls, the hills of the Heavenly Fields, the waters of the Endless Blue… But they couldn’t go back, and he could either waste his energy and mourn for the land he had been born into, or do something far more productive and try to figure out just where they were, and why. Briefly he was aware of Romani’s muzzle pressing into his side, his mother’s nostrils flaring as she scented him, checking him for injury. Before he could even hope to settle or reassure her, however, there was a pressure upon his crown as Suli suddenly gave a formidable snarl and pushed away, taking flight. ’Suli!’ Destrier had shouted, distraught and bewildered as the little green and everything that she was seemed to unravel before their very eyes. She whirled on them, the expression in her face one of unrecognition, and once more a foreboding sense of dread began to fill the sooty buckskin’s heart. What was happening?! “Suli!” The Prince repeated, desperate for the dragon to return to them, but she departed with a terrible cry and the snapping of jaws. He stood, frozen and just as shocked as his parents and their remaining Companions, and it was only Destrier’s trembling inquiry that brought him out of his frightened reverie. “No. No, I’m fine. I… What happened to Suli? Is she coming back?” All thoughts of where they were, of what had happened to Helovia were gone, forgotten instead with the drastic behavior of their little green. quote goes here! and more than one!

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Transfer Information:

MAGIC
:: Transformation - The ability to transform into a brown wolf | Painful and causes immobilization for 1 minute

ITEM
:: Blue jay feather braided into mane

ENCHANTED ITEMS
None

COMPANIONS
None

Romani

This wasn't the first time that she had lost a home, but it was the first time that the loss had been on such a grand scale, so traumatizing, so horrendous. There was no time to linger, no time to hesitate, and although the warrior part of her heart desperately wanted to stand with their brothers and sisters to defend their home from Kaos and his madness, the desire to keep her family safe, the part of the mother, spurred Romani into action.

With their son pressed protectively between them, she and Destrier marched their little family into the unknown, hoping against all odds that they wouldn't encounter any harm along the way and that whatever lay on the otherside of where they were headed, they would reach it together.

The world that awaited them, however, was an entirely different one at that.

There were little similarities to Helovia. The forest that they found themselves in, for that's what it must be, was glowing with fauna and flora of the likes that the Haflinger had never before seen. The eerie, glowing eyes that stared unabashed at their unwelcome forms were cold, judging, as if knowing why they were there and hating them for it. Romani gave a shiver, withers twitching in anxiousness, a pit of dread growing with every step that they took further into the unknown.

"This place... How odd." 'Odd' was putting it lightly. Kasai remained at her side, the tigress giving every wisp of shadow or puff of dancing smoke a warning growl, hackles raised and tail twitching in obvious distress.

Romani turned her head, pressing her muzzle into Tristan's quivering side, smelling his fear and wishing that she could do more to soothe him. Before she could utter a word to him, however, Suli made a wretched sound atop the colt's head, snapping to attention as though she were possessed. In a fit of rage the dragon launched into the air and regarded them with a caution reserved to those of wild beasts. No form of recognition shone in her eyes, and through their mental bond, Romani could feel Kasai's panic.

'No!' The tigress bellowed, a rising tide of terror that swathed Romani's breast like a swallowing wave. 'Do not leave!'

No amount of beckoning or pleading would have any effect. Whatever had possessed the little green dragon forced her to retreat, to flee, and Romani's heart broke. No....

Silence followed Suli's departure, but it was Destrier who dared to break it. There was no missing the morose undertone to his voice, and instinctively the Haflinger reached her muzzle to brush against his, desperate to soothe his distress. Even Merlin, so much younger than either Suli or Kasai, seemed equally upset.

"We'll find her, Des," Romani swore. They had to. "We will. I promise." But even though they all surely wanted to go after the wayward Companion, they couldn't do so blindly. There was no way of knowing just what was out there, amidst the trees and darkness, and charging ahead could prove fatal.

"Kasai and I are both alright. Are you, Des? We need to figure out just where we are, and find somewhere to settle down. Maybe we should see if anyone else made it...?"

What is that quest that pulls me onward
My heart is full when you are by my side

_{colourize-stock | arctic-stock | imi art}

Oh. There’s more?

These colors pulse with excitement. Unseen eyes (or do you see them? can you see in this pulsing, foreign light?) gleam with thirst and desire for what runs through your veins and attaches so firmly to your soul.

This colorful light drips from the trees; it slides across your coats and sinks into your skin.

You will never be truly rid of the Rift, now.

the Rift

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| TRANSFER NOTES : TRISTAN |

Magic:
Transformation: Ability to transform into a brown wolf. Transformation induces uncontrollable vomiting.

Normal items transfer fine! Just use this thread as link-proof in your profile.


| TRANSFER NOTES : ROMANI |

Amulets:
The colored light pools around this single drop of alien godsblood you carry. They absorb it slowly, as if savoring the morsel. In its place they leave an amethyst gem...but don't think it's just a pretty trinket. Anytime magic is used around it, it will burn uncontrollably.

Companion:
Kasai : Tiger
OOC Obtained: 1 January 2013
Rift Birthdate: Late Freeze 1166

and now I'm reaching out with every note I sing and I hope it gets to you on some pacific wind wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear tells you that I miss you and I wish that you were here The words of my family are heard, but they don't register near as fast as they should've. Another moment passes where my eyes do not dare drift from where Suli had disappeared into the darkness, overcome by some malicious force, but it's painfully clear that she isn't coming back. I sighed, a troubled and grievous sound before looking between Romani, Tristan, Kasai and Merlin. At least they are safe, and so long as these lungs draw breath, then by (God name) I would see to it that it remained that way. "I will be alright," comes my response, and though my heart is heavy with the abrupt loss of my beloved green, I know that we must press on as Romani suggested, to try and find some semblance of shelter as well as others who had come through the Portal. In a world such as this, there would be safety in numbers. Looking to brave Tristan, I offer my son a tender look and reach out to bump my nose against his own reassuringly, wishing only to comfort him. Suli had loved the boy since birth, and I knew that her loss, however temporary, would affect him a great deal as well. "One day she will," I promised against my better judgement, "Or we will find her on our own, one way or another." That promise I would keep. The first step is the most difficult to take, followed by the second and then the third, but soon we are all making our way through the dense growth for an unknown destination. Merlin remains tucked close to my neck, but the normally timid dragon keeps his head held high as his violet eyes continue to search vigilantly for his friend. Turning my head to regard Romani, I automatically shift closer to her and gently press my nose into the crook of her neck. There's so much that I wish to say, but in the presence of our son, I would withhold it. "Maybe we will be able to find Kaj and Kahlua, or even Alysanne," I thought aloud. We had been estranged from our herd for some time, but honestly, who had been leader then and most recently held little meaning now. So long as we could find friends, either new or old as we tried to settle into this new, mysterious place, was all that truly mattered. "Speak."

T R I S T A N Drip. Something drips onto him from the trees above. It lands upon his haunches, sliding through tawny hairs before being absorbed into skin with a strange, itchy effect, but Tristan thought naught of it. He was none the wiser as to what had truly just happened and the severe effect that it would have on him at a later time, and the persistent trouble that it would inevitably cause. No. For now, his focus, his worry, was on that of his parents, their Companions, and where, exactly, they were. The sooty Prince is only slightly soothed by Destrier's voice, that one day Suli would return to them, and he could only hope that his father was right. Hopefully they would find the wayward dragon... Or she would come to her senses and find them. For now they couldn't linger, and he knew it, even if the knowledge made his heart heavy and his throat ache. Tristan returned Destrier's affectionate touch, pressing his muzzle into the Friesian's own with a little exhale. There is the soft, repetitive squeak of the wagon's squeaky wheel that has become a familiar sound as they begin moving. Tristan continues to remain close to this parents as they progress through the strange trees and the eerie surroundings, but as the fear begins to fade and the anxiety flees his blood, the residual haunting from the previous massacre slowly fading into the recesses of his mind beneath the force of youthful vigilance, unfathomable curiosity slowly taking its place. This world was new, strange, and oddly beautiful. He couldn't help but wonder what sorts of mysteries it held and the treasures that may be hidden away, tucked into hiding where only the curious sorts would find them. "What sorts of things do you think are in this world?" The Princeling asked after a few minutes, the constant squeak, squeak, squeak of Destrier's wagon wheel the only rhythmic sign of their progress. "There must be so many places to explore... I should like to see it all one day. Can you imagine?" Our battles they may find us, no choice may ours to be But hold the banner proudly, the truth will set us free.

image credits

Romani

Like her son, Romani thought nothing of the strange little, singular drip that landed upon the crest of her neck, sliding through layers of thick ivory mane to absorb into her skin, hardly an inch away from the amulet that lay twisted and tied into her mane, the jewel resting upon her neck in the same place where it had for years. It itched a little, the strange little drop, but nothing to warrant any unnecessary attention. Instead, Romani's focus was on the path ahead, of keeping a cautionary eye on Tristan, their remaining Companions, and Destrier. They had already lost enough to carelessness, and she was not about to let that number grow.

There was a lot that they would need to discuss, she and her mate, topics that weren't suitable for the ears of little Princes. Tristan would not understand. He was growing older, yes, having passed the day of his second year, but he was still innocent. Sheltered, almost. Not that she nor Destrier helped those matters much. Romani had lost a daughter to the mysteries of the world, and Destrier had lost both a daughter and a son. They cherished their boy and, while not forcing him into seclusion, rarely let him out of their watchful gazes without the company of one of their Companions. It had normally been Suli, the little green taking to the sooty colt with a profound love for one she was not bonded with, but now that the dragon was gone... The Haflinger gave a shake of her head, not wishing to think on it.

"Then we'll begin our search here, and move on if we cannot find anyone. Surely we aren't the only ones of our herd to have made it through." There had to be more. There had to be. While they had not been familiar with the inner workings of their herd since Tristan's birth, she had the inkling that there were safety in numbers in such a strange, new world. Hopefully soon, they could find someone familiar.

At Tristan's innocent, lighthearted inquiry, Romani's dark lips twisted upwards into a genuine smile, the azure depths of her eyes growing warm as she glanced to the side to regard the inquisitive colt. "Ah, well... I imagine that there are all sorts of wonders here, Tristan. Just as there are wonders in every world and realm, they must be found, and -"

No sooner had the mare spoken, however, that her words cut off with a pained hiss, the subtle itch of her neck beginning to grow, and then burn from where the Moon amulet rested upon the flesh of her neck. She halted in her tracks, hooves rooted to the spot and tossing her head as though the action alone would alleviate the burning sensation. If anything, it only grew, the burning hot and agonizing. At her side, Kasai halted as well, the large cat throwing a frantic gaze towards Destrier as she paced and prowled nervously at the mare's forelegs. What was happening? What was causing her bondmate to react so negatively and in so much distress?

There, upon the golden-red maiden's neck, the Moon amulet threaded in her mane seemed to absorb itself into the skin on her neck, pulsing and throbbing and transforming into not an amulet, but an embedded, amethyst gem. The burning continued until it seemed that the absorption was complete, the flesh around the gem blistered and raw, and Romani let out a pained sort of grunt as it finally began to ebb away into a dull, throbbing ache.

"What in the...?" The question died off, for she couldn't see what had happened, but Gods if she could feel it. Twisting her head around, trying to catch a glimpse as to what was causing such pain, Romani grit her teeth, ears pinning flat against her crown, and a slight sheen of sweat perspiring amidst golden-red hairs. "Des?"

What is that quest that pulls me onward
My heart is full when you are by my side

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