| t..Dreamy Portent..t |
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Cradled in the springy moss between two boughs, a lithe draiken form seeks to replenish her energy lost during the day. However, she is not left alone as she had hoped, for the thoughts of another entity intervenes, glad for the advantageious cover of sleep. . . Your days grow short, Ray dear the voice echoed into the slumbering oblivion. "Short, but not over," Ray murmured inaudibly in her dream. She knew the voice did not mean it's statement as a threat, but as a resigned truth. The pulses of strife grow ever stronger. I must intervene, if you are to survive. "What does it matter to you if I live or die?" Ray's expression twisted dreadfully, though she herself could not see it, "If this...obstacle, is so dreadful, then why undertake it yourself?" There is a hesitation, and a soft snicker breaks out in Ray's semi-concious mind, but she knows it is not direted towards her. The dissention is my own, my business is revenge. I do not wish for innocents to be involved. "Who are you?" I've told you before. I am Hina Ray sighed softly in her sleep, "That is what you say every time." Then stop asking And by the emptiness that ensued, Ray knew that the voice had gone. No, not gone, she reminded herself as her glittering pink irises peaked through her lashes to greet the rising sun. Only retreated. . . |
| t..A Time Long Lost..t |
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It was a chilly winter morn, with little Hina newly woken from her sound sleep, one of the last she was to have in her conscious life. The faint, unfamiliar sounds of disarray from outside her cave prickled her ears. Her kyn was in a great disarray, clumped together around. . .what? Her lithe, snowy body darted lightly around bodies, between legs, to reach the inner circle. It was a stranger, for he did not bear any of the clan markings. He lay panting on the ground, eyes glazed with pain and poison. Hina cocked her head curiously, wondering what this may portent, for there was indeed a danger in aiding a fallen stranger. There had been an obvious attempt on his life, and to support him would mean a direct challenge to his unknown enemy. But Hina knew her kyn would probably cure him. Theirs was the most powerful draik group in their area, and every other klan knew it. And yet none could find the true origin of his tribe, though they assumed it must be further south from here, for his fur was short, and the multiple gold trinkets adorning him signaled desert origin. But there was no need to worry in Hina�s mind; by next day he would be healthy and sent on his way, by next week, he would be forgotten. But had anyone been to the Infirmary, they would have seen that the draiks eyes, before dulled with a distant look, was strangely animate, and that he had carefully dumped the antidote given him. Then, one might have figured that he was sent to scout out their territory, and that he had found the one little passage which would bring their downfall. . . A dense, rumbling noise filled the air, mixed with the beating of many wings. Scout sightings had confirmed the preparations for an assault on Hina�s kyn. Everyone knew that there was only one way in and out of Hina�s territory. Only Hina�s kyn knew that there were two; the secret underground passageway that delved beneath the mountains that served as the protection for the kyn�s back. That small passageway served as a refuge for the elderly, the children, and some female draiks deemed too weak to fight. Hina, still wavering between childhood and adulthood, was too scrawny, and so she went with them. Nearly a day had passed, and all of Hina�s group clambered eagerly at the guards for information. They only said that the enemy had tried to attack the front, but had failed so far in their attempts. Now they were at a standby, though the kyn was now sure of an easy victory. But the next sun rose with startling, possibly deadly problem. A third of the enemy had gone, with no evidence of heir possible location. Spies were sent out in secret, but none came back. Early that afternoon, the refugees heard a soft pattering of footsteps echoing in their tunnel. �What�s that?� one of the smaller draclings squeaked. �Naught to worry over,� his mother reassured gruffly. The only reason she had been forced into hiding also was because of her newly born child; otherwise she would have gladly joined the battle herself, �The spies have probably finished scouting behind, and want to take a shortcut instead of having to go around the mountains again.� But the footsteps stopped, and before her young one could say any more, she added, �If not our spies, then it�s probably an extra guard.� �That would mean they�ve gotten through the wall. They only put a guard behind when they might need to use this tunnel as a retreat,� Hina murmured to herself, but the mother draik heard. Hina fell to the floor from the force of her slap. �We never lose, Hina de�Vere.� she snapped, and Hina recognized the voice of her battle instructor, though she didn�t know the draikness had a son. She lay on the floor where she had fallen, eyes not registering what they saw. But her ears, pressed to the earthen floor, were very acute, and she alone of the group heard the scuffling of claws. Groggily she lifted her head, mouth upon but unwilling to invite more cause for defeat. She regretted it a moment later, however, as the mother draik was stricken from behind. For a few seconds, no one could think of why she had fallen, and most of their last thoughts included Hina as the cause for the death. Because she was on the floor, however, Hina was able to slip out, to find a deserted village. Quickly she half flew half ran to the wall, passing more and more bodies as she went. She darted once again amongst the warrior draiks, who were divebombing upon the attackers below. She grabbed the commanding officer, flanks heaving from her escape. �Please, sir, the tunnel.� she said weakly. His eyes snapped down to the small ivory form, and saw only that it was not one of his soldiers. Angrily he threw off her frail grasp, �Yes, the tunnel! Back to it!� He pushed her off the wall, expecting her to glide slowly down. She had not anticipated it, however, for she had not thought of an unwillingness to help. The commander did not see her fall, for his eyes were glued to the blinding light emitting from the tunnel. From forth the fiery entrance came not a draik warrior, but an...Aisha? In his claws was an Orb of strikingly terrible power. All movement slowed as Hina saw the Orb give a slight pulse, a wave of violet springing forward. She had no time to think, no time to anticipate. It was only for an inkling of a second that she felt her insides burn with hatred unmeasured, her spinal chord shiver and snap. . . They were buried in a mass grave, a huge pit dug and the bodies piled on top. Only a thin layer of dirt was thrown over; they did not want to bother with a decent job of it. Had they known what was to occur, however, they might have done so. The night sky was clear, not a star to be seen, for none dared venture out to contest with the full moon's baleful light. The air reeked with blood fresh spilt, and a strange heaviness hung in the air above the cursed grave. Scavengers might have drawn near, but all had quickly left with the oppressive, forboding feel of the area. A slight movement was found near the top of the grave soil. Something that appeared to be a claw surfaced, and stilled. Many moments passed, and when one who might have happened to be watching would have assumed it was a trick of the eye, a paw shot out, lashing at the air with crimson-stained cunningly hooked talons. As if with an effort, the paw was followed by another, and both tore at the blood-soaked soil in order to free the rest of the glowing, white-hot body beneath. Her spine had healed, knit together by the bony hands of Death. Large, wings, miraculously untorn, stretched, as if with long disuse, and deep, glittering coral eyes looked upon the desolation before her with a glazed look, deadened, if you will. She dragged herself from the site, landing exhausted at the place which she had called home. Hina did not want to know what had happened. She did not want to feel the abhorrence which melted her existence. Unfortunately, her turmoil was glued to her; no effort of hers could appease it. And so she reached out to the gods, seeking their help for solace. They granted her the peace of slumber, and so as Hina slowly slipped deeper into infinity, Ray woke up, on the doorstep of one named Maeve Dragon. . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ray first laid eyes upon the Keeper of the Orb years later. The Aisha was not the original, but the daughter, unknowing of her father's deeds. Set in the middle of her golden collar was a strange purple sphere. Ari did not know what happened that day as she sauntered idly beneath the grove of trees, but Ray inscribed the Keeper's face in her mind's eye. She would never forget it again. The sight of that orb had stirred something within Ray, a being which up until that time had been alien to her. Hina was awake once more, and her eyes were set on revenge. . . |
