Here Alone (Open)

[Kangaroo]

Caligo "Shadow" Nox

^ ^ ^

Ah, the Burning Woods. It was one of her favorite places to visit, not only because animals sometimes got caught in the flames but because she found a fascination with them. The fire danced before her black eyes as she intently watched the red and orange show. In the dark of night it was even more amazing than during the day... or maybe she was biased. After all the nighttime was her favorite time because she felt empowered and strong.

The silver cat's dark eyes turned away from the flames as a large shadow materialized out of the darkness and smothered the fire that was crackling on a bush. She was finished viewing it and as far as she could tell the flames weren't needed to claim anyone's life so it could be killed. The feline herself walked away, where she was heading she didn't know; her paws would carry her where they wanted to go.

Her eyes closed as she walked and her body began to change. It became longer, more slender, the tail was bushier and her muzzle longer. The marking on her head disappeared and when her eyes opened they were a silvery-blue instead of black. The cat had turned herself into a silver fox. This was the form she took most often when walking on foot, people seemed to trust fortune-telling skills of foxes better than most. She didn't know why but that was usually how it worked.

Her longer legs took her swiftly over the ground to a small rock sitting in the middle of the woods. She walked over to the rock and sat atop it with her nose lifted in the air with her eyes closed. Her forehead furrowed just slightly to give her the appearance of concentration. Her dramatic pose was just a ploy to convince passersby of something strange about her and when they asked what was wrong she would give her story about being a Seer that was gifted by the gods. She'd done it many times before.

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Tags: Open
Notes: ---
Muse: 5/10
Words: 346

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[Rea]

Elegant wings stretched out across the night sky as the translucent form of an eagle soared over the land. Her soft luminescence lit up the darkness, and her starry appearance made her look as if she had descended from the constellations above. The nocturnal being felt nothing but joy as the summer air lifted her wings, allowing her to fly with such ease over the domains below. It had been too long since she traveled to a new land, and Arkidos had been far too full of conflict for her to remain there. She didn’t know where she was going yet, nor did she particularly care. Wanderlust had taken hold, and any adventure would satisfy her.

Out of the corner of her radiant eyes, she noticed the warm glow of the Burning Forest. A soft hiss escaped her beak; that territory was most unpleasant, and she was about as keen to visit the infernal land as she was welcome. She knew the other deity that ruled the place, the one who was called Phoenix, and he wasn’t exactly hospitable. Fire… it was so full of chaos and brightness and heat…

Realta shook her head and turned her eyes away, intending to adjust her course to lead her elsewhere, but something small on the barren land below her caught her eye. Amid the black ash and scorched trees of area, there seemed to be a creature with its head raised to the sky. A fox, silver, elegant, and sitting so peacefully on a rock in the midst of dark, decaying land. How peculiar! She tilted her head and circled a few times, wondering about the creature. It was dangerous to be here without permission from the blazing Queen of the land, or from her deity, and the fox seemed so out of place… The peaceful creature also seemed like pleasant company, and Realta simply adored amiable individuals.

Without further hesitation, the great eagle folded her wings to her sides and dove to the earth, spreading them again just enough to allow her a graceful landing before the stranger’s perch. The disturbed ash billowed around her as she gazed at the fox, smiling pleasantly as her eerie blue glow illuminated the other creature’s silver pelt. Elegantly drawing her wings in, she observed her newfound company before speaking.

"Greetings, little one! What brings you to such desolate lands?" she warbled, her voice soft and friendly. As the ash settled around her gleaming form and she considered this peculiar fox, Realta could sense that she was more than what she seemed. There was something powerful about this being, and it intrigued her. Tilting her head in curiosity, she awaited the fox’s response.

[Kangaroo]

Caligo "Shadow" Nox

^ ^ ^

Wait long enough and they would come, as was proved with the approach of the other creature. Shadow expected to hear the approach of some ground-bound animal but instead the landing of a creature on the ground nearly startled her out of her dramatic pose. The near silent flight hadn't been expected and in all reality Shadow had thought an owl was just passing overhead, not landing in front of her. Still, she managed to maintain her pose even after the other warbled her greeting and question.

Keeping up her act, Shadow did nothing for a moment but then very slowly she opened her eyes. Her silvery-blue gaze found the shimmering form of the eagle-like avian before her. Shadow found herself blinking rapidly at the beautiful sight. Never before had she seen a creature as beautifully shining and translucent-looking as the bird in front of her. Not only that but she could sense a power in the other... A power like her own. What was this?

"Greetings, friend. I came to this land because the gods beckoned me here. I am here to give the creatures of this place fortunes, if they so wish to have one told." Shadow's tail curled slowly around her small silver paws as she peered closely at the shimmering form of the bird. "Tell me, dear bird, would you like Shadow the Seer to tell your fortune or perhaps when you'll meet your untimely demise?" The strange power that she sensed about the creature made her wonder if she would be at all interested in a false telling of good fortune or a telling of her death. Just in case the answer was yes to the latter Shadow tried to peer into the creature's future but shockingly she couldn't see how the bird would die. It... it wasn't there! Nothing with age, nothing with fights, nothing with disease! How strange... What was this bird, anyway?

Her brow furrowed once more but this time it wasn't for show, she was really confused and trying to force her secondary power into working.

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Tags: Realta, Open
Notes: ---
Muse: 5/10
Words: 366

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[Rea]

A fortuneteller! Realta’s eyes lit up with delight, quite literally. She had never put much store in such things as ‘seers’ amongst the common creatures of the land, but something told her that this fox in particular wasn’t common. She could sense the power even more after the fox had spoken, and it felt almost… familiar. It was much like her own power, perhaps mental in nature, but something about it was different. Naturally she found all this fascinating, and she chuckled with pleasure.

"Oh yes, I’d be delighted to hear your impression! Shadow… what a charming name. And what perplexing eyes you have." She stepped forward and leaned closer to the fox, as if to punctuate her statement. It was true, something about those eyes was not quite normal, perhaps even unnerving, but Realta did not avert her gaze. It seemed as if the fox was concentrating quite intently, and she could sense the power emanating from this ‘seer’ much more now. The more she felt, the more the avian realized that this being was much like herself.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I am Realta." she said, bowing her head reverently. "It is a great pleasure to meet you." Looking back up to the fox, she offered a kindly smile, before casually turning to preen her gleaming feathers. "You know," she said between feathers, keeping her eyes on the unusual being, "I must say, it is brave of you to enter this land. Even I am not welcome here."

Pausing, she observed Shadow’s reactions. Did the fox know how perilous this land was? Perhaps she was simply brave enough to venture this far. Either way, Realta could not allow the pleasant little fox to continue along without proper warning. She had already grown to enjoy this stranger’s presence, and she’d certainly be disappointed if anything bad should befall her newfound company. She had a suspicion that the fortuneteller could hold her own, but Realta would rather be certain of her safety than take any chances. "Be watchful, Shadow the Seer… This land is full of surprises."

[Kangaroo]

Caligo "Shadow" Nox

^ ^ ^

She could instantly tell that the shimmering bird was interested in her fortunes, heck, anyone could probably tell. The bird put a whole new meaning to "eyes lighting up with joy". Speaking of eyes the constellation-like avian --because that was what she reminded Shadow of now that she studied her-- leaned closer to peer at her own. A startling thing to say the least, no one ever tried to get a closer look at her eyes whether they thought them "perplexing" or not. Mere mortals just never did such a thing... "Why thank-you, my friend, but Shadow is a rather common name methinks. As for my eyes you must be rather brave to look straight into them, not many have the guts to look in my eyes... Itsa thing about fortunetellers, you see, hehe." That was a lie, of course, but how many fortunetellers could the bird possibly have met? It wasn't as if she'd lived for a thousand lifetimes or something.

"Realta? What a pretty name for a pretty bird! Ah, and what great manners you have. I appreciate that, friend."

[/color] She lowered her own head to mirror the gesture that Realta had given her. "But please, the pleasure is all mine."[/color] Shadow stepped daintily off of the rock she was sitting on to take a place closer to the constellation-bird. Her eyes displayed genuine curiosity as she looked up at the kind creature. "Tell me though, why would anyone be bothered by you in their territory? Surely you're not the kind to start fights."[/color] Shadow knew of two possible reasons why the bird would not be welcome here. The first was because of the pack that called this place home but to her experience they were fine to a mortal that knew their business. The other reason was because of the fiery deity that protected over the land, she'd heard that he didn't take kindly to other deities on his pack's territory. Shadow was beginning to suspect more and more that there was more to this bird that met the eye.

She decided to play it cool and show how she really felt about being in "danger". "Thank-you for the warning, Realta, but you needn't worry about me. No one can do me any harm if I don't want them too. I've got surprises of my own, y'see."[/color] Here she gave a roguish wink before releasing a carefree laugh. "Now, let's read that fortune of yours."[/color] She scooted just close enough so that her forepaw was within reach of the bird's wing then she reached out to try and lay a paw on the feathers.

She closed her silvery-blue eyes and lifted her nose into the air again. Her ears tucked against her head while the fur along her nape lifted into the air. Her voice came out in a low chanting yip when she spoke again,

"Spirits of Wind, Water, Air, and Darkness
hear my words and hearken to me!
What fortunes befall this shimmering creature?
Tell me now, I beseech thee!"

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She feel silent as she once again searched for Realta's future death. A few moments passed before she once again realized that it was impossible to gauge. It was like a light cloud blocking her future sight! This had never happened before! Well... it had never happened with a mortal. The last time she'd been unable to see a death was when another deity asked for a fortune... Hmm... I wonder? It would make perfect sense if...[/color] Not wanting to show that she was unable to truly pick up a fortune she turned to her Plan B. Becoming a Soothsayer. Her fertile brain had already hatched up something to say so now she opened her eyes and blinked up at Realta as if she'd just come out of a deep trance.

"I sense a strong power comin' from you, Realta, a power not unlike my own. You will have a long prosperous life... You will live many years, longer than that of any other bird. These years may be filled with happiness so long as you listen to your heart."[/color] There, now that couldn't go wrong. If she was a deity then maybe she'd sense the ambiguousness of her words and if not then she would be extremely flattered. "Did the tellin' please you, my friend?"[/color]

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Tags: Realta, Open
Notes: My muse exploded...
Muse: 7/10
Words: 797

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[Rea]

Realta chuckled as Shadow spoke of her name, and then of the fox's own unusual eyes. Yes, she could see why most might shy away from such an unnerving gaze, but this particular deity held no fear of the darkness. Of course, she still didn’t know what it was about Shadow that made her so special, but the shimmering avian was beginning to formulate her own ideas. The fox was far beyond ordinary, and was clearly powerful despite her relatively normal appearance.

So far, the stranger had said all the right things to gain Realta’s favor. Mentioning her gleaming feathers was a surefire way to keep the avian in good spirits. In truth, she loved it when creatures admired her. She wasn’t prideful, per say, but flattery was always well-received, and she secretly enjoyed having such an effect on those around her. Of course, this unusual appearance made it exceedingly difficult for mortals to treat her as if she was one of them, but Realta didn’t mind terribly. Most knew she meant them only benevolence as a deity, and that was enough for her. Shadow had also used the word ‘friend,’ which pleased her to no end. It took only a few words to solidify her opinion of the strange fox as good, friendly, and definitely one she would ally herself to.

Ahh, so she has tricks of her own, does she? Realta mused as she listened, feeling somewhat relieved. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about this one falling into danger, Shadow both seemed and acted like she was more than capable of protecting herself. She wouldn’t press the matter any further; she now felt certain that the fox was no fool and was truly here for a reason, as Shadow had already stated.

Extending her wing only slightly, she allowed the fox’s paw to touch her feathers. Despite her appearance, she was just as solid as any other creature, and Shadow would now know that. Realta smiled as she listened to the chanting words of her soothsaying, feeling power surge from the fox once more. And what interesting words! Shadow was poetic, and this pleased the avian. After moments of concentration, Realta nodded slowly as Shadow’s prophesy was spoken. She could tell that this being’s power hadn’t worked quite the way she’d wanted it to, but her ability to give a fortune based on her observation alone was impressive.

“It pleased me greatly, little Shadow, and your prophesy rings with truth. You have a way with words… such a talent is rare indeed.” She gave the fox a knowing smile, tilting her head with curiosity. “I confess, I would like to know more about you. Where do you come from, Seer?” Her words were friendly, but something in her tone indicated that the question was more than what she had spoken. She would have liked to ask who and what Shadow truly was, but she decided to hold off. If she wished, the cunning fox would speak. If not, Realta would not pry. All creatures had their secrets, and some would rather keep to themselves. Hopefully Shadow wasn’t too shy about sharing.

[Kangaroo]

Caligo "Shadow" Nox

^ ^ ^

Shadow nearly purred at the answer from the avain but she cut it off just in time. Foxes didn't purr, after all. Besides, why wouldn't the bird be pleased with her words, she put all the flattery in it that she could muster without seeming too patronizing. She was never complimented on how well she spoke though and she was happy that someone had recognized her social skill. "Oh yes yes, I suppose that I hafta have a talent for words or else I wouldn't be a good Seer, would I?" A low chuckle came from her throat before she calmed herself enough to let a cunning smile play across her furry face.

Where did she come from? Truly she didn't know because all she remembered was waking up in Arkidos with the powers of a god and the very vague memory of three cat faces. It was very strange but irrelevant, her life now was the only thing that mattered. Out of this second the only thing that mattered was the bird's question and how she was going to answer it. As always her brain thought up the solution quickly.

"A powerful bird like you'd want to know more about a simple little Seer like myself? You flatter me, friend, but truly there isn't that much to tell."

[/color] She turned to make her way back to the rock which she started on and sat down. Her tail curled neatly around her paws before she began to speak again. "I come from nowhere really. I've wandered the lands for many, many years tellin' fortunes both good and bad to the good-beasts that will listen."[/color]

It seemed as if she was finished speaking until she looked shrewdly at the bird and added, "In fact, I'm probably in many of tales that the mo--ah, many creatures tell. They probably say more about me than is really true. Some animals' imaginations tend to run really wild, y'know."[/color] Here she gave a knowing wink before falling silent. If one wasn't really paying attention they'd think that her slip on the word "many" was just an accidental stutter but it was anything but an accident. Shadow was quite sly with her words and the word she "tripped" over was not many but mortal. Shadow was never outright with what sort of creature she was so hinting and hoping that the other would be intelligent enough to pick up on her ambiguous sentences was as good as she would get.

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Tags: Realta, Open
Notes: ---
Muse: 6/10
Words: 454

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[Rea]

^{The dreams of mortals cry to the heavens. On wings of starlight, she sees.}
Realta
_{The dreams of mortals cry to the heavens. On wings of starlight, she sees.}

A cunning answer indeed. Realta smiled as best a bird might smile before nodding slowly. There was now very little doubt in her mind that this unusual Seer was a deity. Furthermore, she was certain that Shadow knew what the avian was as well. She wondered why the fox might not wish to openly claim her status though; Realta had never been too shy about telling others what she was, but given her unusual appearance she could never fool anyone into thinking she was normal anyway. She simply didn’t understand the desire to remain hidden. However, that was Shadow’s discretion, and she wouldn’t go digging for any more answers.

As for the curious tales Shadow had mentioned, Realta was not entirely surprised. Whatever her domain might be, it was not unusual for mortals to weave tales of deities far beyond the scope of what the deities had truly done in their lives. She herself was subject to such mortal musings, as they often told stories of her visiting them in their dreams. Of course, she had done this on occasion, but not to most who claimed she had. Realta enjoyed watching dreams, yes, but the number of those who claimed she actually spoke with them far exceeded the select few she had actually conversed with. This didn’t anger her though, she found it quite amusing.

“Oh yes, their imaginations are quite colorful my friend.” she said as she looked down to her talons, casually dragging them through the ashes. “But there is no need to be so humble around me. You must be powerful indeed, Shadow.” With a harsh chuckle she looked up again, meeting those bizarre eyes with her own starry gaze. Realta couldn’t know what power this little fox truly possessed, but being certain of her status made her gaze a bit more unnerving. There was more to those eyes than she could see, the avian was sure of it.

Her shining feathers had become slightly ruffled at the thought, and she quickly composed herself. This being was worth learning about, but she wasn’t keen on remaining here any longer than necessary. Besides, there were other matters to attend to, and something in the west felt… strange. Perhaps something was happening. Something… unusual. This feeling had persisted for a few days now, and it was about time to investigate. Well… maybe not before spending some time with mortals first. She was certainly in no hurry, but her curiosity pointed her interests toward Gin-Mizu.

“My dear Shadow, are you certain you’ll be well here? Please, do avoid the fire… he burns, as I'm sure you're aware.” She chuckled, her voice taking on the harsher tones of an eagle. She was referring to Phoenix, of course. Saying this was merely a formality though, as she trusted the fox’s powers to keep her safe. “And, should you ever need anything, anything at all my new little furry friend, I would be more than happy to perch at your side. Everyone could use a deity as an ally, you know.”

She, too, could twist words to her advantage, though not with the skill that Shadow possessed. Realta had been referring to both of them. In part, this statement was meant to reassure the Seer that she meant no ill will, and in part to observe her reaction. The avian bowed her head, laughing softly under her breath. Realta enjoyed nothing more than making new acquaintances, and this one had turned out to be fascinating beyond compare.

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