Post by Wolfy on Aug 28, 2013 21:11:36 GMT -5
This is basically a skeleton version of a full story - written down because it would not leave my mind until I did.
--
He rested, in this dark room, in his true form. The only light came from the soft glow of his blue flame mane and his eyes. A weary sigh escaped him as he padded. They would be here soon, and he would have to disguise himself again. No one could afford the dark now. Not with the way the creatures came from the shadows. The people hated him, his kind, but he felt that was wrong. They had liked them, at one point.
His sharp ears picked up her footsteps, the girl of this group that had liked him, despite his silence. The others distrusted him, his hair and eyes marking him as different. But they didn't know about his kind, other than what he looked like normally. It was a struggle, but he managed to disguise himself as one of them before she opened the door.
She held out a lightbox, the glow brighter and studier than what his mane had filled the room.
"You forgot this," she said to the dark skinned, blue haired, blue eyed man. He nodded, taking it from her. The constant light the people surrounded themselves with was a blessing, for it hid how his eyes and hair still glowed. His disguise wasn't perfect - he felt like it wasn't meant to be.
"We won't be staying long. There's a city in this direction, they say. We need supplies," she informed him. He nodded again. They wouldn't stay long in the city, either. They were too big, with too many dark places. Many people thought there were safety in numbers. This group felt differently.
"Have you remembered anything yet?" the girl asked him. She asked at every stop. This group, they thought he was silent because he had forgotten everything, even his own name. That was better than the truth. He didn't have a name, not yet. And he could not speak. His disguise did not shift his form enough for him to form their language. He shook his head to answer her. She just sighed, then left.
He dropped the disguise again. He only traveled with this group because something tingled in his senses in this direction, and the shadow things attacked lone travelers, light or no. The tingle was stronger - he was restless. He had forgotten somethings of his past. They were ahead, he knew. This waypoint they had reached had ruins. He would explore when they had settled.
He did not know how much time had passed before he registered the noises they made when sleeping. He didn't care. Time stopped having meaning when the world had gone dark. He rose, slipping out of the room and out of the house.
If he had not been so focused on ahead, perhaps he would have noticed the girl - she was a light sleeper, and even his soft noises roused her. It was just a glimpse of his tail as he rounded a corner that she caught, but with his room empty, she feared the worst and followed. He would never know why she had not roused the others, but he would be grateful for that.
He never noticed her following him as he made a beeline to the largest of the ruins. It was a castle, still standing. They would have stayed here, perhaps, but it was too big to light up completely. He didn't care about the shadow things now. Following a hazy memory, the details of this place filling themselves in in his mind, he made his way to a nursery.
It was in this room that he stopped, trembling. He remembered. He remembered his duty, his princess. He was supposed to protect her, and she, in turn, would claim him. That was his purpose, that was where his name was. The infant daughter of the land.
He remembered her father, on the eve of the invasion, telling him that to protect her, he had to stay here. The shadow things, they would follow him to find her. He was visible. When things settled, he would know how to find his princess.
And then, just as she had been placed in the transport, taken to a safe place far away, he remembered the tidal wave of darkness. He could not be with his princess, but he fought to protect her family. His family fought. And they perished. The king was injured, he was injured. The king hid him in the walls, told him he was their only hope to bring back the light.
And in the hidden rooms, in the light, with the fight sounding around him, he had grown ill from his injuries. He supposed someone had found him, someone who did not hate his kind, and healed him. But the loss of his princess, his family, and his home, had injured him in a spot they could not fix.
It was then, after the rush of memories had settled, that he heard the girl. He could not compose himself enough to resume his disguise before she saw him, and slumped, wearily. They would kill him now. He thought he understood why his kind was hated. They had failed them, failed to keep the royal family safe. And he had failed them. Years had been lost, and he had not brought his princess back to restore the light.
He waited for the scream, the weapons. They did not come. He looked up, and noticed her staring at the painting her lightbox had revealed. His ears drooped. His princess and him, both infants, curled up together. His princess had been smiling. That memory rose, clear and perfect, and he treasured it.
"This... is this you?" she asked, confused. He nodded, once. "The princess... We thought it a myth, your kind one of the shadow creatures..." she muttered. He bristled, flame mane burning brighter in outrage.
"Is she alive...? Do you... Can you find her?" she asked, voice intense. He nodded again. He must find his princess. He would. The same way he had found his home. Already, he could feel the tingling in his skin pulling him in a different direction.
"Wait here. I have to get the others. If the princess is not a myth, then she is the key to chasing away the shadows for good," she said, already turning to leave. He just nodded once more, and waited.
The others had not been so quick, but an examination of the castles portraits and the castle's library convinced them. And finally, he could travel in his own skin, for this group avoided others in their travels.
It was the work of months, at his best guess, before they found their way to another abandoned building edging against a lake. The people avoided lakes now, as they avoided many things. But he felt it here, in his bones. They were close. He followed his instincts once again, leading the way to a hidden hatch. THe others followed cautiously, for though the tunnel lit up, it went down, under the water. And the shadow things were known to hide in deep water, even before then world went dark.
Then the tunnel ended, underwater, in a large carrier, the transport in the center. As the people went over to it, examining it with awe, he went to the small, hidden circles tucked behind the artificial grass. Each one he stepped on, he felt a small piece of him being drained away, the circles glowing faintly. And this, too, he knew had to happen. When all of them were glowing, and he was glowing noticeably less, he returned to the people, leading them onto the transport.
"What now, friend?" the girl asked, not noticing how his flames and eyes had paled in the light. He just jumped onto the command deck, onto a larger version of the circles from outside. At his touch, the ship hummed into life, the people scrambling to fasten themselves in. He hardly noticed. He would see his princess soon.
The ship landed in spot prepared for it, in a land of ice and snow. He stumbled, then tried to walk, but collapsed. The fire of his mane and eyes had almost died out. The girl noticed, and raced from the ship. THere was a path through the snow, one that looked to be shoveled often. At the end of the path, secure against the chill, was a snug house. The girl pounded on the door, and was unprepared for the woman who answered.
"I have been waiting... But you are not who I expected..." the woman said in a soft, lilting voice. THe girl pointed wordlessly back at the ship, speechless both from her haste and her shock. The paintings in the castle did not describe the beauty the princess had turned into. The princess brushed past the girl, running gracefully to the ship.
When she arrived, he struggled to his feet. Before he could, she was there, cradling him. A soft whimper escaped him as he borrowed against her. He had found his princess again.
"You have done so well, Mondeleicht... You can rest now..." she whispered, kissing the head of his head gently. He sighed, content, and closed his eyes as the fires finally flickered out. Named, with his princess, he died.
THe princess blinked away tears as his body faded away, then stood. THe others were silent as the girl returned, and the princess said nothing to them as she stepped onto the command deck. Wordlessly, she directed the ship to return. Grief had to wait. As the people's princess - No, she corrected herself, she was their queen now - reclaiming their world was first.
The ship settled back into the hidden harbor, and as the princess led the way out, she stopped. The party was greeted by a dozen little copies of her guardian - the work of the circles that had drained him. A smile flickered over her face. She had hoped the failsafes would work.
"Well now... Let's get to work," she said quietly to her small army.
--
He rested, in this dark room, in his true form. The only light came from the soft glow of his blue flame mane and his eyes. A weary sigh escaped him as he padded. They would be here soon, and he would have to disguise himself again. No one could afford the dark now. Not with the way the creatures came from the shadows. The people hated him, his kind, but he felt that was wrong. They had liked them, at one point.
His sharp ears picked up her footsteps, the girl of this group that had liked him, despite his silence. The others distrusted him, his hair and eyes marking him as different. But they didn't know about his kind, other than what he looked like normally. It was a struggle, but he managed to disguise himself as one of them before she opened the door.
She held out a lightbox, the glow brighter and studier than what his mane had filled the room.
"You forgot this," she said to the dark skinned, blue haired, blue eyed man. He nodded, taking it from her. The constant light the people surrounded themselves with was a blessing, for it hid how his eyes and hair still glowed. His disguise wasn't perfect - he felt like it wasn't meant to be.
"We won't be staying long. There's a city in this direction, they say. We need supplies," she informed him. He nodded again. They wouldn't stay long in the city, either. They were too big, with too many dark places. Many people thought there were safety in numbers. This group felt differently.
"Have you remembered anything yet?" the girl asked him. She asked at every stop. This group, they thought he was silent because he had forgotten everything, even his own name. That was better than the truth. He didn't have a name, not yet. And he could not speak. His disguise did not shift his form enough for him to form their language. He shook his head to answer her. She just sighed, then left.
He dropped the disguise again. He only traveled with this group because something tingled in his senses in this direction, and the shadow things attacked lone travelers, light or no. The tingle was stronger - he was restless. He had forgotten somethings of his past. They were ahead, he knew. This waypoint they had reached had ruins. He would explore when they had settled.
He did not know how much time had passed before he registered the noises they made when sleeping. He didn't care. Time stopped having meaning when the world had gone dark. He rose, slipping out of the room and out of the house.
If he had not been so focused on ahead, perhaps he would have noticed the girl - she was a light sleeper, and even his soft noises roused her. It was just a glimpse of his tail as he rounded a corner that she caught, but with his room empty, she feared the worst and followed. He would never know why she had not roused the others, but he would be grateful for that.
He never noticed her following him as he made a beeline to the largest of the ruins. It was a castle, still standing. They would have stayed here, perhaps, but it was too big to light up completely. He didn't care about the shadow things now. Following a hazy memory, the details of this place filling themselves in in his mind, he made his way to a nursery.
It was in this room that he stopped, trembling. He remembered. He remembered his duty, his princess. He was supposed to protect her, and she, in turn, would claim him. That was his purpose, that was where his name was. The infant daughter of the land.
He remembered her father, on the eve of the invasion, telling him that to protect her, he had to stay here. The shadow things, they would follow him to find her. He was visible. When things settled, he would know how to find his princess.
And then, just as she had been placed in the transport, taken to a safe place far away, he remembered the tidal wave of darkness. He could not be with his princess, but he fought to protect her family. His family fought. And they perished. The king was injured, he was injured. The king hid him in the walls, told him he was their only hope to bring back the light.
And in the hidden rooms, in the light, with the fight sounding around him, he had grown ill from his injuries. He supposed someone had found him, someone who did not hate his kind, and healed him. But the loss of his princess, his family, and his home, had injured him in a spot they could not fix.
It was then, after the rush of memories had settled, that he heard the girl. He could not compose himself enough to resume his disguise before she saw him, and slumped, wearily. They would kill him now. He thought he understood why his kind was hated. They had failed them, failed to keep the royal family safe. And he had failed them. Years had been lost, and he had not brought his princess back to restore the light.
He waited for the scream, the weapons. They did not come. He looked up, and noticed her staring at the painting her lightbox had revealed. His ears drooped. His princess and him, both infants, curled up together. His princess had been smiling. That memory rose, clear and perfect, and he treasured it.
"This... is this you?" she asked, confused. He nodded, once. "The princess... We thought it a myth, your kind one of the shadow creatures..." she muttered. He bristled, flame mane burning brighter in outrage.
"Is she alive...? Do you... Can you find her?" she asked, voice intense. He nodded again. He must find his princess. He would. The same way he had found his home. Already, he could feel the tingling in his skin pulling him in a different direction.
"Wait here. I have to get the others. If the princess is not a myth, then she is the key to chasing away the shadows for good," she said, already turning to leave. He just nodded once more, and waited.
The others had not been so quick, but an examination of the castles portraits and the castle's library convinced them. And finally, he could travel in his own skin, for this group avoided others in their travels.
It was the work of months, at his best guess, before they found their way to another abandoned building edging against a lake. The people avoided lakes now, as they avoided many things. But he felt it here, in his bones. They were close. He followed his instincts once again, leading the way to a hidden hatch. THe others followed cautiously, for though the tunnel lit up, it went down, under the water. And the shadow things were known to hide in deep water, even before then world went dark.
Then the tunnel ended, underwater, in a large carrier, the transport in the center. As the people went over to it, examining it with awe, he went to the small, hidden circles tucked behind the artificial grass. Each one he stepped on, he felt a small piece of him being drained away, the circles glowing faintly. And this, too, he knew had to happen. When all of them were glowing, and he was glowing noticeably less, he returned to the people, leading them onto the transport.
"What now, friend?" the girl asked, not noticing how his flames and eyes had paled in the light. He just jumped onto the command deck, onto a larger version of the circles from outside. At his touch, the ship hummed into life, the people scrambling to fasten themselves in. He hardly noticed. He would see his princess soon.
The ship landed in spot prepared for it, in a land of ice and snow. He stumbled, then tried to walk, but collapsed. The fire of his mane and eyes had almost died out. The girl noticed, and raced from the ship. THere was a path through the snow, one that looked to be shoveled often. At the end of the path, secure against the chill, was a snug house. The girl pounded on the door, and was unprepared for the woman who answered.
"I have been waiting... But you are not who I expected..." the woman said in a soft, lilting voice. THe girl pointed wordlessly back at the ship, speechless both from her haste and her shock. The paintings in the castle did not describe the beauty the princess had turned into. The princess brushed past the girl, running gracefully to the ship.
When she arrived, he struggled to his feet. Before he could, she was there, cradling him. A soft whimper escaped him as he borrowed against her. He had found his princess again.
"You have done so well, Mondeleicht... You can rest now..." she whispered, kissing the head of his head gently. He sighed, content, and closed his eyes as the fires finally flickered out. Named, with his princess, he died.
THe princess blinked away tears as his body faded away, then stood. THe others were silent as the girl returned, and the princess said nothing to them as she stepped onto the command deck. Wordlessly, she directed the ship to return. Grief had to wait. As the people's princess - No, she corrected herself, she was their queen now - reclaiming their world was first.
The ship settled back into the hidden harbor, and as the princess led the way out, she stopped. The party was greeted by a dozen little copies of her guardian - the work of the circles that had drained him. A smile flickered over her face. She had hoped the failsafes would work.
"Well now... Let's get to work," she said quietly to her small army.