The Outsider walks among us
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Post by + ebonite + on Jun 22, 2023 17:28:39 GMT -7
vojorn The days had blurred together. She did not know how long she had been gone. She clearly remembered the day that she'd been taken ( Avitas! she remembered herself screaming). But after that, it was pain and suffering. She'd once bragged that after the gladiator tournament, nothing else could phase her. Any wounds she took would pale in comparison. And she supposed that was still true. What she'd suffered had not been from a fight. Vojorn could not remember the mare's face. The only thing that remained in her memory were her eyes - violet and gleeful. She'd covered herself with mud. The only way Vojorn could tell was because of the smell. She'd been very careful in concealing her identity. However, there were still two things she could not erase - her eyes and her voice. Vojorn would remember them for the rest of her life. Her footsteps were as steady as she could manage as she traversed the Neutral Kingdom, toward home. Home. It had been so long that she'd tried to make the place she'd been captive in her home instead. Tried to make it familiar and give it some semblance of safety, of warmth. It was her mind's desperate way of making light of the situation she'd found herself it. She had to survive it somehow. So give it a fondness. Attach something positive. The alternative... there could be no alternative. She would survive this way as long as she had to. She was alive thus far. There had to be value in keeping her alive. In keeping them all alive. She had no idea how they'd been ambushed the way they had. Even with a hostage, they should have been able to fight them off. They had been mistaken. All four of them. The raid at Eacarrah, the last full memory that she had. But somehow they had gotten out. No, not somehow. Someone. Multiple someones. Vojorn could not clearly remember how it had happened. She did not even remember the names of them. Even cured of the cambion disease, she still had difficulty with her memory. The toll it had taken on her body and mind could not be cured. It would only take time. And so she walked. Back to her home. Back to the herd she had left. How long had she been gone again? It must have been months. Could have been years for all she knew. They would be worried. What had they done in her absence? What about Avinash and Orel? The slightest smile touched her lips at the thought of the Neutral Royals. They, at least, were a happy memory. They'd held a party for her, hadn't they? The Kingdom needs more parties.When she reached the border she thought she would collapse outright, but she continued on, moving past the tree that held the medallion. She was vaguely aware of the others following her lead, the captives and the rescuers. Her heroes. They needed to be celebrated. She reached the main clearing, her mind still in a fog, and let out a call. It was wordless, but she didn't need to speak. Her voice alone should bring the herd. It should.timeline many months after the raid on eacarrah tag ➳ T e c h n o ➳ Indi fleabittengray Pippin ❅ Icy Dragon ✩ anyone in dark woods that wants to join notes my first post in almost 3 months, excuse the rust. basic gist is avitas tailed his mom to the eacarrah raid and yvette held him hostage on the way back. vojorn, vrakali, and reth were all captured trying to save him. during these months, they were all dosed with the cambion disease and healed by a nephilim (alveus, formerly played by me and an npc for now) repeatedly. they were eventually rescued by techno's vanth, her daughter with radovan, and others (npcs or otherwise).
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Post by fleabittengray on Jun 29, 2023 2:56:03 GMT -7
Had anyone else noticed that there were members of Dark Wood missing? Vojorn, most important, one could say. Decay had no clue what had happened, causing him to thoroughly regret being such a solitary beast. He had promised to help the Neutral Kingdom and yet those in the herd he was sworn to protect were missing. Even Leviticus had yet to be found! And she was so young, so naive. But Decay knew her family had all warned her, all of her life, of the dangers that lurked beyond the borders. These were things that kept him up at night, even with the insomnia that already plagued him. He felt like a failure. He may have been able to track down Hound and help Avinash and the Kingdom that way - but how could he fail to help his own herd mates? How could he fail to protect them? He was supposed to be their general. Someone they could trust. Someone that could defend them, someone that they could rely on. Instead... he was nothing. He was grinding his teeth as he walked, pacing the border as he tended to do more and more these days. He was exhausted but could not stop moving, refused to stop moving. He had to keep the rest of the herd safe, somehow. He couldn't let them keep getting picked off one by one. He refused to allow anymore to disappear. Not one his watch. Not while he was their general. Decay needed to continuously prove himself, or else he had no point of living here. He had managed to gain the trust of Reth, of Avinash, perhaps of Vojorn, too, but he had failed them. He'd failed them all. Should he just leave Dark Woods and never return? Embrace his failures? He gulped, swallowing down a lump that had formed in his throat, and that was when he heard her. The call. It was nearby enough that he could reach her in minutes, seconds even. Vojorn?! There was panic in his thoughts. He could hear the strain in her wordless summons. The pain. Immediately, the silver dapple brute was launching himself forward. Fuck his exhaustion, he needed to get to her. He shoved his way through trees and underbrush, eyes wild, and when he made it to the edge of the clearly he came to a clumsy, sliding stop. Gods, what happened? he thought, widened eyes observing the scene before him. He was not good at being social, he was not good at offering help, he wasn't very good at anything. But he had to do something. There was a beat of silence, filled only by his soft panting as he stared at Vojorn with widened, shocked eyes. "What do you need me to do?" he finally asked, voice gruff, but there was an almost... tenderness to them, too, that was uncommon for the scarred behemoth. "How can I help?" Decay was no healer. He'd always been a killer. But he had sworn to protect Dark Woods and its inhabitants... and that was exactly what he was going to do, one way or another. [Tagged: + ebonite + ] [Words: 520] [Character: Decay] [Notes: He's so awkward but he's TRYING cuz he's WORRIED D:] [Timeline: 8 years 9 months, late spring, mid-day?, after war is declared] "Speech"
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The Outsider walks among us
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Post by + ebonite + on Jul 14, 2023 19:08:34 GMT -7
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Post by Indi on Jul 19, 2023 16:25:21 GMT -7
Pacing, Chantelle reflected, seemed to be well on its way to becoming the herd pastime in Dark Woods. From where she was standing, quietly conversing with Amberlynn, she was pretty sure she could have identified quite a few individuals taking up their time with pacing. Their general, Decay. Sorilea, who had been left behind when her grandmother and father headed out for yet another day of searching for the twins. Young Ikelos, who had been left behind under Karina and Kaelea's watchful eyes when Karissa went out to help search for those who were missing from the herd. Leifr was not quite pacing, but even from here she could detect the restless movements, despite trying to patiently keep his mother company. On the other hand, Tisiphone, who was adding remarks now and then to the conversation with Amberlynn, was not pacing... but there was an anxious edge to her movements.
Considering how many members of Dark Woods were missing... Chantelle could not blame Tisiphone in the slightest bit for feeling anxious. If she thought about it too much, the blind damsel could not deny feeling tremendously uneasy herself. And she could only imagine just how awful this must be for all those who were kin to the missing equines. And the fact that Vojorn and members of her family had gone missing too?
Chantelle realized she had lost track of the conversation with her friends... but knew that neither Amber nor Tisiphone were really any more invested than she honestly was. Not when so many worries flooded their minds.
Before she could try to pick up the threads of conversation once more, if only for the sake of her dear friends, something captured her attention. Too far away to precisely pinpoint what it was that had caught her attention, invisible brows furrowed. It felt... important, even if she could not identify it. Or why. At least, not until a wordless call filled the air. Already having unconsciously positioned herself in the direction from which the call came, she hurried forward, deftly navigating despite the obstacles. She was aware of others following; the youthful strides of her peers, the bouncy steps of Ikelos, the distinctive limping stride of Karina. All converging upon the source of the call. Their leader, Vojorn, was home at last.
Chantelle heard Decay's voice well before any of the others could see him. Or the state of those who had returned to them. But she could hear soft sounds of surprise, movements and sounds indicating concern. And then Sorilea's voice, querying, 'Should I get Vigilum help?' Though Chantelle had heard more about the group's efforts as peacekeepers -- if she remembered correctly, Kaelea had once mentioned that a Vigilum mare had intervened when Decay had been stolen during the war between the Helkaer and the Neutral Kingdom -- many beyond her acquaintances spoke more predominately of their skills as healers. It was an offer that made sense, though she doubted Sorilea's family would be particularly happy with the idea of her out there running an errand alone. Even if it was an important errand.
Perhaps he was thinking along the same lines, because Leifr added, 'I could go along too.' POV;; Chantelle Characters;; Amberlynn & Sorilea & Ikelos & Karina & Kaelea & Leifr & Lily & Tisiphone Tagged;;+ ebonite + w/Vojorn & others fleabittengray w/Decay Notes;; The rest of my DW characters are out searching for any/all missing herd members
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Post by + ebonite + on Jul 24, 2023 19:12:36 GMT -7
vojorn She was sure they made quite a sight. The four of them were all haggard and exhausted, filthy and bloody, their hair a tangled mess. Vojorn could barely look at their group. The look in their eyes... it was too painful. Avitas was an adult now, he'd had his second birthday as a captive. His eyes stared straight ahead, as if he wasn't processing anything. Vrakali flinched at every little sound, her pink gaze wide and fearful, as if any moment their captors would jump out of the trees and grab them again. Reth's eyes were chips of flint, hard and unfeeling, a mask to hide the turmoil inside. And Vojorn... she couldn't say what her expression was. Full of grief and rage, perhaps? She supposed she'd find out when the herd came to her summons. She'd see the looks in their own eyes once they saw the four who had returned. The thought sent painful pangs in her eyes, threatening to fill them with tears before anyone even arrived. She bit her tongue angrily to keep them away. She had to show that she was still strong, despite everything. She still had fight left in her. The first to arrive was Decay, his expression panicked and angry. 'What do you need me to do?' he asked her, his voice gruff as usual. The familiarity of it almost brought tears to her eyes again. Some things had stayed the same, after all. 'How can I help?' he asked again. Vojorn wasn't sure how to answer his question. What could he do? What would help? Going back in time... stopping it from ever happening. That was the only solution that came to mind. But that was impossible. They couldn't take it back. There was no going back. The time was lost. The horrors were lived. "Is the herd safe?" she managed to ask him after a few heartbeats. Her voice sounded as gruff as his own, both from lack of use and misuse. Had anything happened while they'd been gone? The borders seemed secure and there were no signs of any violent attacks that she could see from here. Hopefully that meant that everything was still okay. Even if the four of them weren't, at least her herd was still safe. Then, before she could fully process it, there were other herd members trickling into the gathering. Familiar faces swam before her, faces that made her smile and then made her want to cry. 'Should I get Vigilum help?' Sorilea asked and then Leifr piped up, 'I could go along too.' The idea of her herd members leaving made Vojorn want to scream that it was too dangerous for anyone to leave, but she managed to stop herself in time. She was just being irrational. Right? Horses traveled around all of the time and they had not been taken. Hell, she'd traveled a ton, especially in her youth, and she hadn't been taken. But even with those thoughts in mind, the idea of any of her herd members leaving right now made her want to panic. She couldn't handle knowing that they were out there. What if their captors were laying in wait to grab someone else leaving the herd or leaving the Neutral Kingdom? She couldn't risk it. "No. Not right now," she said firmly, "I want to make sure everyone is safe first." Perhaps if she could account for everyone, it would put the anxiety at ease. Perhaps. timeline many months after the raid on eacarrah tag ➳ T e c h n o ➳ Indi fleabittengray Pippin ❅ Icy Dragon ✩ anyone in dark woods that wants to join notes shh definitely not 3 days late shhhhhh
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Post by fleabittengray on Oct 20, 2023 11:03:01 GMT -7
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Post by + ebonite + on Oct 20, 2023 18:07:19 GMT -7
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Post by fleabittengray on Dec 8, 2023 5:53:01 GMT -7
Decay When you're aching for the fire and begging for your sin When there's nothing left inside, there's still a reason to fight They looked awful. Absolutely terrible. Dirty and roughened by what he could only assume was abuse and trauma, Decay could feel his blood beginning to boil. Who had dared to do this?! His eyes, dark and burning with rage, flickered across the returned herd members. They settled on Reth for a moment, and for that moment, that millisecond in time, he felt... something. He wanted to comfort her, all of them, but Reth specifically in that moment. It unsettled him. Mainly because he did not know how to be comforting. He did not know how to do anything other than fight. To kill. He would not allow this to go away. He would destroy whoever had hurt his herd members, his... his friends. All of these thoughts processed in the blink of an eye, and then his eyes returned to Vojorn as he heard others approaching. His ears turned back to listen to their approach, inhaling deeply the familiar scents of yet more herd members. "Is the herd safe?" Vojorn asked the question, her voice sounding so very different from what he was used to. The scarred hellion snorted softly, head lifting slightly to look upon her.
"Everyone who is here is safe." He meant for it to be comforting, as much as he could, but again - Decay was not good at the whole "comfort" thing. 'Should I get Vigilum help?' The voice of another herd member spoke up. Decay thought it would be a good idea, going to the Vigilum. Was that not the point of them? 'I could go along too.' Leifr was offering to go as well. Two was better than one, he figured, that way if something happened... They had a better chance at survival.
But Vojorn did not seem so keen on sending a message to the Vigilum. "No. Not right now," Decay's lips curled into a grimace. "I want to make sure everyone is safe first." A front hoof stomped slightly, his ears twitching, tail snapping against his flank. "We still have to take care of you all! You have to be safe, too." His tone was aggressive, in a way, but not hostile. He meant his friends no harm, not at all, not ever - he just was struggling to keep his rage in check. "Kaelea might have some healing skills, or maybe Fan or Rascal... But, hell, Vojorn, you guys need to be seen by someone who knows what they're doing!" Caring for others felt strange. He was still not used to it.
"speech" Decay / + ebonite + Indi / 420 (blaze it) Sorry for the wait! <3 8 years 9 months, late spring, mid-day?, after war is declared Horse stock by BlueBird-Stock Background by Lakela
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Post by fleabittengray on Feb 15, 2024 6:02:24 GMT -7
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Post by Indi on Feb 19, 2024 10:23:06 GMT -7
Karina took in the tableau, the state of their returned leader and her family, as well as the reactions painted across the faces of those who had arrived on the scene with her. In an instant, she leaned down to whisper quiet instructions to Ikelos and though the little boy cast her a confused look, he nodded. Obediently, he slowly approached Saturn, who had arrived sandwiched between Amberlynn and Tisiphone. After making certain he would not startle the black Thoroughbred, he tucked himself against her flank, capturing her full attention to the very best of his winsome ability. Satisfied that the inky mare was sufficiently distracted from what was going on before them, Karina limped closer as words passed between Decay and Vojorn. Clearly the unfortunate group had suffered; no doubt even Chantelle could have told that much simply from the sound of Vojorn's voice. What precisely had happened? No answers were yet forthcoming, Vojorn instead seeking reassurance that the herd was safe. Which, fortunately, they were... more or less. At least, things had not changed from what they had been before Vojorn and the others had vanished. Kylee, Lissette, Garrick, and Leviticus were all still missing, as they had before whatever had happened to Vojorn and her family.
"Everyone who is here is safe," Decay was telling Vojorn. Perhaps not as much an assurance as could be desired, given the anxiety reflected in the query Vojorn had uttered regarding the herd's well being. However, considering the circumstances, it was unfortunately as close to reassurance as could be offered.
Sorilea's offer to fetch the Vigilum, as well as Leifr's offer to accompany her had merit... but it did not surprise Karina when Vojorn answered firmly, "No. Not right now. I want to make sure everyone is safe first."
The young Draft's maw opened, clearly ready to argue the point, but Decay spoke first, "We still have to take care of you all! You have to be safe, too." His tone was aggressive, but Karina understood the worry underlying it all. Even if she did glance to make sure that Saturn was still distracted by Ikelos. Before returning her gaze to Vojorn and the others, she noted briefly that Chantelle had positioned herself with Leifr and Lily, likely anticipating the possibility that Leifr might still end up heading out with Sorilea for help.
"Kaelea might have some healing skills, or maybe Fan or Rascal... But, hell, Vojorn, you guys need to be seen by someone who knows what they're doing!" Decay was still addressing Vojorn and Karina could see her daughter's eyes widen a little at the potential responsibility that might land on her.
In fact, so startled was Kaelea, that she couldn't help blurting, 'I... helped a little when Crow was recovering... but... following instructions and helping keep someone comfortable is very different from having actual healing skills...' POV;; Karina Characters;; Amberlynn & Sorilea & Ikelos & Saturn & Chantelle & Kaelea & Leifr & Lily & Tisiphone Tagged;;+ ebonite + w/Vojorn & others fleabittengray w/Decay Notes;; Sorry for the wait!
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Post by + ebonite + on Mar 29, 2024 19:37:25 GMT -7
vojorn Now that she had made it back and was surrounded by familiar faces, Vojorn could feel the exhaustion settling in. Her adrenaline was finally wearing off and the full weight of what she'd done in the last 24 hours was crashing down on her all at once. Her muscles ached. Her head was foggy. She was so tired that it hurt. The others were likely the same way. She wanted nothing more than to crawl somewhere and sleep, but first she had to address Decay's concerns along with anyone else. She had called the herd after all. It would be rude to dismiss them now. She would give this one last effort and then they would all rest, knowing that the herd could guard them. She would have to ask for that much. 'Everyone who is here is safe,' Decay's gruff voice came and Vojorn nodded, feeling just a little more relieved. The herd was safe. That was what she needed to hear. Everything else could wait for now. She couldn't take on anything else. 'We still have to take care of you all! You have to be safe, too,' Decay's voice was angry, aggressive even. Had Vojorn not been so exhausted she might have scolded him for taking such a tone with her. But again, his aggression came from worry. Vojorn had learned that from Reth. Her mother was closer to Decay and understood him more than Vojorn did. Even now, Reth was giving Decay the slighest of smiles, a ghost of her former self, but still there, beneath the surface. So, Vojorn held her tongue on anything rash that she might have said. 'Kaelea might have some healing skills, or maybe Fan or Rascal... But, hell, Vojorn, you guys need to be seen by someone who knows what they're doing!' he said to her again and she shook her head. She had healing skills of her own, as did most of her family. She knew the basics of herbs, which would have helped if any of them had been injured, but they were relatively unscathed as far as that went. Mentally and emotionally was a different story. But that could wait until after they had gotten some rest. "I understand your concern, Decay, but please understand that I do not want anyone to leave right now," she said to him, her voice still rough from lack of use, but getting stronger, sounding more like she used to. "The four of us need rest more than anything. Tomorrow we can get help from the Vigilum," she said. She wanted to smile, to reassure them that everything was fine, but she was so tired that she could not remember how to make the muscles work. It had been so long since she'd smiled. 'I... helped a little when Crow was recovering... but... following instructions and helping keep someone comfortable is very different from having actual healing skills...' Kaelea said, sounding incredibly nervous at the prospect. Vojorn shook her head again. "There is no need. We will rest now," she said, sweeping her gaze among those who had gathered, "all I ask of you all is that you guard us while we rest. We will get through this." Her throat felt dry and the words felt hollow, but she had to say it outloud. With that said, Vojorn made her way to the clearing, the three others following closely behind her. Avitas passed out almost instantly while Vrakali paced a little beside him, her eyes still wide. Reth looked like she was ready to guard the three of them instead of sleeping herself and Vojorn wanted to scold her, but found that she was - selfishly - too tired to do so. If Reth wanted to guard them instead of sleeping, that was her decision. Vojorn's body was making her decision for her. Sleep.timeline many months after the raid on eacarrah tag indi and fleabittengraynotes probably can get one more reply from each of you and we can call this done <3
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Post by fleabittengray on Apr 15, 2024 3:11:27 GMT -7
Decay When you're aching for the fire and begging for your sin When there's nothing left inside, there's still a reason to fight His own adrenaline was racing now, his eyes continuing to scan the returning herd members. Why did so many from Dark Woods end up going missing? There were still members missing from the herd that needed to be found! Decay felt like a failure. He was meant to keep the herd safe and yet - there were those he had not helped. Even the smallest of smiles from Reth could not calm the rush of adrenaline and emotions he felt. In fact, to see her like this, so unlike her former self, it was gut wrenching. He remembered Reth as a strong warrior type, and here she stood before him like a shadow of that former warrior. He could see there were no physical injuries, but who knew what mental anguish they had gone through - or if there were any internal injuries that needed fixing? His mind was reeling, shifting restlessly from hoof to hoof and wishing desperately to sink his teeth into something - into someone - whoever had done this to his friends.
"I understand your concern, Decay, but please understand that I do not want anyone to leave right now," Vojorn spoke in such a tone that was weak and rough, like she had not spoken in days, or had not had easy access to water for a long time. For all he knew, it had been both. He was torn between insisting on getting Vigilum help right now, and just accepting the answer as it was from his leader. "The four of us need rest more than anything. Tomorrow we can get help from the Vigilum," His jaw clenched, brown eyes once more scanning over the four of them. He swallowed down his bit of a harsh retort and gave a curt nod. "Very well." It was all he allowed himself to say, not wanting to end up rambling and ranting on about how they should get help immediately. Clearly, that was not what Vojorn wanted.
'I... helped a little when Crow was recovering... but... following instructions and helping keep someone comfortable is very different from having actual healing skills...' Young Kaelea spoke up and for a moment, his head turned toward her. She was a sweet girl. He had watched her grow from a child into a young woman. His apprentice, Crow, was fond of her. He felt something akin to guilt for throwing it all onto her shoulders, but he was in survival mode (as usual) and he felt like things needed to be taken care of immediately.
And then came a memory. Of humans reaching for him, his gnashing teeth grabbing one of them by the arm. Of a tranquilizer being administered, feeling his reaction time slow down. Feeling so vulnerable. As the memory took over, his body tensed, reading to lunge and to strike, and he tried to force the memories back down, to beat them back out of shear willpower. Now was not the time for his flashbacks. He gave his head a hard shake, ears pinning, and tried to focus back in on the conversation. Vojorn was speaking again. "There is no need. We will rest now, all I ask of you all is that you guard us while we rest. We will get through this."
"Of course," he answered immediately, not even have to think about it. He would stand guard without hesitation, without stopping, to make sure they recovered - or, at least, that they all got proper sleep. In an instant, he was stationing himself a short distance away from the four equines as they entered the clearing, giving them space but lingering nearby. He wondered if they had been followed. If someone would come looking for them. His neck arched, eyes turning to scan the forest, nostrils flaring as he scented the air. All he could smell on the wind were the mingled scents of his herd members. Nothing alarming. Still, he did not relax, his gaze turning back to the four who would hopefully get some rest. Please, sleep. The thought was quiet, eyes lingering again on Reth and then back to the woods. He would not rest again himself until the four of them had slept and were once more strong enough to defend themselves.
"speech" Decay / + ebonite + Indi / 707 Hims doing hims best <3 8 years 9 months, late spring, mid-day?, after war is declared Horse stock by BlueBird-Stock Background by Lakela
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