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Fire, Rescue; Firemane Speedbond! (er, habit, smallbond)
Topic Started: Jun 5 2018, 11:28 PM (366 Views)
Belial
Member Avatar
Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
The drums had announced the birth of Firemanes in the desert earlier that afternoon, not that many people were expected to show up. Firemanes were not the most sought-after Impress-able species on Teragaia and there was a Very Good Reason for that.

Generally having to do with their universal evil and their nasty tempers and their hunting and eating habits and-

Yes, well. There were actually innumerable Very Good Reasons that people more or less just bunkered down and hid whenever it was announced that some Djinn or other was going into labor and a fresh batch of flaming foals was being born into the world.

But on the off chance anyone felt like attending to the birth, the drums gave the coordinates to a stretch of desert not far flung, where the heat was hot but not too hot -- even a Djinn wanted some comfort to give birth, after all -- and a nearby spring offered drinking water for the rest of the Inferno while their queen...

Well.

In a human it would have been called screaming. Maybe she screamed too. Pushing out seven foals was hard work, though the sounds the Djinn made, the sounds that carried across the desert sands, held aloft by the breeze, sounded like the soul-rending screech of a banshee had come from the roar of a lion all out of the barrel-chest of a very large horse. It was a hellish noise, one that dragged nails over chalkboards and walked over graves. It was ugly.

And in about three hours, it was over, and the wild Djinn had given birth to seven foals. Three of them held her approval. These she licked clean and nosed back to join the Inferno. The other four, on the other hand...

Unacceptable! Weak! Defective!

Tired as she was from the birthing, the Djinn neighed angrily and reared, front hooves coming down hard on her Nightmare and Shade offspring, metallic hooves causing deep gashes in their pelts.

This time, it was the foals' turn to scream, and the four that the Djinn disproved of bolted, squealing at the tops of their tiny lungs for someone, anyone, to come and save them, because it was obvious their mother meant to kill them.

The Inferno watched passively, insensate to the violence. Not a one of them harbored the inclination to step between the charging Djinn and the fleeing foals.

That left...any takers on that drum cadence?


Hi!

I got four critters, to which point it is your job to save them from getting killed. Cuz, well, that's what Djinni do to weaker Firemanes, they kill them. This includes their own offspring.

Any/all characters welcome! I only have four creatures here for the bonding, but if you want to purchase any other Firemanes while we're at it here, I will totally add them to the writing pile!** :D

Point is to save the babies, and as soon as you do and Impress them, form bonds, I'll give them updated descriptions. I wanted to experiment with the idea of a Firemane who was...compelled to loyalty. Figured it'd have to happen from almost birth, so... :3

**EDIT: One-bonding-only offer! Every Firemane rank short of Djinn is 2BP/star instead of 5BP/star! So if you want to purchase a murder horse at just under half off at this bonding, the only one not discounted is a queen (though you could theoretically buy one full-priced, she'd just be a baby and not angry raging mother I imagine XD).
Edited by Belial, Jun 7 2018, 12:42 AM.
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Belial
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Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
The Rescued
Firemane Common Chimera Speckled -- Mildred
Firemane Nightmare Shrike -- Dust
Firemane Shade Honō no Senshi -- Kemori
Firemane Wraith Kite -- Dust




Boxing the Shadows Common Chimera

Comprised of both a Shade and a Wraith, this Chimera will always be a little waif-like in size and shape, and maybe demeanor too. Xir entire time in xir mother’s womb, xe was surrounded with the dark promise of power, glory, strength in a mighty Inferno...only to be rejected as soon as xe was born!

The scars from xir mother’s attack will never fade. Xe'll spend the rest of xir life boxing at shadows, but perhaps not alone. An Inferno can only be as strong as the members that comprise it, after all, which means shadowboxing alone is just a good way to get dead fast. But xe's not really alone anymore, is xe? No, from the day xe was born, xe's had you, Mildred, strong arms promising to protect and a ferocity and will to rival the Djinn that gave this Chimera life. You have become the new Djinn, the foundation of a brand new, much more powerful Inferno, and although Firemanes are hardly known for their loyalty, you've found in this strange, half-broken creature a sense of loyalty so deep and profound that xe xirself doesn't actually understand it. Xe only knows that xe owes you xir life, and that's a debt that can never truly be repaid.

One of xir eyes glows Shade-black to match xir tail and front fetlocks, the other, Wraith-purple to match xir mane and rear fetlocks. Xir coat is an awkward piebald of black cherry and dyed tileblack.

Never Again Nightmare

Every Firemane foal spends the time it develops within its mother’s womb telepathically connected to that mother, being educated on matters of speech, history, general knowledge, ambition, morality… with the general expectation that the mother will not immediately try to murder her offspring as soon as it is born.

This Nightmare did not have that luxury. She is determined never to be a victim again. Even if she has to throw someone else into the path of an oncoming harbinger of death to save her own skin, she will not be a victim again. But this is a concept you're not unfamiliar with, isn't it, Dust? You've been torn apart too, and it's a pretty safe bed you won't let those same people get you twice. However, having Crow nearby to revive you might do you a great deal of good with this little lady around, because her determination to survive can and likely will see you mauled by anything and everything that first tries to hurt *her*, because she'll have even fewer qualms about scraping attention off of herself and onto you once she figures out you're invincible.

Her deep plum-black pelt is lacerated with wounds from the attack, scars that will never heal. Her eyes and flames burn a bright and powerful orange.

How Far Can I Bend? Shade

Shades are supposed to be the most lackadaisical and neglectfully confident of the Firemanes. Most Shades are also at least basically nurtured by their mothers, groomed into the terrors they eventually become in adulthood. This scarred lad was nearly cannibalized. Some of his mother's bites were only narrowly escaped, others...

His scars will last his lifetime. How far can he bend before he breaks? According to the bloodstains on your kimono, Kemori, quite a bit but not much further. Don't expect him to get over his fear of heights, but at the time of his rescue, it was that or face his mother, and his mother was going to cull him after she got through murdering you. Lesser of two fears, flying away to safety. Another bend in his fragile psyche. Most Shades are nonchalant little terrorists but this one is skittish, shy, will often hide behind you or spend hours hunkered down in some clever hiding place to avoid dealing with himself, his memories, or the next big thing that could potentially eat him. Sometimes he will lash out, sometimes he will be a Firemane and he will destroy things, even hurt people, but it will not come from the same place that it should, being what he is. It should come from a place of confidence, not fear. But you know full well what he escaped. You escaped it too.

His pelt and his flames are all black, so black he seems to drink light even as he seems to glow. What bleeds now will eventually stand out as crescents of white scar against the black of his hair.

Never Stop Running Wraith

A Wraith, however fragile-appearing, should be a warrior, but she should have been trained by her mother, not nearly murdered and eaten. Maybe it’s understandable why this scarred little lady will never stop trying to outrun the past.

After all, the moment she startled and her running faltered, her mother tore a chunk out of her haunch. It was a brutal and lasting lesson.

But she's got someone else helping her run now, doesn't she, Dust? It's a rare treat for Firemanes, finding conveyance upon something that manages speeds faster than their own, as they're undeniably the swiftest equines Teragaia (and their originating homeworld of Kassan'ha) has to offer. Don't be surprised when you end up with a passenger on your Sparrow as often as you find her running alongside it. Anything to keep going and exorcise the demons from her mind, outrun the shadows always following in her hoofsteps. The usual ferocity of the species seems to lack in this dainty little lady, but she has you to thank for that, really. You Impressed her the day she was born, saved her from certain death. If she hadn't been slated for execution by her mother, she would have been trained in violence, steeped in it for much longer than simply the duration of her gestation. Conditioned to be a much nastier predator. But her mother turned on her, you saved her, and here you are with a surprisingly docile, surprisingly loyal little beast. Still a carnivore but hardly a sadist. Just like you taught her, teach her, show her that there is a way for her to exist that is not the way her mother exists. You show her there is more than one way to run from the past, and for this she is one thing Firemanes seldom ever are: she is grateful.

Her cherry pelt is rather a lighter shade than most Wraiths, a lovely marbling of black cherry to maraschino, offsetting her violet flames and eyes in a way that would be much prettier and less tragic if she was not also covered in numerous injuries, including a divot over her left haunch where a large chunk of flesh was bitten out. The skin will heal and scar but the muscle will never sit quite right again.
Edited by Belial, Today, 7:37 AM.
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Tidesweep
Shrine Attendant
[ *  *  * ]
Mildred heard the drums and...Promptly ignored them, going back to organizing her gems. They were just drums sounding out...Messages. Or so she had been told by various people. She had yet to understand a single message they had sent out and that was perfectly fine by her. This world wasn't hers and really, haven't they heard of cell phones? Microphones? Even smoke signals would make more sense at this point. That was till Felicity came padding in, head tilted at her bonded, as the Illaro had heard and understood the message perfectly. Or as near to prefect as she could when Akemi was yapping in her ear about what to wear that day. Why are you not going? I figured that something like this would be your calling.

"Going where Felicity?And what are you talking about?" Mildred still wasn't quite used to how some of the companions spoke with their mind. She always had to stop herself form reaching for her stones that safeguarded her mind against intrusion. How else could she answer Felicity's questions? Or assure Akemi that she was just fine and to please stop preening in the one mirror in this entire room so Mildred could at least make sure she didn't have bed head.

To recuse the firemane foals of course! Why- The canine didn't get much further than that before Mildred was up and running out the door and down the stairs. In fact, she had moved so fast that Felicity almost missed it. If it wasn't for the door being left wide open as Mildred rushed down the stairs.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner!" That was all she would managed to say before she busted out of the inn...Fairly lost and having to pause as she didn't know where this was happening or even what a firemane was. She could probably guess, but that was neither here nor there in the end. There were babies to be rescued! Never mind that this was actually a natural part of being a firemane or that it was their own mama doing this to them. Mildred was determined to stop them. Just as soon as she figured out how to get there. "By the tail of a devil, just where am I going?"

Maybe if you had waited, I would have told you it is the desert in-" Felicity sighed as Mildred took off once more. At least she was heading in the right direction this time and the elven canine would just have to trust that the illogical field would help out her bonded. She would join her but...She looked down at paws she had still yet to grow into. She knew that she would be a worry for Mildred and fighting a Djinni over her own foals was going to be a hassle enough. Better not to add to that.

It wasn't long before Mildred found herself in the desert. How, she wasn't too sure. Was she going to question it? Hell no. Was she surprised at the scene before her? Hell yes. While she still didn't know this was the mother, she did know that if that Djinni caught any of them...

She wouldn't let that happen.

Wishing she had thought to bring her larger weapon with her, she rubbed her temple as she tried to decided the best way to deal with this. "Oh by the tail of devil...Let's just do this." And with that, she let out a yell and set a charge course of interception between the Djinni and her foals. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Though, at this point, maybe she should have decided and weighed the risks just a bit more...Oh well.

Not that sand was the easiest thing to run on as she was quickly finding out. It took a lot of effort to even more, not to mention her jacket was hot and stuffy as an oven. Maybe she should have thought this through a little more. Too late as she caught a glint of those hooves. She would just have to hope for the best and if the best wouldn't happen...

She was pretty sure she could deal with a lecture on the fractured rib she was ensure to endure from those hooves when she got back to the weyr and its healers.

(Magical Art: Devil, 715 words)
Edited by Tidesweep, Jun 6 2018, 05:37 AM.
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Raferties
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Lorekeeper
[ *  *  * ]
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Mildred wasn't the only one who found themselves interested in the message of the drums.

And also a bit late to the party, as it was.

Kemori had been in his fox form when the drums had begun, stalking through the Village and taking some advantage of the fact that people kept mistaking him for everything from a Familiar to a Sumine and other Bonded Companions, letting him eavesdrop on conversations and pick up the occasional treat. He had heard that the beating drum rhythms conveyed messages, but as of this point he hadn't learned what exactly they meant.

But for a Kitsune, that was really little bother.

Leaping up from table to awning to windowsill to rooftop, Kemori changed back into his humanoid form and held out his hand, coaxing his Foxfire to spring into being. Peering into it, his gaze went far beyond his current location and as he slowly turned, seeking out the source of the drum's message, he saw the furiously beautiful Firemane Djinn, and her terrified, fleeing foals.

Well, that was hardly fair!

Clenching his fist to extinguish the flame, he leapt from the rooftop and off of the awning to land on the street below, racing towards the edge of the Village and towards the desert. Granted, under normal circumstances and on his own he wouldn't get there nearly in time to be of assistance.

But when one has a Roc Bonded, well, travel became considerably faster! Kogane Jidai, his lovely Golden Empress of a Crowned Eagle, swooped down to collect him just as his legs began to tire and her wings carried them swiftly to the desert. From their aerial vantage point finding the location of the life-or-death conflict was easy, but even Kogane wasn't foolish enough to dry a fly-by snatch of one of the foals. In their newborn state there was just as much likelihood her talons would pierce them or the sheer fear would be their end. They were just babies after all, and already terrified as they ran for their lives. So she dove down to let Kemori tumble into the sand, then rose again to circle high above in case she was needed.

Kemori saw a faintly familiar woman make a mad dash across the sands to try and intercept the mother horse, but he was too far away to assist her directly. He could only hope that she didn't get trampled to death herself.

As for the foals, there he did have an idea of what to do. Gesturing with both hands and speaking in an almost whistling manner of language, he caused a gust of air to form before him. With each gesture it became larger and larger, picking up more and more sand until a rather good-sized cyclone of sand spun at his command. With a gesture he sent it to dart and dance behind the foals, ready to spring in the Djinn's path and try to blind her should she continue the pursuit.
Note: Until further stated, Scarheart, Belial, and Cassandra have standing permission to powerplay Raferties or Anari.
Raferties and his Shinies ~~Anari and her Shinies~~ Keldos and his Shinies~~Cobalt and her Shinies~~Taki and her Shinies~~Kemori and his Shinies
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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
[ *  *  * ]
There was a saying among Guardians, that Hunters above all others were ‘drawn to the lodestone’. No matter what world they walked or what path they stalked, a Hunter could always be trusted to find the epicenter of events as they first began to unfold. Sometimes it was subtle, a knack for hearing precisely the right gossip at precisely the right time. Other times it was far less so, dropping Hunters square into the chaos seconds before the proverbial powder keg ignited.

Whatever else Dust might have been, he was still a Hunter, still inexorably drawn to danger, and that uncanny ability to sniff out adventure had not been dulled by his arrival to Teragaia.

And so it was an on-edge Dust who roared into the desert aboard his Sparrow, a half-understood drumbeat still echoing in his audios.

The Harpers’ message had mentioned Firemanes, a species Dust had heard tell of but had never encountered in person. This, he decided in short order, was quite likely the worst way he could’ve met Firemanes. There was a whole herd of the flaming equids, arrayed in uncomfortable imitation of a firing squad, and at their head stood one larger and somehow more lurid than all its fellows. It was this looming tyrant that turned bloody eyes and bared teeth on four Firemanes smaller than all the rest, and in those eyes burned something as mad as it was horrifying.

Dust moved before he was aware of deciding to do so.

He couldn’t risk gunfire, not with so many presumed innocents in the mix, doubly so when a pair of humanoids rushed in to join the fracas. Instead he tucked his elbows in and fed power to his Sparrow’s engines, rapidly eating up the distance between he and the murderous Djinn. Something that looked uncomfortably like pixels flickered around one hand, finally resolving in the form of a set of high-tech bolos. One swing to gather momentum, another to correct his aim, and off they flew, aimed square for the Djinn’s thundering hooves.
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


Telmaril | Shinies
Legion | Shinies
Dust | Shinies
Astrid | Shinies
Shiny Site
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Belial
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Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
The Wraith foal screeched in pain, her mother's fangs ripping a sizable hole in her rump when the newborn startled at Kemori's whirlwind. It was her first and most valuable lesson in never stop running, because the danger and the fury is always just a step behind, no matter what surprises lie ahead.

Kemori's whirlwind was just a few beats ahead of Mildred, who was running on foot and not a magic swirl of wind and sand.

The Nightmare felt absolutely no remorse about dodging around Mildred and using her as a literal human shield between herself and her mother. Imminent collision was, however, averted when the Djinn was forced to correct course.

Dust's bolo was clever! What the exo was going to learn in this encounter was that Firemanes were fast, smart, and they could change direction faster than most anything he'd come into contact with in all of his travels.

On the one hand, he failed to wrap her hooves up into a tangle of stop. On the other, he succeeded in forcing her to dodge around Mildred without trampling the woman into shredded meat, and a bite aimed at the Shade clacked loudly on empty air as her son scampered free from her onslaught.

And the Chimera barreled into Mildred, skittering around to hide behind her as if xe could be brave if xe just had a little backup. And what was Mildred...oh and Kemori, and Dust... if not backup?

Now the Djinn had a choice to make, however. Four defective offspring to terminate, three interlopers to smash.

The enormous, powerful flaming mare spun on her hooves and re-targeted onto the Shade that had escaped her, dancing around the whirlwind with every intention of outrunning it.

Well, Mildred, you've got one of the foals using you as a shield. Kemori, that whirlwind is not going to make you popular. And Dust! Oh, mama's keeping you in mind for when her priorities shift, don't you worry.

But how to save that little Shade foal from getting himself chomped to bits?
Edited by Belial, Jun 8 2018, 05:50 AM.
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Tidesweep
Shrine Attendant
[ *  *  * ]
Mildred tensed up her body as she skidded to a stop in the soft sand. She had noticed Kemori's whirlwind and while fox spirits weren't high on her list of those to trust, she wasn't gonna say no to any aid. Nor did she expect the Nightmare to do anything but what they did. If she was facing down a murder horse and someone else was stupid enough to get in the way, she would use them as a shield too.

Dust's arrival was very timely as the impact never came. Shooting the exo a grateful smile, she turned around to face the Chimera that took shelter behind her. "Come out. Out of sight and maybe out of mind right?" Bending down quickly, she shouldered the squirming Chimera in a fireman's carry. She was hoping the young horse would let her and not burn her with those flames. She was trying to save them after all, but she wasn't about to be cut to bits by those she was saving as she caught sight of that metallic hoof.

So if the Chimera didn't really fight it, Mildred would be moving towards depositing them by Kemori. Xe whould be safe there. Or at least Kemori was better equipped to handle the mother should she trot on over for a nice...Chat.

Once that was done (for carry or drag, she would be getting that Chimera to Kemori somehow), she herself would trot back into the fray to see if she couldn't drag out another foal. After all, if the targets were gone, maybe the mother would just figure the desert would eat them all and why waste the energy herself?

Maybe.
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Raferties
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Lorekeeper
[ *  *  * ]
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That his whirlwind seemed to have something of an opposite effect made the Kitsune frown in frustration – he'd thought he'd run it with enough distance behind the foals yet in front of their mother to not get tangled up in their path, but with their mad dashing he realized he couldn't try to predict their movements.

But on the other hand, one foal was hidden behind the brave yet reckless woman now, and another had also ducked around behind her after more of less crashing into her.

Okay, two safe tucked around Mildred. The injured one seemed to at the moment not be the target of her mother's ire, though Kemori worked to keep an eye on her.

That just left the present target: the Shade.

Kemori's hands moved, making his whirlwind dance and zig and zag, but he quickly realized that wouldn't do. These fire horses were just too fast and agile, and he couldn't predict their movements in time to do more than react which left him a fraction of a second behind.

"Very well, then. If wind will not suffice, then perhaps this will!" He dismissed his whirlwind and instead dropped to a knee on the sands. His hands began to work two separate magics at once, each moving in their own patterns. One at the right time he thrust wrist-deep into the scorching hot sand, and likewise a sinkhole formed before the mare, trying to foul her steps even if she was agile and strong enough to not fall completely in. The other hand a moment later snapped upwards, and stone rose up like segments of a wall behind the heels of the foal, physical barriers to impede passage.

"I will not kill you," the Kitsune spoke, mostly to himself, "because I understand that this is your way. But I will do what I can to give those foals every chance they can get because how you birthed them is not their fault!"

Okay, maybe not the best thing to insinuate of a raging Djinn. Well, taunts were one of the fox-man's favored strategies, when his magic wasn't quite up to task.

When Gertude managed to get the Firemane foal over to him, however she was able to accomplish it, he would begin the spell for a trick to keep them safe, hopefully and quite literally.

"Stay with me, little one! We'll have this finished soon!"
Note: Until further stated, Scarheart, Belial, and Cassandra have standing permission to powerplay Raferties or Anari.
Raferties and his Shinies ~~Anari and her Shinies~~ Keldos and his Shinies~~Cobalt and her Shinies~~Taki and her Shinies~~Kemori and his Shinies
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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
[ *  *  * ]
Every Guardian spoke at least two languages. Hunters spoke another all their own. Exos ‘spoke’ yet another, communicating nuance and tone through patterns of light produced by their mouth- and throat-lights. All in all Dust spoke four languages- and right now he used every single one of them to curse the Djinn for her speed and agility. He’d hoped to at least slow the mare down, redirect her, refocus her attention, something-

And instead the literal nightmare charged onward, barely daunted and now considerably more angry.

Today just kept getting better and better.

Between the two of them Mildred and Kemori had three of the foals well on their way to safety. That just left the poor Wraith. Bitten, bleeding, and now down a sizable chunk of hide, she was in no shape to try and outrun her tempest of a mother.

With that in mind Dust spun his Sparrow and lined out for the now-fleeing filly. She’d gotten the idea now- run, far and fast, and don’t look back- and he wasn’t about to disabuse her of it. Instead he used the bulk of his Sparrow to body-block the gangling youngster, hoping to steer her towards whatever (perhaps literal) magic Kemori was working without resorting to force.

...and if he just so happened to add some sudden snap-crackling arc energy to Kemori’s quicksand, well, who could blame him?
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


Telmaril | Shinies
Legion | Shinies
Dust | Shinies
Astrid | Shinies
Shiny Site
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Belial
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Archduke
[ *  *  * ]
The Chimera that Mildred began manhandling initially squealed and kicked just a little, some token protest, but nothing quite serious enough to lead Mildred to believe that the foal was actually fighting the idea of being rescued. It was clear, to her at least, that this was pretty much I'm supposed to object, it says so in every description of my species ever, though the foal was also sucking in xir tummy as if that would make xir a lighter load to carry.

It didn't, not really, but Firemanes were born smaller than horses despite most of them growing to be the same size or larger. A Djinn could be anywhere from seven to nine or ten feet tall at the shoulders and accordingly wide but that didn't make birthing an entire litter of foals any less crowded. For a newborn horse, the Chimera Mildred lifted would have been a panic-inducing thirty pounds underweight. As it happened, Mildred was actually successful in lifting the foal instead of getting a little bit squished underneath it as she hauled the pitiful creature away from the drama and the chaos.

Chaos Dust was also trying to herd the Wraith foal away from, towards Kemori and the kitsune's strange magics.

However, and this is where the Nightmare earned a few psychic points in predicting what her mother was probably going to do next with what the saviors were doing and opting to hoof it well off behind Dust this time, using yet another person as a living shield, Kemori was doing Things.

Things that the Djinn...

Well, at least the kitsune had the Inferno's attention now. Mostly because they predicted their queen would react with extreme violence and they wanted to see. Popcorn shrimp, anyone?

The Djinn saw the sinkhole and knew there was no dodging it. That was quite alright with her. She was in something of an airborne fury mood anyway. She leapt over the sinkhole and used the wall pillars Kemori was raising to block her path as springboards, because something had just replaced her son as a priority target.

She'd catch up to her foals. The kitsune was really pissing her off.


Sorry for the delay, been kind of foggy lately. Have a short response! Action! Drama! Angry horses!

normally i'd roll a d8 for the djinn's attack round and targeting but she's smart enough to know who just put that sinkhole there and thaaaaat... unavoidably drew aggro. my one real protip is focus on the babies, not the mother.
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Tidesweep
Shrine Attendant
[ *  *  * ]
Mildred was only mildly concerned when the foal proved lighter than she expected. Despite the underweight feel, the Chimera had been running around just fine...For the most part anyway. So she concluded that xe were healthy. Not that it mattered as there was still one very angry mama horse to outrun or fight as the case may be.

She was about halfway from Kemori when she noticed the mother out of the corner of her eye. Looks like the kitsune's magic was finally pissing off the mother enough to make him the next target. Joyous. She debated going back to help but decided that the Chimera would have plenty of warning to run and maybe Kemori had a trick or two up his sleeve? Who knew.

Deciding that there were other babies out there that needed help too and while mama was distracted, Mildred made a beeline for the closest one. She was gonna attempt to carry that one too, but this time, out of sight instead of just to someone. Out of sight, out of mind right?
"Death has a bone to pick with you and I'm here to help out." -Cain Skelington

"The waves have their own music...Are you listening?" - Tidesweep

"Don't take my silence for agreement. That would be a mistake."- Gertude Weavian

"I will protect what is mine with a will forged like a diamond."- Mildred Fresi

"Healing can take time. Lucky for you, you should having nothing but it for awhile."- Jeremi Kgute
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Raferties
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[ *  *  * ]
Posted Image



Kemori's ears went flat to his head and his expression shifted from one of concentration and planning to one of outright indignity! Ok, that she managed to dodge his sinkhole, that was fair game. She lived in the desert, after all. Maneuvering in the shifting sands would be natural to her.

But then for the Djinn to turn his wonderfully-placed and formed stone barriers like her own personal jumping pads, well! Alright, now he was insulted, and this just became personal! He'd outwit her and that's all there was to it!

And it seemed he'd have ample opportunity as the Djinn rounded on him, seemingly fed up with his antics.

"A little angry are we?" he crooned, amused probably far more than was safe towards his life and limb, but he was a Kitsune! Danger was just the added spice on the adventure! Taking a cue from Mildred, he carefully picked up the Chimera and turned about on his heel. "Well, catch me if you can!" He sprang away to the left – no, to the right – no, he ran straight forward – no, he used some air magic to spring high and back, doubling over the Djinn to go the other direction!

In short, there were now no less than a dozen Kemori's, each with a Chimera in arms, running, weaving, leaping, and darting all over the sands, each one wrapped in a dancing halo of flames like being the center point of an atom. Now, Kemori wasn't foolish enough to believe that fire would actually hurt a firemane much, but his flames – quite real, unlike eleven of his duplicates – were intended to try and thwart a sense of smell, replacing Kitsune and newborn foal with scorching heat and combusting air and magic. He was aware of prints, as well, and some of the images would leave imprints in the sand one step, then not the next, and some would remain airborne, preparing the next spell.

Catch him if you can!
Edited by Raferties, Jun 23 2018, 12:08 AM.
Note: Until further stated, Scarheart, Belial, and Cassandra have standing permission to powerplay Raferties or Anari.
Raferties and his Shinies ~~Anari and her Shinies~~ Keldos and his Shinies~~Cobalt and her Shinies~~Taki and her Shinies~~Kemori and his Shinies
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Telmaril
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The End of Ascalon
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Nope. Not working. Everything Kemori and Dust had thrown at the Djinn so far had only enraged her further, and while redirecting her attention might well save the foals’ lives, it meant almost certain death for any foal who got caught in the crossfire. Mommy Fearest had torn visible chunks out of her progeny whilst merely angry. Now, furious to the point of damn near spitting fire, she wouldn’t stop at mere injuries.

Dust might’ve been a Guardian, almost uncomfortable familiar with death and all its friends, but he wasn’t sure he wanted the grisly murder of a literal newborn on his conscience. Time for plan B!

“Alright, you two,” Dust growled, green optics flicking towards the Wraith and Nightmare using him as a (...somewhat) living shield. “I’m gonna try to get you outta here. You gotta work with me here, okay?”

<<Can they even understand you?>> That from Crow, safely tucked away in slip-space and ‘watching’ through their bond. Dust shot back a wordless blat of thought/feeling, Guardian shorthand for flipping the bird.

<<Does it matter?>> Crow drooped just a smidge- quite a feat, given he didn’t have a body at that very instant. <<That’s what I thought. Get the Dawn in here, we’re gonna need evac soon, and I don’t think that thing’s gonna let us just walk out.>>

<<Right. Hold tight. ETA five minutes.>> This time Dust flared gratitude over their bond, glyphs of sheepish apology underscoring every wavelength.

<<Thanks, bub. See you on the flip side.>>

“Okay. Evac’s on its way. Let’s get movin’, huh?” Dust knelt, scooped the poor trembling Wraith foal up as if he weighed nothing, and maneuvered him up and over the Sparrow’s chassis. The colt came to a rest with forelegs on one side of the speeder’s frame and rear legs on the other, his belly resting against its padded rear seat. Dust repeated the same process with the Nightmare filly, careful not to jostle her injured leg any more than was absolutely necessary.

It took longer than he wanted it to- longer than they could spare, what with momma mare breathing down their necks- but soon enough Dust slotted in behind the foals and gunned the engine. His Sparrow might have groaned under the unaccustomed weight, but it responded gamely, roaring away from the Djinn at a speed that would’ve done Tower mechanic Holliday proud.

Let Kemori keep the momster occupied. That gave Dust and Mildred time to evacuate the civilians.

...assuming any firemane could be a civilian, that is.
It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll
I am the captain of my fate, the master of my soul


Telmaril | Shinies
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Belial
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Archduke
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For those who had never seen a Djinn in combat, this was probably educational in all the worst ways.

It was probably also difficult for anyone who liked Kemori to actually watch, as he was getting horribly murdered on repeat. The Djinn systematically devastated each clone by hoof or by fangs, refusing to let them confuse her.

If there were going to be that many of Kemori, she'd just start from the nearest and work her way through the lot of them until she found the real one. His reserves of power to sustain the clones had to be finite, and after the whirlwind and the sinkhole and the pillars and the special effects...well, that reserve of power had to be even more finite still. She'd find him. She just had to be patient and trust that her well of stamina was deeper than his well of magic. She banked her anger down to a healthy glow instead of a raging wildfire and set to work dancing through the clones almost delicately. Too delicately for a creature her size, as if she was showing off how graceful she was even as a beast who should have been cumbersome and lumbering. Her hooves barely disturbed the sand in the rare moments she touched down between caving in skulls that disappeared upon termination.

The Shade, her lone son, her prior target, used the distraction to his advantage and looped his course around to the opposite direction, to an area his mother had cleared of fake-Kemori so that he could catch his breath. He would grow into more stamina, himself, someday, but bitty newborn was tired! He couldn't figure out how his sisters were still running until he looked over and realized they weren't.

Dust was helping them cheat.

That bastard!

...their brother's indignation aside, the sisters were actually grateful for the ride. They had small legs and small lungs and the Wraith in particular had already been torn into a couple of pieces. Sorry about the blood on your vehicle, Dust! While her sister kept a paranoid eye on their mother and her deadly dance with the clone army, the Wraith laid her head back onto Dust, taking the moment to rest and to give herself over to her savior in this small moment of safety.

BOND! Never Stop Running Wraith to Dust!

Although the Chimera had struggled somewhat as a token gesture at being manhandled by Mildred, the instant she put xir down to go run for xir brother, the Chimera bolted after Mildred again like a dog who didn't want the master to leave for work in the morning.

Hey, wait, don't leave me! Hey, come back!

BOND! Boxing the Shadows Common Chimera to Mildred!


Two bonded off this round! The others are still making up their minds. Interaction is key! Go get!
"Life is not about what you deserve. Life is about free will, life is about what you choose. Afterlife is about what you deserve, and all the Heavens forfend you deserve me." --Belial

"Redemption is a work in progress. I've...got a lot of work left to do." --Shrayla

"Fair winds and good fortune to you, friend." --Khareesh

"I think you have me mistaken for someone penitent, and I don't appreciate it." --Melonwei

"If someone rains on your parade, start dancing in the rain." --Linah

"The rules of the Lord of Poetic Justice are very simple. You do unto others as you would have me do unto you, aye?" -- Aletha Hoarfrost

"War's the candy, I'm just the wrapper, but that doesn't make me ready to die any time soon." --Arieh Harel
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Raferties
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Kemori was quite surprised when he went to pick up the Chimera that the little one squirmed out of his grip and bolted away, back towards Mildred. But that was okay, in a sense. It certainly would be equally a safer option with the Djinn chasing his duplicates. He ducked behind one of his conjured outcroppings for his next trickery spell: making himself invisible, with a twist so that if he picked anything up it too would vanish from sight.

Like the remain foal, the Shade colt.

Gliding along on air to avoid as many tracks as he could he raced towards the colt, even as he flinched silently from watching his duplicates be systematically demolished. But that was their purpose as they reacted as reasonably Kemori himself would, trying to evade or run or hide or throw false-magic in her face. But they were limited, which meant if he was going to make a move, it would be now!

Reaching the foal he whispered a soft "Do not fear, lets get away from this place!" It was all the warning he felt safe in giving as he bundled the Shade up into his arms and the foal vanished from sight as well. Then he did what was probably the first smart thing he'd done all day since arriving in the desert:

Tried to flee the area as fast as his enchanted steps would take him, arcing his path further opposite the Djinn and calling for Kogane Jidai, circling high above, to come give a pick up of her own! Yes, the giant roc suddenly descending might give them away, even if Kemori needing to dispel the invisibility at the last second for her to grab them in her much-safer talons did not, but hopefully they would be far enough away that it would be a small risk.

Or at the very least the appearance of a large bird of prey might dissuade the Firemane queen from further harassment, either way!

((short little one, but there it is! lol!))
Note: Until further stated, Scarheart, Belial, and Cassandra have standing permission to powerplay Raferties or Anari.
Raferties and his Shinies ~~Anari and her Shinies~~ Keldos and his Shinies~~Cobalt and her Shinies~~Taki and her Shinies~~Kemori and his Shinies
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