She had gone stormdancing before, when the rare thunderstorm rolled over the steppes of her birthplace. It was a thrill to wing her way up into the clouds, darting among the flashes of lightning and deep rumbles of thunder, with no heed to the danger it posed. The storms of the coast had been even stronger, leaving her drenched with rain and laughing aloud with exhilaration. The maelstrom that had swept her and Java up, however, had been some entirely different, almost malicious in its fury. It had come out of nowhere, seizing them up in its jaws like a terrier with a rat. Java had clung to her side desperately, like a pup to its mother, as she thrashed and fought against the roaring wind and churning surf. She had beat her wings until they were screaming with pain, but try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from being drawn down into the swirling vortex that had grown in the waves beneath them. She heard her companion cry out in terror, his scream echoed in her throat, and then the water had swallowed them.
The force of the waves crashing down on her had driven the breath from her lungs, but when she tried to kick her way to the surface, the circling currents only pulled her down further, towards a fiery glow in the depths beneath her. She had screamed one last time, her voice lost in a flurry of bubbles, and then darkness enveloped her.
Deep in the tangled woods of the Portal, a scruffy, soaked form stirred, then gasped, eyes flying open. The gasp became a choke as her body suddenly convulsed, and she gagged, retching up seawater. She coughed violently, fighting to suck in a breath through waterlogged lungs, finally succeeding in pulling in a deep, rattling gasp as the last of the water was vomited up. For a moment, she just lay there sprawled on her side, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, eyes wide but seeing nothing. Gradually, the shuddering inhalations softened, until she no longer felt as if she was suffocating. When she felt she could manage it, she attempted to roll onto her belly with her legs folded under her, hissing at the pain the motion produced. She felt like she had been trampled, but to her relief, though her body hurt like hell, nothing appeared to be broken. Her sodden wings were drawn close as she raised her head, brows furrowing in confusion.
This wasn't the ocean.
The vortex had already been suspiciously unnatural, but now she was certain that something strange was afoot--and whatever it was, she was sure it was nothing good. She didn't recognize this thicket, nor the scents she could catch wafting through the air. The absence of one scent, however, was enough to alarm her back to full consciousness, and she suddenly surged to her feet, heedless of the stinging protests it produced from her muscles.
Java. She had felt him ripped from her side in the vortex, his form obscured by the dark waters before she could even look. Panic flared within her as she cast about, hoping against hope that the bat had been deposited into this strange place along with her. "Java?" she called to the shadows, sodden tail whisking nervously. There was no response. No, no, no, she whimpered silently, pacing the clearing and sniffing the air desperately. He couldn't be gone, he couldn't be dead. She had promised she would stick by him, and now he was gone, and it was her fault, and, and...
When almost an hour of searching the twisted woods produced no results, she forced herself to pause. Her legs were shaking with exhaustion, and if she didn't get her bearings in this strange place, she might never find her way out of the woods. As much as it killed her to stop searching for the moment, she knew she would be no good to her companion lost or dead. She had to take care of herself for the moment, find somewhere to regain her strength. She would find him. She didn't care what it took, but she was getting her friend back.
Tucking her wings close, she looked around, picking a direction at random and beginning to make her way through the trees and vines. If she kept walking, surely she'd find the edge of the forest eventually, and once night fell, she could get a better look at the stars and determine where in the world she was.
Joining Notes
Aryel - Foreigner
Offensive Magic - Pyromancy - Can summon blue flames from her hooves, eyes, and wings. The stronger her emotions (such as joy, rage, protectiveness, etc), the brighter and hotter these flames are. When frightened, grieving, or in dismay, they are dim and weak. These flames will catch on flammable material and cannot be controlled or put out via magic once separated from her body.
Healing Magic - Phoenix Fire - Can conjure white flames to engulf a sick or injured being, burning away their illness or injury by magic. Aryel isn't yet sure that she even has this power, as it is a rare occurrence in her father's bloodline and requires immense concentration.
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
Otem moved through the trees like some sort of miniature light source. Not only did the dapples on her body glow with a soft and warm light, but a strange orb floated at her shoulder casting its own cool aura of light all around. Otem had gotten used to the orb almost immediately, but her companion, Pandora, had not. The owl stayed away from the glowing sphere whenever she could, eyeing it almost mistrustfully.
Moving purposefully towards the Portal, as she often did to see if anyone else from Helovia had been pulled through, Otem's eyes were on the ground ahead of her, rather than scrutinizing the stars, as Aryel's were. Aurelia had come through a few weeks ago, and although months had passed on this side of the Portal, it had only been a few days for Aurelia. It was possible that there were still some Helovian's who might be making their way through ... Otem still clung to the idea that she would find her twin again, but as each day melded into the next, it began to grow more and more unlikely.
Ahead there appeared to be a figure only slightly pronounced from the foliage. The cool blue-black colour scheme of night seemed to mask Aryel completely. If it wasn't for the cloudy-colour of her pelt that disgingished her from the landscape, Otem might have missed her completely. "Hello?" Otem called out, moving towards were the hybrid stood. As Otem approached she realized how stout the mare was, and suddenly felt awkward about her lofty height and narrow body.
"Has it come yet? Are you alright?" She soil and sunlight coloured girl asked in quick succession, her bi-coloured gaze moving from left to right, as if trying to spy something over and behind Aryel's shoulders.
SHRIEKS. I REMEMBER YOUUUUU <33333333 I played Gaucho on Helovia!
01-08-2018, 05:35 PM (This post was last modified: 01-08-2018, 05:36 PM by Aryel.)
(YEEEEE BOIIII)
She knew better than to let her guard down in an unknown place, and so when she caught a glimmer of light moving between the trees, she froze, muscles tensed in readiness. She wasn't sure what kind of things lurked here, but if they thought the lone mare would be easy prey, they were dead wrong. It gradually grew in luminosity, and her ears pricked at the voice that came calling between the trees. Puzzled, she sniffed the air, recognizing the scent of another equine, but her wary posture didn't soften just yet.
The glow resolved itself into a mare, winged like her, but much taller in stature. A golden light radiated from her underbelly, as if she carried a miniature sun in her guts, and an orb of light hovered by her side. The grulla mare's tail whisked about her hocks, ears pinning, but she held her ground. Did this stranger mean to harm her or help her?
Nothing about her words or body language suggested trouble, however. In fact, she almost seemed concerned about her, her question prompting the mare to cock her head in confusion. "'It?' I don't--what are you talking about?" She shook herself out, exasperated. "Look, I don't even know where I am or what the hell just happened. I was flying over the ocean when a storm blew up out of nowhere and drove me down into the waves. I thought I was going die, but then I woke up here and--" She blinked, a cold twinge twisting her guts. "Oh, gods damn it...am I dead?"
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
As the mare began to speak, Otem just nodded as if her words were something she had already heard. In a way, they were. Everyone's story started with such and such was happening, and concluded with and then I was here. Sometimes it was more dramatic - like how the Helovian's had been sucked through the portal, or how Aurelia hadn't been able to escape the pull any longer. Some were more nuanced, like this mare's story. She hadn't even known she was heading towards a different reality. At least the Helovian's knew more or less what they were in for.
"You aren't dead." The autumn-coloured mare offered, trying to be reassuring but likely failing. Moving on quickly, her eyes darting about somewhat, Otem forced herself to take a breath. She reminded herself that for Aryel, this was her first time. No matter how many times Otem had seen what was about to happen, for Aryel, this was it.
"Listen." Otem cautioned, lowering her head and speaking in a whisper. "Something is about to come. You won't necessarily see it, but you will feel it. You can't run from it or reason with it. It has never failed to come. It ... " Otem paused, her ram-horned head shaking slightly as she tried to find the words suitable to describe what was going to happen. "..it takes things from you. Sometimes it's magic, sometimes it just breaks your possessions. If you're really lucky, all it does is chill your spine and then depart." Ignorant of Aryel's past as a soldier and accomplished warrior, and not been sufficiently keen enough to notice that the mare's body told enough of a story about her past, Otem tried to be reassuring. "Don't be afraid. It happens to everyone. It should be over soon and-"
Before Otem could continue, the ball of light at her side began to shake slightly. It rolled (now a thing it could actually do, since it was no longer spherical), and writhed as if there was something inside trying to get out. The orb then split into two - both spheres glowing just as brightly as the previous one had, and both precisely the same size.
"-also there's that." Otem said, nodding towards the sphere of light as it gently moved towards Aryel, hovering at her side as did the one at Otem's. "This land is ... sort of sick. The orb helps to heal it. You needn't do anything, it just ... will follow you for a time." She mumbled with a shrug of her shoulders.
Fuck. If she was dead, then there went any hope of finding Java. If she had perished in the whirlpool, then surely the poor bat had too, being even less-suited for the water than she. Before she could worry any more, however, the glowing mare assured her that she was, in fact, still alive and kicking. Aryel wasn't yet sure how trustworthy she was, but then again, what would she have to gain by lying about that? She let out a breath of relief. There was still hope, then. If she had survived through whatever kind of strange magic had brought her here, then maybe her companion had too.
Relief gave way to worry, however, as the mare dipped her head, voice becoming a fearful whisper. She warned of something approaching, some sort of malignant presence that stole from those it caught. Already frightened for her companion's fate and thoroughly confused at her situation, the news that some ghostly whatever would be rolling around soon to mess with her magic did not sit well with her. Perhaps horses were prey animals, more inclined to run then fight, but Aryel was a bit more pugnacious then most. Fear of her unknown circumstances gave rise to defensive aggression. "Oh, it can try," she growled, pawing the ground angrily. Blue flames flickered to life around her hoof, snapping and hissing as they touched the mud underfoot. "I've lost my best friend, I don't even know where the fuck I am, I am not putting up with some incorporeal bullshit trying to mess with my magic or my stuff."
Speaking of magic and incorporeal bullshit. The glowing orb floating at the taller mare's shoulder suddenly flashed, causing the smaller blue dun to take a step back in surprise, the flames at her hooves flickering in readiness. She watched as it split itself in two, somehow without diminishing in size. The first orb returned to the other's side, while the newly-formed mote drifted towards Aryel. She snorted in warning, ears pinning, but the orb merely came to a gentle halt by her side, mirroring the one at Otem's shoulder. She looked back to the mare, confused, as she explained what it was, more or less. "Did you do that, or did it just decide to on its own?" she asked, curving her neck back to give the orb a curious sniff. There was no smell coming from it, only a gentle, almost soothing warmth. She wasn't so sure about this, or what the mare meant when she said the land was "sick", but she'd weather whatever this strange world could throw at her if it meant finding Java again.
This mare seemed rather knowledgeable, as if she had been through all this before. Maybe she had encountered him already! "Have you seen a bat anywhere around here?" asked Aryel, hostility briefly diminishing. As much as she tried to hide with, she was worried about the little creature. "Bigger than usual, with a face like a fox. Goes by 'Java'?"
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
I've lost my best friend, I don't even know where the fuck I am, I am not putting up with some incorporeal bullshit trying to mess with my magic or my stuff.
That was perhaps the best summary of the things Otem was feeling that she had ever heard. Although Otem hadn't been personally harmed by whatever incorporeal Rift-thing always seemed to show up, something inside of her still wanted to rebel against it. The Rift has a whole had been so .. so giving thus far, offering Otem small items as well as the magic that made her coat softly glow and the oak leaves that always seemed to be present in her mane. But this place, the portal seemed unnecessarily brutal.
"The last time I was here the mare I was with said something similar. But it just .. .it comes. There's no time to fight back or even ask for an explanation." Otem said patiently. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Aryel fight back against the Portal-monster (that was something she really would enjoy) but because she was fairly certain that it was impossible. The thing hadn't even given Aurelia a chance, and the golden mare had been ready for it.
"Oh, it just does that. One of the gods of this place gave them out. They just ... split whenever we find someone who is without." Was Kisamoa actually a god? Had he ever said as much? In that moment, Otem couldn't actually remember. She made a mental note to try and pin down the answer as soon as she could though.
A bat?
Pandora hooted from her position on Otem's wither, and turned her pale face towards Aryel. If Otem hadn't assumed Java was Aryel's companion (or former companion), Pandora certainly had. Although the owl might have eaten the bat if she had half a chance, with Aryel's description in mind the owlet would be more careful in the future. Shaking her feathered head slowly, Pandora's wide gold-ringed eyes appraised the mare with sympathy. Both Otem and Pandora knew what it was like to be separated from each other, and although their bond had been newly healed, the memory was still fresh. "No, I'm sorry. But we'll keep an eye out, won't we Pan?" The owl hooted her agreement. "I"m Otem by the way."
There’s a sudden jolt felt through the earth, something both of you can feel as it tears toward you, the newcomer. However, when it reaches you, the feeling is almost pleasant as it washes over you. It’s cooling from the heat of Scorch as it caresses you gently. It tugs a small amount, in no particular place as it adjusts one of your magics and takes the other as it retreats. And then, it’s gone. The earth is still and the eyes continue to watch, but there’s no feeling of it near.
Magic:
Offensive: Can summon blue flames from her hooves, eyes and wings, strength of flames is determined by emotion, but when used leaves her body smelling like sulfur. The Rift subtly changes your first magic, then takes your second magic as tribute.
Normal items transfer fine. Just link them in your profile to having attained them here! Your companion goes wild and can be earned back via RF!
In the darkness, she hadn't noticed the dark-feathered owl perched on the mare's back until it hooted softly, fixing the grulla mare with a sagelike gaze. Her ears pricked in interest, a brief nicker of greeting given in response. Since meeting Java, she had become much more appreciative of the animals that deigned to become companions to horses, and even if they were not able to speak directly to eachother, Aryel hoped to give the owl the same respect as her bondmate. The mare's response, however, elicited a quiet huff of dismay, her head drooping. Nevertheless, she gave her a weary smile. "Thank you. I just hope he's okay, wherever he is." She couldn't bear the idea of him being hurt or trapped somewhere.
The stranger introduced herself as Otem, and her companion as "Pan"--a nickname, maybe? "Aryel," she replied with a dip of her horned head. "You know, I--"
She was cut off as the ground shuddered underfoot, and her eyes immediately darted up to scour their surroundings. Out of habit, she took a step closer to Otem, putting herself between the other mare and the direction the rumbling seemed to be coming from. Despite the fact that Otem towered over her, the blue dun was seemingly prepared to defend her, her wings half-flared in a threatening display towards whatever was out there. The flames at her hooves, which had begun to die down, now sprung up again in readiness.
When the indescribable presence engulfed her, she startled, only to retaliate with a vicious snap at the air around her. Her teeth clicked together on nothing, but she was suddenly aware of something pressing on her from all sides, not just on her body, but within her very mind. Despite the bizarrely-gentle sensation, a wave of relieving coolness from the muggy night air, the mare refused to be placated, even as her flames suddenly flickered and died. "Oh no you don't," she snarled, bucking out at the intangible presence, to no avail. She felt something shift deep within her, causing a brief wave of nausea, and then the feeling as gone as quickly as it had come, leaving them alone once more.
Breathing hard, she looked about, as if daring it to return, but as the hum in the air faded, she was forced to concede that it had escaped her. She snorted loudly, shaking herself out and ruffling her feathers as if to dispel the lingering feeling tracing across her skin. "Son of a bitch." She felt different, in a way that she couldn't put to words. Had it taken her magic, as Otem had warned? Concerned, she struck her hoof several times against the ground, as one might strike a flint against steel. On the third stroke, blue embers leaped from the hoof, growing into small flames. Aryel blinked, then grinned, unaware that the Rift had stolen her bloodline's dormant magic from her. "Hah! Whatever that was, I don't think it was able to take very much of anything." The peculiar smell that her flames seemed to put off wasn't missed, however, and she wrinkled her nose at the sulfuric odor. Still, pungent fire was infinitely preferable to no fire at all.
Now that she had encountered the strange Rift force and survived, she realized she wasn't sure what her next move would be. She didn't know where in the world she was in relation to her birthplace or her mother's land, and it hadn't yet dawned on her that she wasn't even on the same plane anymore. Getting home wasn't a pressing goal, seeing as she didn't really have a home at the moment, but if this land was "sick", as Otem put it, perhaps staying here wasn't a wise choice. "You seem to have a bit more idea about what's going on here than I do," she said, looking back to the other. "Maybe you can point me towards a better place to be than this shadowy hollow."
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
Aryel couldn't have known (and truthfully, Otem shouldn't have been so certain either), that once the portal-presence had taken something from you, you were forever immune. It had just been that way; each time Otem had come to the portal she had been ignored by the presence, and she just blindly assumed it would remain that way. So as Aryel bustled against the unseen force, Otem remained stationary but calm.
As the presence seemed to come over the blue mare and then dissipate, Otem waited with baited breath to see how the mare would respond. She began striking her hoof against the ground as if trying to goad the creature into returning (or was she perhaps summoning some magic?) when suddenly blue flames burst from the moving limb. Otem's eyes widened slightly and her lips curled upwards in a smile. She had no idea how many magics the pegasus may or may not have, but retaining at least one was a good sign, no?
"That's incredible." Otem breathed, though it was unclear if she was referring to the magic or to the fact that nothing seemed to have been taken.
At Aryel's question of what to do next, Otem nibbled the inside of her lip for a moment as she considered. "Well, there aren't herd-lands or anything like that. But a few of us have banded together. There's a god here - at least I think he is a god - called Kisamoa. He's the one who gave us the orbs, like I mentioned. It seems like healing the land is his priority right now." Pausing, Otem's lips twisted upwards again as Aryel mentioned somewhere better than this shadowy hollow. "If you think this is bad, just wait. There are places that are covered by this .... this tangible shadow wall. She tribrid couldn't really describe it any better than that. "You can't go through it at all. That's what Kisamoa says we're healing. But that being said," Otem took another breath and sort of slumped sideways, "-there are more than a handful of bizarre creatures that live here. Though I'm sure you'll be able to fend for yourself well-enough."
Unsure whether or not this newcomer would be at all interested in the intiative she ewas trying to start, Otem decided she would simply give the mare the information and let her make her own choices. "The group of us, we meet in a place called Halyven. You'll see it easily enough from the skies - it's full of rubble and collapsed buildings. It's the only place like it. It's just to the East of here."
The blue mare's neck arched proudly at Otem's admiration of her magic, her feathers ruffling, but she dismissed her flames regardless. Until she was sure that there was no more immediate danger, she couldn't afford to waste her energy showing off. Thankfully, things seemed calm, and she kept only one ear cocked for approaching sounds as she listened to Otem. Her brow rose at the mention of a supposed god and his attempts to fix this place. "If this so-called god's method of welcoming newcomers is to drag them here against their will and steal their magic, then I don't see much reason to help him 'heal' anything." Maybe it wasn't Kisamoa's doing, but if he was the supposed deity of this place, then shouldn't he have some measure of control over it? Until she learned a little more about this place, and about him, the stubborn mare didn't plan to lend much aid.
Otem's grim words only got worse, prompting the mare to give an exasperated short. "Shadow walls and horrible monsters. Joy." She had dealt with predators before, though, and while she was small in stature, she was about as fragile as a pile of bricks. Anything that wanted to take a bite out of her would need to get past her horns, hooves, and fire first. It was equine instinct to flee from danger, but Aryel's homeland had been home to packs of ravenous wolves and other creatures capable of running a horse to exhaustion. Sometimes, the only way to survive was to hold your ground and bluff the carnivore out, a tactic she was well-versed in.
There also remained the fact that she was still pissed at being stolen by this place and separated from her companion. Taking her frustration out on some unlucky predator seemed like a fine idea indeed.
Her expression, which had become rather stormy, seemed to clear up as Otem spoke of a place her group of stragglers used as a meeting-place. Facing this place together was a wiser choice than doing so alone, even as she was confident she could handle herself. "I'll drop by in a few days," she said with a dip of her horns. "I'd like to get the lay of the land first, try to figure out where I am--or if there's anywhere nearby that Java might have ended up." He had hailed from a rainforest, and depending on the climate of this place, perhaps there was tropical land nearby. It would be a good place to start her search for him.
The Portal
