Mother's words rattle around her pretty skull, weighing heavily on her conscience. She ignores the gentle, lulling voice of her dam in favor of pressing onward. Her skin prickles as she walks, anxiety curling around her stomach and twisting her guts into thick knots. What am I doing here? she asks herself, knowing the answer will not come. She can feel the rapid pace of her heart beating against her ribs, like a frantic animal trapped in a cage. A pair of eyes, glowing and insidious, blink out at her from the murky shadows. 'Don't look, don't look,' she urges herself, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the trail ahead of her. A distant snap of twigs, the wet sound of teeth in flesh, comes somewhere from her right. Her heart is flung into overdrive, yet her limbs do not move any faster. The fear is almost enough to paralyze her, sending a visible shiver down her spine and quaking her delicate body.
She knows the dangers of the Rift. After all, she has called it home all her life. Still, nothing could have prepared her for the creeping feeling of dread that settles over her like a wet wool blanket, heavy and smothering. The energy of this place fills her veins with ice, leaving her bones feeling numb to the marrow. A deep breath in, a shuddering breath out. One hoof in front of the other. Don't go to the Portal, the words rattle around again in her brain. She knows she shouldn't be here - knows that if mother ever finds out, she will not be forgiven. No cure is worth losing you. 'But mother,' she thinks, ignoring the scrape of claws against a branch high above, 'I cannot lose you. Chester cannot lose you. I must keep going.' So she does - her joints ache with a deep fatigue, but she presses onward, unsure of her exact destination.
Magic:
- Offensive/Defensive: ability to manipulate branches and vines, using them to defend herself or cause harm to others.
Normal items:
- 3 gold clasps to hold her mane
- 3 gold stud earrings on left ear, 2 on right
- Thin decorative gold chain on base of tail
- A set of gold bangles around her left hind fetlock.
- A wooden deer antler crown with preserved flowers
No other enchantments, requests, Rift-god items, etc.
It was scary there, and with no one to impress, Casca no longer cared that he was being a baby. He just wanted Ma, or Da, or Gal—even Haldir would have been a welcome sight in this strange dark wood. Tears streamed openly down his face as he shuffled along, doing his best to remember the sneaky stuff Da had taught him. He’d always loved Da’s tricks, but they weren’t fun now like they always had been before. Today, he had the overwhelming sense that his sneaking was a matter of survival: he was no longer the hunter, but the hunted. It made him feel small, despite all Da had told him about being a prince and being brave. The red colt stifled a wet hiccup and crept on, shaking.
Fatigued and inexperienced as he was, it was inevitable the moment would come. Given his track record, it was actually surprising how far he’d managed to make it before he snapped the twig, the sharp sound of the break seeming to thunder like a cannon in his ears. Casca froze.
The shadows twist; a bolt of too-bright lightning rents the dark skies. The following, thunderous rumble shakes the air, the trees, travels through their trunks and into their dark roots, and quakes the very soil beneath your already quivering hooves.
It is a vicious storm, one feeding from all this magic so ripe and ready for the picking in the Portal. The world vibrates with energy—even the raindrops seem to ripple in the air before you.
07-30-2017, 02:13 AM (This post was last modified: 07-30-2017, 02:08 PM by Winry.)
WINRY
Winry tries to keep quiet; she knows that there are beasts out here that would snap her into their jaws the first chance they get, dining on her flesh like a fine delicacy. She knows she would make a tasty treat for any hungry passerby who fancied a light snack. It's a disturbing thought that does nothing to quell her ever-growing anxiety, but she presses onward. She must not leave any corner of the Rift unexplored in her quest for a cure - she hasn't the time for cowardice.
The distant snapping of twigs quakes her spine, filling her gut with the urge to run - but not away... no, towards. She stops in her tracks, fidgeting nervously. Part of her is pulled away from the course she has set for herself, knowing something - someone - is out there. But can she risk it? Is it worth the possibility of unimaginable, gut-wrenching things happening? Her throat constricts, the thick knot in her stomach twisting in on itself. Against her better judgement, she pulls herself from her set course, relying on pure instinct to guide her towards the source of the noise. She pushes her way through thick foliage, the scrape of bark harsh against the sensitive flesh of her sides.
At first, she doesn't quite understand what she sees as she approaches. She thinks at first maybe it is a small creature of some sorts; then as the underbrush clears and the fog thins, she comes to the sudden, nearly halting realization that the being before her is a child. She bursts through the trees, carelessly bolting in his direction. She doesn't stop to think of the action may startle him - she thinks only of protecting the small boy from the creatures that lurk around them in the thick shadows. "Are you alright?!" she gasps, blue eyes wide. "What are you doing out here all by yourself, child? Where are your parents?" So many questions race through her cluttered mind.
OOC: Same, sorry D: I'm writing and posting this way past my bedtime xD
@Casca
The Portal
