"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
His world had changed, or should we say, Beqanna had changed. Change wasn't always good and when his beloved Jungle had fell into oblivion, he had hid. Finding the deepest and darkest crevice he could for him and his pretties, he was all but satisfied to remain dormant as most reptiles do come winter. But he grew hungry and his hunger turned to boredom and well, boredom plus Zed was never a good thing.
Creeping from the borrow he had fashioned so long ago, his face is the first to appear. Golden eyes blink slackly to adjust pupils to the foreign trickle of light. This spot had been chosen for the dank darkness, supplied by the grove of thick foliage overhead. The earth here was fertile and musty with ages of fallen leaf debris. Glancing about, he sees not much has transpired since he took refuge here after the reckoning. The land was perhaps new but it was not his Jungle.
With a forced step, he emerges with a thick coating of moss along his mottled hide. The thick tangle of tail is caked with mud and tree bits. Not at all a sight to beheld. Well, that was easily changed. His nares flared to draw in the scent of a water source nearby. The scent of algae thick upon the western breeze gave him his direction.
At a leisurely stroll, he finds himself glancing about. A rock here, a tree there. It was mundane to say the least. His only satisfaction would come from the pool of murky waters just ahead. His hooves sunk deeper into the muck below him, signaling his close proximity. A smirk crawls across his lips when his eyes finally set upon the reflective surface.
His, surprisingly thick body, slips into the pool now at his hooves. The waters washing over him and years of dirt turn to mud. With another stride, he is almost in the center of the lagoon with water covering his back. Only his head remains visible as he wallows happily. An occasional movement or sound catches his attention, but otherwise he remains at ease.
Here he would become a-new...
07-06-2018, 09:28 AM (This post was last modified: 07-06-2018, 09:29 AM by Astarael.)
Astarael
herald of death
She had grown restless. Winter seemed to have that effect upon her. Snow and ice surrounded her, and the darkness of her coat stood out in stark contrast. Naked trees and stripped underbrush offered very little in means of cover and Astarael felt exposed within its shade. Boldly still she continued on her journey, traveling farther than she had before. Boredom had been a powerful influence. Having had met a few new faces she still longed for her interest to be piqued and held. So far, every face she had stumbled upon had lacked that potential.
Lurking tirelessly within the frozen embrace of the riverside tree line, she followed the pull of her adventurous fear aura. Hungrily is snaked ahead of her, wrapping itself cruelly around any small creature foolish enough to cross its path. Satisfaction filled her as life after life was extinguished with the slightest of squeezes of her consciousness. Now fully matured, her abilities had strengthened in ways she had only dreamed of. Absently she frequently found herself contemplating if the fairies had been aware of the creature they had created when they bestowed their curse upon her. Regardless she had been granted the tools necessary to see that her purpose was secured, that creatures such as Brennen, who place themselves so high above the rest, felt the biting sting of their past mistakes and shortcomings. It was because of him that she had been inspired to travel to the mountain and challenge the will of the fairies – it was because of him that she had transformed into the demoness she had proudly become.
Framing her, the leathery wings upon her back flapped restlessly – aching to feel the soft touch of wind beneath their folds. Flying had been a newly discovered pleasure of hers, a pastime that cut her travel time in half. Atop her head her crown of horns marked her as the unmistakable queen of Sylva – her appearance abnormal compared to the majority of those who roamed Beqanna. One glance upon her frightening posture was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the weak and curiosity within those strengthened by hatred. Sylva had become, hers to protect and she was determined to see its growth. Interested in only those capable of bending the darkness to their purposes belonged there.
Her pace slowed as her ears caught the temptation of another. Rustling movement signaled that she was no longer alone. Freezing perfectly in tune to her, the red glow of her aura jotted suddenly to her right, catching the scent of the stranger immediately. Grinning ominously, she followed its trail, her steps measured and lost to the natural restlessness of the trees. Lingering just within the embrace of her shade she remained strategically placed just outside of the stranger’s sight. Her green gaze narrowed as the stretching of her aura floated above the ice to wrap itself around the bathing stallion’s frame. The roan was completely oblivious to the approach of another as the gently current of the partially frozen lake washed over the grime of his varnished coat. Curiosity peaked her interest as she watched and waited to catch his reaction to her sudden grip of terror. Tickling him in all the right places she imagined the whispering of insecurities that would soon take control of him. Was he hunter or prey? Light or dark? Soon she would know if her appetite for blood would be satisfied or reserved for another.
07-27-2018, 12:17 PM (This post was last modified: 07-27-2018, 12:22 PM by Zed.)
The cool liquid cleanses his soiled pelt. Rinsing the grime from his coat began to transform him into the contrasted ash and smoke hue he had been born. Though now more ashy than his younger years, he is still picturesque.
A slight breeze ripples the surface and still he remains unmoved. Dark occults shift from one bank to the next in boredom and he wonders where his pets have ventured to. Reaching his mind to find theirs, he summons the serpents that call this area home. Come to me, my pretties, his mind whispers.
He has not come to notice his audience hidden in the landscape, nor does he care to seek them out. Let them watch him play. Soon, the reptiles of his calling slither through the forest debris to find their master. Passing the devil beast without a thought, they gather at the shores of the lagoon. Only a few join him within the brackish waters. Crawling over his back and making a nest within the thick dreads of obsidian mane.
That is when something shifts. The creatures about him wrap their bodies tightly around his neck and begin to constrict. His eyes blink with confusion at why they do not obey. With a rise of his head, he gasps for air(though the breath comes easily to his surprise). Shifting himself unsteadily, his mind bids them harder to obey, they continue to not.
In a panic of having lost control, he climbs from his position within the waters. Shaking his crown violently to rid the serpents from their hold(unknowing that they hold nothing). His hooves scrape against the hardened earth and bring him to stand. A heavy snort rattles through his chest and out his nares. On his inhale he catches an unfamiliar scent and twists his head to the direction in which in came. Deep tones call out threateningly, “Show yourself!”
Z E D
-SNAKE KING-
@[astarael] work post but had fun with it lol. In case it's not clear, her fear aura is causing him to think the snakes are choking him, which more so he is afraid he has lost his control over them. XD
Anticipation is almost delicious as she awaits the reaction of her prey. Believing himself to be alone he bathed away the muck that clung to his roan coat revealing himself to be quite easy to gaze upon. The walls of his conciousness had been lowered and she hungrily watched him, her green eyes illuminated by her dark intentions.
Surrounded by nature she feels its sudden activity and movement. A chorus of hisses fill her ears and she watches as all around her serpents emerge from their hiding places. As if drawn by a magnet they flock towards the river, barely giving her a second glance as they swerved around the queenly blockade. Unperturbed by them, Astarael looked upon the wet stallion with heightened expectation. Cocking her head she observed as the snakes greeted him with an unexpected fondness. Just as she had not shied away from them, he smiled victoriously. Just as she thrived within the quiet places of the forest he seemed driven by what made it alive. But, she suspected, there was much more to him than what had initially sparked her curiosity.
For a brief moment she had forgotten about her own serpents that rushed to greet him. Gathered about his hocks the brightly glowing red aura tangled itself around him until it completely enveloped his unexpecting form. Slowly a wicked smile spread across her face and she stepped forward as his hallucination took hold of him.
He was her plaything now.
She wanted him, she realized as she walked openly towards him knowing that he could not see her. Just as she had taken Mortem she knew that she would take this stallion as well. First, however, she knew she would have to reveal the true terror of herself to him. He was a fighter, she noted as he demanded that she allow him a glimpse of herself. Locked in his greatest fear, he stood his ground. Laughing she drew alongside of him, pulling away a few strands of fear to give him the slightest of views of her terribly beautiful self. Smiling she arched her neck, providing the show he had requested. Wings slightly erect her horns glistened a deep maroon as they caught the light.
Hello, sorry to intrude but I simply couldnt resist. She intoned sensually as she wove a tight circle around him. Her body brushed along his in all the right places, her wings reaching to tickle the softest parts of him. Teasing and taunting she tsked the claw of her wing gently against his flesh, pausing at the nape of his neck. You seem to be under a bit of distress, she clicked her tongue ever so slightly as she removed yet more tendrils from him. Offer relief would be the key. I can make it all go away, she whispered into his ear. Quicky as before she backed away from him, giving him a good squeeze with her aura. But where would be the fun in that?
His threatening position does not falter even as she slips from the shadows. A halo of red casts a glow around her body and he looks on in interest. The boney angles of her wings is that of night-sky demons and a crown of weapons protrude from her skull. For a moment he is taken aback by the creature before him, but memories surface of what just transpired and he is quick to snap out of the trans.
Straightening his rigid body, his ears flick forwards to catch her words before falling back against his blackish hide. The temptress nears and suddenly he finds his pets lingering nearer as well. His inner self must be pulling them in tight when she begins to circle him. Venom-laced words spit from his vocals, "What do you want demon?" The serpents at his hooves begin to coil in defense when her clawed fingers rake against his flesh. He has never felt the touch of another and suddenly he finds himself rather enjoying the sensation.
When she speaks again it is first sweet -tempting- and then something presses against his chest. A fear of unknown source that plagues his mind. Anger boils within him and begins pushing against the forces that threaten to consume him. "Get out of my head devil!" He lashes out. Nares flare with a tight arch of his neck. Forehoof strikes out in protest and just as quickly his pets turn their focus to the winged beast. Forked tongues lick the air of her scent. Their beady eyes watching her every movement. Some begin to uncoil and slither towards her. Others -still coiled- strike out with poison laced fangs. An eerie hum of rattles vibrate about the dense forests.
His body turns to face her, eyes now bright with amusement. "Choose your puppets wisely child... I am much older than you." A one-sided smirk twists the edges of his dark lips upwards as he tsks a warning to her. She had potential...
