Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 3.1 Shrad
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 3.1
Shrad The Killing Fields
The Shradian Caravan is on the road and they're making excellent time. They'll be out of the north lands in no time, which means they won't have to worry about any more blizzards... just everything else that the Wild Land has in store.
Despite Spring being well on its way, the northern lands did not acknowledge the change of season until almost Summer, which meant snow still blanketed the lands and the chill air was still more than enough to make most people shiver. Shadow Darkfang, however, was not most people, and he trudged through the snow with impunity, looking for all the world like he was challenging the weather to do its worst, dressed in nothing but a pair of long shorts and wraps for his feet.
He'd challenged the weather once before, several years past in his life's history as he marched alone from Myre to Shrad. He'd survived only because a priest had found him. It was pure luck, he realized since the chances of salvation were almost nil for someone who placed so little faith in the temples. He'd learned to rely on himself and his weapon... nothing else felt as real. Nothing, perhaps, except for his memories. The wolf shook his head.
The winds had died down and the land was quiet and still; there was a break in the weather and the sun was just staring to peek through the clouds. The wolf had no doubt that the snow would return and he would have to be back to the caravan before then, but he was content to be alone with his thoughts in the time between. Tears trailed down the fur on his face, freezing into little crystals before the could reach his whiskers. He wanted them to stop but, as long as his memories traveled with him he realized that they would not.
He crouched beside a large boulder, a landmark of his travels from years before when he was a scared pup fleeing Myre. It was a strange thought to have managed to make it so far and yet to have the itching feeling that things had somehow come full circle. Shadow rested a paw on the rock, letting the sharp bite of the cold stone give him a focus on something outside his own head.
"Hello again." the voice was soft, faint... almost missed beneath the ever-present rush of chill wind blasting in Shadow's ears. Despite the fact that it was so quiet, the voice carried with it an incredible rush of emotion and powerful memories that hit the wolf all at once.
"I know you!" he spoke into the wind.
"And I know you." the voice returned, more powerful this time, but soft... gentle... feminine, "It's been a long time." she said.
"Where... are you?" he asked, slowly turning around, looking for the speaker. Though the voice was familiar, he realized that he had no face to attach to it.
"Here." the voice replied, "...with you."
"Why can't I see you?" he asked, spinning around again, feeling suddenly more apprehensive and, for the first time in years, the feeling of being alone wasn't one of comfort.
"Try to find them and you can't see, no matter how many tries." the voice answered, "Just know that they shall never be until you think to close your eyes."
Even as Shadow's frustration grew, he didn't miss the strange rhyme as the voice spoke it, and he quickly realized that he was being presented a riddle, "I'm no good with riddles... who are you?"
"You can feel and you can hear me; listen 'cause I always speak true. But I'm one thing you'll never see because that means the end of you." the voice riddled anew.
"Just..." Shadow sighed, falling to his knees in the snow, "Talk to me plainly... who are you? Where are you?"
"I am by your side." the voice responded softly, comfortingly, "I have been for some time."
"Why can't I see you?" Shadow asked, turning left, then right.
"You don't know where to look." the voice responded, and he felt a soft caress on his cheek... it felt hauntingly familiar... his mother's paw holding him gently as she wished him goodnight.
"Where do I look?!?" he demanded, the tears starting anew. He began to feel the biting sting of the cold air, and felt even more alone.
"I have been trying to tell you." the voice said, the ethereal presence flowing against him to embrace his body... the feel of his brother folding a warm towel around him after they were forced to take a bath in the cold rain run-off of one of Myrh's public works buildings.
"I... I don't know riddles..." Shadow said softly, fighting back the whimper in his voice; he didn't know why, but he had to have an answer.
There was silence around him for several long seconds, the wind blowing across the land, creating a biting chill, but it was washed away when the voice spoke to him anew, "Dear one, the answer cannot be found by looking above or underneath. You won't find it looking through 'round, but only looking in your--".
It took the wolf only a moment to feel the flow of the rhyme before he realized the missing word. "Queath?" he rhymed, "Wreath?" and paused, resting a paw on the pommel of his sword. He glanced down at it and practically barked, "Sheath!" the wolf drew his sword, and held a paw in front of his face as the runic symbols on the blade blazed with intensity.
"Well done, my dear." the voice seemed to come from the weapon itself, blade vibrating with the tone.
"What?" he asked, at a loss for words, "I don't understand."
"I know." the voice responded.
"What did the other riddles have to do with--"
"Answers for questions on your mind that you haven't thought to ask." the gentle voice explained, "You miss your brother, and those are places you can find him."
Everything slowly began to fit, "Your first riddle... I can find him in my dreams."
"If you're willing to close your eyes, yes." the voice responded softly.
"And the second?" he inquired, pulling the sword closer to his muzzle, gazing at the glowing runes.
"Your heart." the voice did not come from the blade, rather, it was said from the side. He spun, weapon at the ready; he stood in a combat stance, facing a glowing apparition. She was about his height, of a much slighter build than he, but a wolf, much like himself. Her fur was jet-black, but covered with runes reminiscent of the ones on the blade. Her body was sheathed in only a few whispy strands of almost see-through satin, flowing around her as if it were caught in a strong water current.
"Who...?" he asked, unable to ask anything more.
"Every guardian needs a guardian." the wolf responded, smiling gently. She stepped down onto the snow, paws still not-quite touching it as she flowed across its surface, fur waving around her like the cloth wraps.
"That priest didn't find me by accident." Shadow spoke up, "That's where I heard your voice."
"He was guided." she confirmed, reaching out to rest her glowing paw on the side of his muzzle. Despite himself, he closed his eyes, resting his cheek into her touch. Though he knew she was not there he could still somehow feel her. His entire body came alive as she reached down to embrace him. Every sensation he'd ever felt of love, care, attention, affection, and connection met at that one moment. She was a guardian spirit? He didn't think such things existed.
"You have someone looking out for you, Shadow Darkfang..." she said softly. He opened his eyes, and saw amber orbs of pure light gazing lovingly down at him, "you should never feel alone, because you never are."
"I..." he faltered, tears streaming out of his eyes at feelings left within him at her touch, "You... are... are you Tah'aveen?" the sensations streaming through him would have made a believer out of him in a split second if only she were to say 'yes'.
"No, dear one... I am not." she responded, beginning to fade from view.
"Wait!" he called, reaching forward for the withdrawing apparition, "Don't leave!"
Her smile was pure joy, "I won't." and she faded from view, the voice speaking up again from his withdrawn blade, "I am still at your side."
He gazed down at the sword, watching as the runes faded back into darkness. A small crystalline tear fell from the wolf's cheek and he looked to the landmark rock that had brought all of the memories back, "But why me?" he whispered.
"Because..." the voice noted faintly, once again merging with the wind, "you are needed." The sounds within the air continued rising loudly from the sky and it didn't take long before he realized that she had quieted, but something else was just starting; the wolf readied his sword.
Shadow Darkfang quickly back stepped and a swooping Stab-Bill swept through the vacated space. Rapidly changing the direction of his momentum, the wolf nimbly cartwheeled over the creature as it passed by low to the ground, swinging his sword in a wide, double-pawed arc. The bluish lines of his fur glowed visibly as he landed in a crouch; the Stab-Bill spun about in mid-air, its two halves fell cleanly apart. As a second bird let out a shriek and dove down him; it was readily apparent that combat was not yet over.
Spinning at the last moment, Shadow took the bird's attack on the shoulder. The black wolf ducked down as it spread its wings at the end of its swoop and he rose up, driving his sword straight up into its exposed underside. It let out a raspy screech, impaled on his blade, and it collapsed atop him. Shadow extracaded himself from it, panting, but relatively unharmed. Sliding both sides of his weapon against the bird's feathers, he cleaned it off and then returned it to its scabbard. Shadow tore a leg off the bird with his bare claws and casually chewed on it as he returned to the wagons; if what the mysterious woman had said was true then he had better get back.
Returning to the caravan, the wolf was calm, unsurprised by what he found. The wagons were bunched up, numerous laborers gathered beneath them as an enormous swarm of Stab-Bills blotted out the sky. Archers, spear men, and magi were gathered behind cover, launching attacks at the swirling mass of birds even as the swordsmen readied their shields for the newest swooping attacks. "I suppose I'll need you sooner than expected." the wolf said quietly, drawing his sword. He noiselessly made his way down the snowy slope to rejoin the caravan; there was a battle to be won... and, as the spirit had said, he was needed.
* * * * * *
Shadow Darkfang receives the focus of this post, touching on elements of his history and an interesting event that comes to him during some time he spends alone. He returns to the caravan just in time to find it under attack.
Champions of Shrad, since you may end up in combat based on how the votes go I will require a Stance from each of you. Stance is given on a rating of 0-5 where 5 is full offense, 4 is aggressive, 3 is neutral, 2 is conservative, and 1 is reserved, A rating of 0 indicates that the character will NOT be taking part in combat (not even in a support role). Please bear in mind that these ratings will increase your Offense the higher your Stance number and increase your Defense the lower your Stance number (or, in the case of 0, have the character try to avoid combat altogether)-- the opposite sub-trait decreases conversely (Defense goes down if the number is high; Offense goes down if the number is low).
I will also require a Utilization number for those characters that have an 11 or higher in combined Magic + Sub-Trait or Faith + Sub-Trait. Like Stance, Utilization ranges from 0-5. Utilization is a numerical equivalent of how free your contributed character is with their magic and/or prayers-- a charater with a higher Utilization is more inclined to use their abilities often and more powerfully while a character that elects a lower Utilization is less likely to depend on them (Utilization of 0 will result in the character foregoing any such abilities). Bear in mind that the higher the level of Utilization the more likely a character is to suffer from fatigue. Characters with higher Attribute + Sub-Skill totals are able less likely to be affected by fatigue unless they use a higher score of Utilization.
For an example of how to declare Stance and Utilization, please view the actions taken by the Author-Contributed characters below.
Contributing Readers, make sure you make your stance and utilization selections before midnight (pst) on Thursday, July 14th.