[open] A gift of Magic; ANY

[Rodrik]

Rodrik flicks his gaze quickly to the once jungle mare. He had not recognized her when he came. In fact, he was distracted about what was at hand right now. Casual greetings and anything of the sorts meant nothing to him. He simply laughs quietly at her, “Prague was it?” he asks for a moment trying to recall their encounter years ago. The red stallion had frequently found himself in the jungle many times. He had been raised there during his childhood. He had seen life and death pass through there more than once. “Yes, I am Rodrik.” A name that was beginning to be passed around again, like a snake it would sneak back into the mouths of others. He wonders what kind of taste it will leave now—last time it had be quite bad. He turns his attention back to the girl. She offers them all a great power, but he wonders if she knows exactly what she is doing. The girl asks for things that do not come easily, things they cannot promise. Prague is the first to offer her service of such. “A warrior like Prague is what you need. She is from a kingdom that was known for the fiercest warriors. She has the skill and knowledge to make you a well-rounded fighter.” In a world that was no longer theirs. This was their new world. He does not find it odd to boost the ego of the sisterhood. His own mother had been queen there and he had always been fond of the women in the jungle. “I have already given you my offer,” he says firmly. It was something he has never been so willingly to give now. Rodrik never gave such an offer before to anyone. “I will do you one favor. The task does not matter. All you will need to do is simply ask me when the time comes.” A devil’s dealing, but Rodrik meant what he said. He would keep his word on this as the exchange was very worth it. “Only one favor.” He reminds her.

Rodrik

angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become devils

character info: here | character reference: here | image © uribaani

[Raeg'n]

-Raeg'n-

Gold eyes surveyed them, wise beyond her years and yet so ignorant. It seemed she was going to have to compromise. She knew she didn't have to, she could simply walk away from them and find others more willing to teach her what she wished to learn. But she could not ignore the heavy burden of this gift from the fairies. She wanted the task complete, and free from hungry eyes that desired nothing but their own power back.

She turned to the Woolf. You will teach me this.. Cosmos. And the fierce and quiet woman spoke and made her leave. Raeg'n was unsure which choice she was supposed to choose, so she left it unsettled for now. She would think on it later.

Her eyes met the red man, Rodrik. Something..secretive -and powerful- seemed to simmer beneath his skin. There was something off, something... unplaceable that tickled at the back of her mind. Anything she wanted, he'd promised. Only call on him when her favor was needed, and he would deliver. No questions asked, no hesitation. Simply done. There might be use for that, after all. Someone to fulfill a great task one day, and he looked as though he could handle whatever it would be.

She didn't say anything to him. Only dove deep into his eyes, as though she could force this memory to stay with him always. Never forget what was due. His magic would cost him one day. Perhaps sooner than he realized. Never forget her.

She closed golden eyes slowly, pulling on the magic that was only borrowed from a fairy. The well of it still felt strong as she wrapped and corded it in her mind, opening her eyes in a cold stare to watch it coil invisibly around the Woolf. She sent another to Rodrik, her future errand boy, then simultaneously tied the ends and let the magic settle over them both. She felt Woolf's melt into him, but Rodrik's frayed and tore before finally settling into him. She frowned, but said nothing. Perhaps it was only a fluke.

Now she would need to find the Prague woman, and fulfill her duty to the fairy. There was only enough magic left within her to repair her last charge, and then once again she would be powerless.
When will you instruct me, Woolf? she asked evenly, dismissing Rodrik with a solemn nod.

^{Image © Wizards of the Coast LLC}

just speeding things along! <33 i'm selfishly tired of seeing it on my to-do list >:]

[woolf]

the wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight
{drunk and driven by the devil's hunger}

He pays no mind to the others, not to what they say, what they offer, what they have to give. He is one track minded, and his cool emerald gaze remains locked on the mare, nodding once when she told him that he would teach her of the cosmos. He would. Woolf was many things, but he was not inherently a liar, unless of some great need. 

If he promised that he would teach her, then he would. 

It happens slowly, and then all at once. The magic pools from her and pours into him, settling amongst his nerves and cells, taking root and flourishing. He closes his eyes and exhales deeply, feeling the gift of it settle once more into his body. When he opens his eyes, they glow fierce and alive. Rodrik and Prague slip from his mind as easily as they arrived, the mulberry stallion completely unaffected by their presence. 

“You ask of knowledge,” his voice booms, echoes, magnifies in his throat as his magic ripples outward and cuts them off from the rest of those who dwelled in the forest. The landscape bleeds away, dissolves, the sky dripping down to reveal their new reality. 

Instead of forest floor, the ground billows upward and outward, replaced by the milky light of constellations. The trees rip away by howling wind, uprooted, until they too are gone and they stand amongst the heavens. The air is thin, even in this mirage, the wind cold. 

Woolf says nothing, his glowing eyes piercing into hers. The world shifts, tips, and replaces with something new, another heaven, another formation of stars that surround them—bright, too bright. The light singes his eyes but he does not blink; he enjoys the way that the pain reminds him of what he has. Again, and again, he shows her the constellations he has traveled, all the hidden places. He shows her where he had kept his family hidden, locked away from wars. He shows her everything. Finally, he takes her to the final resting place, the place where he and Bright had been trapped from overexerting themselves. 

The light from the stars does not reach here; there is nothing but darkness, emptiness, silence. They stay only a few moments, but it is enough to shake his core. He pulls them back roughly to the forest floor, the place they had, in actuality, never left. His eyes return to their normal cool green, but his neck is slick with sweat and his shoulder has split open, his own blood dripping down to splash upon the ground next to his massive hooves. 

For him, magic always had a price. 

“What else will you have me show you?” he says quietly, burning his gaze into hers.

Woolf