she slept with wolves without fear; camrynn

[Rhynn]

she slept with wolves without fear

She’d just had to see it for herself.

She’d grown up with stories of Beqanna, tales of it’s many kingdoms, and many interesting horses and creatures. It had fascinated her as a child. It had seemed like such a wondrous and magical place. But now that she’s here it’s … disappointing.

She can see a few mythicals of course (and boring ones at that - just horns and wings), and a few oddly coloured horses. But that’s it. No wild powers, no battles … nothing. Of course, it’s far more exciting than her parents herd. But that’s not saying much.

She sighs loudly and trots off to the outskirts of the meadow, planting herself in the shade of a large old oak tree. She needs to figure out what to do with herself from here. She won’t go back to the herd (no way in hell), but she can’t stay here in the meadow. It’s too boring. She needs more.

Her thoughts drift to the shadow of the oak that she stands in and in her boredom, begins to play with it. She shrinks it at first, then expands it, stretching it to follow the few horses walking by. It darkens and swirls at their feet, but no one notices. People often overlook things that they do not expect to be there. She could do more of course, but for now she is simply content to toy with the shadow, and wait to see if anyone will notice.

for the wolves knew a lion was among them

rhynn

Crappy, but it's my first time posting as her

@[Camrynn]

[Camrynn]

so you wanna play with magic?

Noticing things is Camrynn's specialty.

It's true of the world in general – she has a habit of picking up on history, picking apart the scraps of life lived, the tatters and shapes that every horse carries around with them. She has a habit of picking up on current events, confidential conversations spoiled by eavesdropping or by prying into the memories of all involved. It's a fascinating thing, and one that makes for quite the unfair advantage.

But of all the things she notices, of all the myriad things she chronicles, her favorite are things that can be useful to her.

She has an idea to create a team, a strike team, commandos in service only to her. She can't say what she'd use them for, or even why she wants them, only that she's certain she does. She could recruit almost anyone to her cause, if she wanted to. That's one of the benefits of magic – trick them, brainwash them, threaten them, she can always get her way. But with this little merry crew, that's not what she wants. She wants them to come willingly, to slip into service for their Dark Lady without hesitation.

She hasn’t decided quite what she's going to call herself yet. She'd decided early on that this whole affair was best conducted with her in disguise because, should anything ever go wrong, this cannot be traced back to the Deserts. If it were to fail (which Camrynn does not expect, but preparing for the unexpected is half the battle of success) the Deserts must be protected – which means that Camrynn must never be linked to it. She would be something as yet undefined, something that none of them could ever recognize. There would be no beans to spill – she'd be sure of it. And if they decided not to trust her, then so be it. They could either accept that she is exactly what she tells them and accept all the gifts that come with service to her, or they could decline. She doesn't need them, after all.

But oh, she does want them.

Far away, miles away, she considers Rhynn. The girl had been on her mind for some time, ever since she'd made her way back to Beqanna. She has everything that the black magician is looking for: power of her own, willingness to tamper with the lives of others, and above all a desire to do and be more than she currently is. The mare's mouth quirks up into the smallest of smiles as she watches the shadows lick at the hooves of those who walk past.

In a moment, the other horses disappear from the meadow. Where Rhynn's shadows had wrapped around their hooves, Camrynn fades into existence, starting with eyes the color of the sun and rippling in a matter of moments into a fully formed body. The effect is something like an opacity slider being pulled from max opacity to none.

And as she stands there, fully corporeal at last, she looks absolutely nothing like herself. She is white – pure white, none of this cream or grey nonsense –and seems to glow slightly, although whether the glow is white or clear or gold or black isn't clear. It's as though whenever you go to definitively determine the color, it shifts. There is no trace of the definitive markings that Camrynn would have; even the body type is entirely different. This creature is a powerful, well built warmblood, far more muscular than Camrynn's lithe form. Make no mistake, the Queen Illuminate is beautiful, but there'd be no mistaking her for Camrynn.

Yes, The Queen Illuminate. She's decided.

When she speaks, it is the voice of every horse, and no horse. Pinpointing what it sounds like is like trying to decide what color her glow is. It's simply impossible, by design. "There are always battles, Rhynn, wherever you go. And battles are often accompanied by wild powers. Beqanna is no different." her tone is serious, but she soon quirks her lips upward in an eerily gentle smile. "We just hide our wars and our wild powers a little better than most."

She chuckles then. "I've had an eye on you since you came back. I think you can do great things, Rhynn." She is entirely serious, her radiant sun-eyes on the Falabella. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. What brings you to this land? Why now?"

She waits patiently for a response, wondering if the little mare has already realized that the answer to her question was known long before she'd ever asked it.

CAMRYNN

co-queen of the deserts, magical, mother of badassery

[Rhynn]

she slept with wolves without fear

This is boring.

Her eyes drift as the shadows dance about her, and her lids grow heavy, threatening to close.  She had kind of hoped that someone interesting would spot her antics, but so far no one has taken the bait.

It becomes more and more difficult to keep her eyes open in her cozy little spot under the tree, and she briefly entertains the idea of retiring to a more isolated spot.  But why bother?  She may look small and vulnerable, but if anyone tries to take a pass at her, they will learn quickly how feisty she can be.

She’s almost asleep when a flicker of movement catches her eye.  She jumps up with a start, and is astonished to find the meadow has vanished.  “Wha …?”

A shape appears in the air before her, slowly becoming more and more opaque.  A mare.  A glowing, beautiful, dazzling white mare, with eyes that shine like miniature suns.  She should be terrified really.  But, instead of fear she feels excitement.  This is what she’s been looking for.  This is power.

The mare speaks, and her voice is undefinable.  But it speaks of magic, and mysteries beyond anything Rhynn has ever seen.  “You’ve had your eye on me?”  Her voice is surprised, but inside there’s a touch of pride.  Of course the mare had noticed her.  She’s different, special.  “I …”  She pauses.  What is she here really?  “I’m looking for a little excitement …”  But it’s more than that.   “I want … power.”

for the wolves knew a lion was among them

rhynn

[Camrynn]

so you wanna play with magic?

Don't they all want power? Doesn't even she, who holds close to the maximum amount of power, want even more? Why else is she doing this, collecting power like others collect baseball cards, assembling a stable (har har) of the best of the best, a spear made of horses and shaped for her exclusive use.

And it's precisely because they crave power that they're so easy to manipulate and mold.

She smiles and it's like a sunrise on her lips. The Queen Illuminate indeed. "Excitement." maybe it's a chuckle, and maybe it isn't. Her eyes narrow, in amusement, in judgment, in a little bit of everything. "And power." she lets the silence hang heavy as the meadow presses in all around them. "I can offer both, and you know it." she smiles, but this one is more like a shadow than a sunrise. She is everything contained in one, the alpha and the omega. It's fun, to play both sides.

She's half tempted to offer this girl what she wants right away. She's so clearly hungry for it, she's so clearly crossed continents for it, so clearly would do anything for it. But at the same time, perhaps she hasn't been hungry enough for long enough. Camrynn is an excellent saleswoman, and she understands the need to create urgency before she seals the deal. She needs to create a sense that power is not a right, it's something to be earned, it's something to be guarded and treasured. "But why should I give power to you?" her voice is almost gentle, not at all unkind. There is a warmth in it; the Queen Illuminate is of the sunlight again. "You're not the only one to want it. How would you use it? What would you do?"

Again, she knows everything. She knows the havoc the girl could make, the things she'd do, the way it would warp her and change her and leave her the same. She knows how the girl could fit into her developing plans, the way she could become pawn, rook, castle on the chessboard and sweep across to help with the eventual checkmate. Chess, chess, always chess.

She is silent then, watching the girl, waiting to see what she will say. There will be plenty of time to introduce the caveats, the unwavering obedience, the total secrecy, but somehow she suspects that these will not be so much drawbacks as an addition to the excitement. After all, what's more thrilling than a little bit of cloak and dagger? Secrets are fantastically fun, and nothing is more fantastically fun than a truly fantastic secret.

And oh, the secrets they'll keep, her happy little band of miscreants. They'll be agents of change like none ever seen in Beqanna, a secret society, a shadow band striking with surgical precision to influence change and create ripples that none could imagine. They'll operate outside kingdoms, outside the law, striking wherever necessary, not wherever is morally right. Oh yes, they'll be a glorious thing – and there will never be a dull moment.

CAMRYNN

co-queen of the deserts, magical, mother of badassery

[Rhynn]

she slept with wolves without fear

She wonders what the mare really looks like.

Though she is still young and naive, Rhynn is not foolish enough to believe this is the mare’s true appearance. This, all of this that the mare is showing her, is magic. Has to be magic.

Her mother had described the magicians of Beqanna to her as a young child. Tierney had lived and worked in the Amazons for decades and had come across a few magicians during her time there. She had described the awesome power that they could possess, the great feats they could pull off with the merest thought. This mare could be no one else but a magician.

The mare asks why she should be given power, and her face bursts into a little grin. She answers automatically, “because I will use it,” though there’s more to it than that. “I will hide in the shadows and shape lives and even Beqanna if I can.” She adds as an afterthought - “like you are.” It’s a calculated guess, if a rather safe one. Magicians do not go around offering power to random horses without some sort of meddling in mind.

She falls silent then, her little head cocking to the side as she stares at the mare. Rhynn is not stupid. She knows that this mare can give her everything she wants and more, but that it will come with some sort of price. She doesn’t care about the price of course (she will pay it), but she wonders what it will be. Her firstborn, perhaps? Servitude? Something even more valuable?

for the wolves knew a lion was among them

rhynn

[Camrynn]

so you wanna play with magic?

The girl finishes speaking, and she laughs.

It is a gentle laugh, laughing at rather than with. Clever girl, she thinks. "Yes, like I am." her voice that is a million voices is warm with mirth, and a smile plays on her iridescent lips. "Although I can't say I'm hiding in the shadows." she pauses for a moment. "And I'm absolutely certain that I can – and will – shape both lives and Beqanna." she eyes the girl for just a moment. "And so will you, if you'll accept the terms."

She knew that the girl would, will. She knew it before she ever approached; she had not doubted that Rhynn would be snared. It was written on every shadow that Rhynn had ever touched, scrawled large across the blackness of her small body. She wanted power, wanted – well, everything. And luckily for her, Camrynn happens to have everything to give, and every reason to want to give it.

"It's simple, really." her voice is still many voices knitted together, but with a strange smoothness, like butter or caramel. "You may live wherever you like, do whatever you like, but when I need you, you will come to me and you will do as I ask." she watches the girl intently with eyes that are bright like suns and silver like moons all at once. "You'll always know when I need you, so don't worry about that."

She makes no further promises, no indications of what she may or may not ask for, because there are no restrictions. The gift that she is giving them requires them to give themselves to her fully. She will not accept conditions. She will not accept partial loyalty. She will only accept the fullness of what they have to offer, their lives in limbo, a living testimony to her power. Not that she intends to keep them in limbo – oh no, she is just beginning to draw them together, incipient chaos with the slow beauty of a hangman's noose, tightened with impossible slowness around a neck. They are the head of the spear, and she will be the tie that binds them.

Her own little army. It's a pleasant thought.

Well, to her.

"And in return for your service, you'll receive a gift. Well, technically, two gifts. You'll receive my mark, which will be almost indistinguishable except to your fellows." she pauses without exhaling - "Oh, there are more like you. Not many, and don't worry, not identical. But more like minded individuals who find what I have to offer compelling." she grins then, and it is not lighthearted before. "Our own little family of chaos." A family of lions in a world of lambs. But you know what they say, the family that slays together, stays together.

That is what they say, right?

"And in addition to my mark, you'll receive a new ability to play with. But it'll only last as long as you're loyal." She pauses then, again. "Oh, and if you fail to obey me, fail to answer a summons…well, losing that new ability will be the least of your worries." The Queen Illuminate burns quietly, the sun and the moon and the stars gone supernova against the black machinery of night. "There's only one more condition, but really, it should go without saying. This is secret. Speak of me, or of any tasks I give you, to any horse who does not also bear the mark, and I will know. I always know." and she doesn't doubt that Rhynn is fully aware. She can hear the wheels turning in the girl's head as the knowledge of magic settles in. And good that it does, too: it makes things so much easier when they're able to just understand and accept that they face something as wildly powerful as a magician.

"Well, Rhynn? What's your answer?"

Not that her answer was ever in question.

CAMRYNN

co-queen of the deserts, magical, mother of badassery

[Rhynn]

she slept with wolves without fear

The magician laughs at her probing statements, and Rhynn is gratified to hear that she was correct in her suspicions. “Sounds like fun.” This mare has a game plan, and Rhynn wants to be a part of it.

She speaks of terms and Rhynn falls instantly silent, ears flicked forward at attention. The terms surprisingly simple. The tiny mare almost suspects that the magician is hiding something more, but she knows that there is no reason to. The mare can likely already tell that Rhynn will agree to whatever she asks.

Then the mare begins to speak about what really interests her. A mark, and an ability (she is interested to hear of the others, but they are of little importance at the moment). Of course, both dependent on her obedience and silence, neither of which will not be a problem. “Seems fair.”

Her dark eyes squint the creature, though she gleans little from her observation (the mare is too bright to see much). Then, without further hesitation, she gives her answer. “I accept your proposition.” And her new life as an servant of magic begins - the thought makes her grin. “Now, I have a few questions that I hope won’t be too troublesome. The first of which is, what should I call you?” Not that she believes the magician will give her true name, but Rhynn must have something to call her by. “Second, any recommendations on a place to live?” Though her parents were born here, Rhynn was not, and she has no ties to any Beqannian land. She might as well go where she is most useful to her benefactor. “Third,” and perhaps most importantly, “what is this ability you plan on giving me?” She’s already dying to start playing with it.

for the wolves knew a lion was among them

rhynn

[Camrynn]

so you wanna play with magic?

The girl accepts. Of course she does; Camrynn had known she would even before she approached. She'd known that Rhynn was exactly the kind of creature that wants everything she has to offer (and more). And while to some that kind of ambition is (very rightly) considered untrustworthy, none of that matters to Cam. There's no such thing as untrustworthy when you can peel apart a horse's mind like a banana, reading everything. Sure, a few minds in the world are closed to her, but what's a detail like that in comparison to all of the minds that are laid bare, wide open before her magic?

She accepts, and a small patch of skin behind her left elbow whirls into itself, a nebula swirl of fur. Rhynn would feel a tickle of magic, like a brush of cold air, just ever so slightly shocking. And when it passes, the little whirl of fur will look ever so slightly different than before. This is Camrynn's own version of the dark mark, the thing she'll use to call them all together (or some of them together, depending on her need) whenever she wants them. To most regular horses who don't know what they're looking for it will appear as nothing more than one of the many whorls of fur that every horse has. But to those who do know, it will be obvious that it is so much more.

She listens to Rhynn's questions, letting the girl speak her peace before she starts to answer. the questions are all fair, all completely valid, and she doesn't mind any of them. "You can call me…The Queen Illuminate. At least for now. I might change that later." her wry smile is almost blindingly bright. She knows that Rhynn knows any name she gives is fake, so why even try to pretend? It's a fitting name for what she is, so impossibly bright, and yet so impossibly dark.

"I'd recommend the Valley or the Amazons. Both places could be very interesting for a mare like yourself, although I think the Valley might appreciate your talents a little bit more. You will be equally useful to me in either place." She pauses for a moment. "And if you try one and decide you dislike it, I won't hold it against you should you switch. As I said, you may live wherever you like. You asked my suggestion, and so I am suggesting." her voice-of-many-voices is rich, drawn out, almost playing with the words.

She saves the best answer for last, much as Rhynn had saved the best question for last. As to your ability…" She smiles again. "I know what I'd like to give you, but before I do that...do you have any requests?"

Let it never be said that she is not generous.

CAMRYNN

co-queen of the deserts, magical, mother of badassery

Tins, my dear, can you PM me with a detailed description of what her darkness manip does? In particular, to what extent can she use it for strategic/tactical purposes/as a weapon? Cause I have an idea of a thing, but it depends on your answer to that >_>

[Rhynn]

she slept with wolves without fear

She finds herself wondering what her duties will be. Surveillance? Subterfuge? Hopefully nothing requiring major physical strength … Rhynn might be powerful with her ability, but she’s, well, vertically challenged. She wouldn’t be much of a match for anyone. Though she supposes the magician should be smart enough to recognize this fact. She was smart enough to call on Rhynn after all.

Rhynn snorts quietly when the mare gives herself a name. “The Queen Illuminate? As good as anything I suppose.” If she’d had eyebrows, she would have raised one. It would have been more enlightening if the magician had told Rhynn to call her a squirrel. Clearly the ‘Queen’ is going to keep her identity very tightly under wraps.

But, the Queen’s suggestions for a home are only slightly more illuminating. There must be something important about the Amazons and the Valley to her. But the Amazons … that’s her mother’s old home. She doesn’t particularly have a strong desire to go there. In fact, she’d rather avoid it all together. “I don’t know that I’d do overly well in a group of hormonal woman.” It’d remind her too much of her mother, and they’d likely end up driving her crazy. “The Valley seems like the place for me.” Besides, isn’t the Valley the ‘dark’ mythical kingdom? Seems like a good place to have a little fun!

And then, finally, she gets to the important part. Rhynn isn’t surprised she’s saved it for the end, and her ears perk up when the Queen says that there’s something she’d like to give her. “Well now I want to see what you have in mind. What would you give me?”

for the wolves knew a lion was among them

rhynn

Sorry for the wait!!