|
She/Her/Hers
|
1,143 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Versai
|
Post by Sunfrost on Mar 2, 2024 20:23:24 GMT -7
Sweat poured down Saniyya’s sides as she whirled into Lyrarcor, her smooth breathing the result only of intense conditioning and daily runs up and down the mountains of Amaravati. A mare had run into her home, warning her that Hymn was in trouble, and Sani had come as fast as she could. Hymn was her friend, and if Hymn was in trouble in Lyrarcor, that meant Xovad might be in trouble, too. Xovad was her Versai Brother, her comrade; she was his High Priestess. Duty and common purpose bound them. Nostrils flaring, silver eyes alert, Saniyya coasted around the borders of the land until she smelled horses on the wind. That wasn’t all she smelled, though. There was blood, too. Figures standing, a horse in the sand, a horse with blood on their muzzle…a horse lying motionless.
Sani took it all in as she skidded to a stop, her eyes roving over the figures on the ground. She saw Hymn on the ground, bleeding from the throat…was he breathing? Sani felt like she was barely breathing herself, looking for life signs, frantically hoofing some moss up from the ground beneath her hooves and pressing it to the wound on Hymn’s throat, hopefully clotting the bleeding in the process. She spared a moment to feel relief that they were in Lyrarcor, with plentiful plants and undergrowth around them. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help Hymn.
There was someone standing nearby…Xovad. With blood on his muzzle and the motionless body of another horse nearby. Terror, worry…the other horse was definitely not breathing. He was dead. Who had killed him? Who was he? Worried, Sani hesitantly stepped away from Hymn after noting that the bleeding seemed better, resolving to wait a bit before treating him further. Her worried eyes roved around Xovad’s frame, searching for injuries. He appeared unsteady on his hooves, as though something large and terrible had happened here. Everybody nearby seemed shocked, too. Valfrid she neighed, her tone firm, commanding. It was as High Priestess a tone as she could make it, but she felt like the note of command was necessary for getting Xovad to focus on her and her questions. What happened here? Her tone was unyielding, demanding an answer, and there was an insistency to her gaze as she met his own. She needed to know what happened here, who had died, and how that impacted them all.
tagged// fleabittengray notes// For Sani to figure out what happened from Xovad. (apologies for quality!)
horse: venomxbaby.deviantart.com
|
|
Life Is But A Dream...
Mad men define what mad is
|
he/she/they
|
15,011 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moderator
|
Post by fleabittengray on Mar 4, 2024 10:47:59 GMT -7
And god save all of us And the walls, they'll shatter
TW: panic attack
He was in shock. He was sure that was it. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and in muffled silence. When he turned to look toward Hymn, he let out a choked whinny of relief seeing a slight rise and fall of his younger brother's breathing. He did not immediately notice that the High Priestess was there, his breaths heaving and his muzzle red and wet with blood. His ears were ringing, his legs unsteady as he began to stumble over toward his brother. The Helkaer were gone. They had taken Dahlia. He had made his choice. In hoping to save his brother, Dahlia had been allowed to be taken. His only hope was that they would not hurt her, that they would find something inside themselves to keep from hurting an innocent child, some small part of them that would not want to hurt her - even if it was just because she was a Cambion. Xovad felt sick to his stomach. He could still taste Ragnar's blood on his tongue. He closed his eyes and halted, silent sobs making his body shiver and shake violently. Tears streams down his cheeks and when he swallowed down the lump in his throat, some of Ragnar's blood went with it. He wanted to gag.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Saniyya there. He stared at her, panicked and fearful. How could he explain this? How could he defend what he had done? He watched her with a silent, wide-eyed stare, each breath a soft sob of a sound. He noted the appearance of moss pressed against Hymn's throat and neck, against the worst of the wounds. He hadn't thought of that. Sani must have done that. He tried to take a deep, steady breath. He felt dizzy. Breathing was hard. Standing was even harder. Xovad did not feel like he had his legs firmly on the ground. He felt simultaneously like he was floating and falling. He dared not try to step toward his leader, nor did he try to speak, could only stare at her, a frantic gaze that flickered between her and his brother's bloodied but still breathing body.
Xovad could see Sani's lips moving but he could not truly hear what she was saying. The words sounded like she was so far away, echoing in his head. The sun was fading now, nearly casting everything into darkness as it began to be hidden by the mountains. As the cold crept into his bones, Xovad snapped back into reality. He blinked, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears. "Luna, I-" His words shook, and he took a clumsy step toward Hymn. "I couldn't let Hymn die. I couldn't. I can't!" Fresh tears sprung to his eyes, and his breathing became ragged again, the terrible shaking returning to his limbs.
[Tagged: Sunfrost w/ Saniyya] [Words: 475] [Character: Xovad / Valfrid] [Notes: A z z y ➳ T e c h n o ➳ illɘgal tagging for mentions of your chars! Xovad is in shock. I'm crey.] [Timeline: 6 years 3 months, an autumn evening after Boudicca's Coronation, Dahlia has just been taken and Hymn has just been attacked, immediately after Ragnar's death] "Speech"
|
|
|
She/Her/Hers
|
1,143 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Versai
|
Post by Sunfrost on Mar 11, 2024 19:12:44 GMT -7
Xovad was panicking. Sani had been going to the Vigilum to learn about healing for long enough that she clearly recognized the signs. There was panic in his eyes, unsteadiness in his muscle movements, shock, rapid breathing…all of the signs. Saniyya was immediately even more worried. She asked her questions, using her tone of command, watching him critically. Xovad blinked, appearing to have only distantly heard her. He shook his head – why? Was there something in his ears? Sani tried her best to tamp down her own concerns, her own worries. Xovad was the one suffering here, and Hymn was barely breathing. She needed to be in charge, to get focused on the task at hand. She needed to investigate what had happened. Xovad spoke to her now, his voice shaking, saying he couldn’t and can’t let Hymn die. He was crying, tears spilling down his face, breathing ragged, shaking.
The silver dapple black High Priestess stepped forward. She approached his side, her movements slow and non-threatening, and leaned her body against his own. According to the Vigilum, when a horse was panicking, it could be helpful to take some eye contact off of them and give them a sense of physical support holding them up. If Sani didn’t move to hold Xovad up, he could fall over and panic more. Additionally, this was a sensation for Xovad to pay attention to, something to distract him from what he was feeling and what had occurred. Valfrid, I’m here she neighed, her tone gentling from its former commanding one. The command tone was not appropriate here, and she restrained a wince. It had been worth a try. She just hoped it wasn’t a critical mis-step in getting Xovad to calm down and tell her what had happened.
Lean on me. Tell me what happened she coaxed, her tone gentle and soothing. Hymn will be fine. He will continue to breathe, and the moss will help staunch the bleeding. I will take care of him. Right now, though, I need to know what happened. Who did this to Hymn? She had further questions beyond that, including who had killed the horse lying motionless over there, why the horse had been killed, and if the Versai were responsible for another murder or not. Murder done for the sake of murder itself…that was not condonable, and Sani knew she’d have to seriously think of expelling Xovad if that was what had happened. Murder done in self-defense, though…that was more complicated.
tagged// fleabittengray notes// Sani trying her best to be leader lol. Also wondering if we should mysteriously get a Vigilum arriving on the scene to help - could have Sani send a moose to the Mount? - and they could assure her Xovad isn't lying. Just as a side effect, not out of suspicion she holds.
horse: venomxbaby.deviantart.com
|
|
Life Is But A Dream...
Mad men define what mad is
|
he/she/they
|
15,011 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moderator
|
Post by fleabittengray on Mar 30, 2024 2:44:45 GMT -7
And god save all of us And the walls, they'll shatter
TW: panic attack
He couldn't look at Ragnar. Couldn't make himself look at the lifeless body. He kept darting his red gaze between Luna and his brother, because if Hymn died, then Ragnar's death would truly be all for nothing. For no reason. Worst of all, Xovad hadn't even meant to kill him. He'd just wanted to get him away from Hymn, but seeing his brother like that, bloodied and barely breathing, it had made him panic. Xovad had never felt like that, like this, before. Shaking and barely able to breathe, his head spinning, tears streaming from his eyes. Hymn wasn't moving, aside from the very subtle rising and falling of his faint breaths. Xovad felt paralyzed. Fear, agony, guilt. He'd never killed anyone before. He'd never had to. He had no doubt in his mind that, given the chance, Ragnar would have went right back to his brother and finished the job, or signaled to the Helkaer to finish the job for him. Nemesis... Nemesis had been here, and so had that other mare, from the Free Lands. She was Helkaer, too. And there had been wolves, and a boy around Dahlia's age - Helkaer born, perhaps? Son of one of the mares? Or son of Ragnar? Just the thought of the dead man's name made his stomach churn and he sways uneasily on his hooves.
He didn't register Saniyya walking toward him, not until he felt her warmth against his side. He felt so cold and couldn't stop shaking. Xovad stood taller than his leader by a full hand but he could not resist leaning into her, soaking in her warmth, desperate for help, for forgiveness. Valfrid, I’m here. The gentle tone now used had him choking on a broken sob, staring down at him, checking again for the rising and falling of his ribcage. It was so faint, barely even there, or was he imagining things? Lean on me. Tell me what happened. The palomino overo struggled to take in a breath, forced himself to take another. It was almost painful, trying to get his breathing to slow, trying to get his body and mind to calm down and be rational instead of in a panic. "Helkaer," he said on a shuddering exhale, "They took Dahlia." His tone was sorrowful, ridden with guilt.
Hymn will be fine. He will continue to breathe, and the moss will help staunch the bleeding. I will take care of him. Right now, though, I need to know what happened. Who did this to Hymn? The Versai Brother flinched slightly at the questions, still struggling to get his breathing under control, but at least he wasn't feeling ice cold anymore. "I don't know all what happened. I was on my way back home. Heard Dahlia... she was screaming." His voice wavered and he had to close his eyes, forcing another couple of deep breaths through his nostrils. "By the time I got here, the Helkaer had Dahlia surrounded, and Hymn was... He wasn't..." He could feel the panic swelling up in him again as he relived to moment, but he tried to force himself to talk through it.
"Ragnar was on top of Hymn. Pinning him to the ground. There was so much blood, Luna, so much blood." He himself was covered in it, but it was Ragnar's blood on his muzzle and splattered across his face and neck and chest. "I just wanted to get him away from Hymn, far enough away that when I released him it would make more sense to fight me than to go back to Hymn. Ragnar would have killed him if I didn't get him away." His eyes closed all the tighter, tears dripping down from the corners of them. "I didn't plan on killing him. Didn't want to. But I couldn't let Hymn die, not like that, not pinned like... like some kind of... worthless piece of meat!" Another sob tore threw him, and he felt the cold creeping back in, his legs starting to shake again.
[Tagged: Sunfrost w/ Saniyya] [Words: 671] [Character: Xovad / Valfrid] [Notes: Getting a Vigilum in here sounds like a good idea to me! <3] [Timeline: 6 years 3 months, an autumn evening after Boudicca's Coronation, Dahlia has just been taken and Hymn has just been attacked, immediately after Ragnar's death] "Speech"
|
|
|
She/Her/Hers
|
1,143 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Versai
|
Post by Sunfrost on Apr 27, 2024 20:25:26 GMT -7
Xovad was shaking. Saniyya could feel the tremors against her skin, hear the hitches in her Versai Brother’s breath. This…this was simply unacceptable. What had happened to make him this way? Sani tried to let none of her own nervousness and trepidation show as she supported her comrade and plied him with gentle questions. Mentally, though, she worried that this would be beyond her skill to heal and help. Who in the lands could help? She’d been training with the Vigilum for months, but this felt beyond her…the Vigilum! As Xovad leaned into her, sobbing, she managed to lift her head and catch the eyes of a Versai allied moose nearby. The moose approached, and as the Versai did, she communicated who she sought and why. Off the moose went to accomplish the task set, and now she turned her attention back to her friend just as he began to speak.
Helkaer. They took Dahlia. Saniyya froze, her body stiffening. Helkaer?! In the Highlands?! Rage filled her, almost enough to make her shake. The Helkaer had done enough to them. The Helkaer had done enough throughout the lands. Why had they come? Sani knew that Dahlia was a cambion – it had come up when she’d met Hymn outside of the Highlands once and they’d talked about family. Xovad continued to describe how he didn’t know what had happened, but he’d come back home and heard Dahlia screaming. He paused there to breathe, and Sani appreciated the pause as it helped her gain control of her own rampant emotions. Xovad went on to describe how when he had arrived here, the Helkaer had surrounded Dahlia, and Ragnar was on top of Hymn. Ragnar! Son of Xerxes, raper of Trinity, father of Dahlia! Sani didn’t think the rage in her could burn any hotter, but it suddenly hit a point at which it was so hot it felt ice cold. Sani struggled not to grit her teeth as she silently urged Xovad to continue with his story.
Xovad described how Ragnar had pinned Hymn to the ground, and he’d attacked to defend his brother. In the ensuing battle, Xovad had killed Ragnar. She felt his sorrow and rage, the shaking returning to his legs. She effortlessly supported him, her silver eyes sparking as she thought through the repercussions. Xovad had acted in defense of himself and family. Ragnar had come here unprovoked. He’d taken Dahlia, unwillingly from the sound of things. He’d almost killed Hymn, and had ended up dead himself as a consequence. You reap what you sow she thought, coldly furious. This would not be allowed to pass. There would be actions in response to this.
Valfrid, you have done nothing wrong she proclaimed, the ferocity in her voice directed entirely at their mutual enemies. You acted in defense of yourself and your family. I do not blame you for Ragnar’s death…it sounds like he had it coming. Murder was wrong, but murder in self-defense was not. It could not have been avoided, and the Helkaer would have done worse. They took Dahlia, unwillingly? she confirmed, wanting to be absolutely sure of the facts before acting. The Versai would not take this sitting down. The Helkaer had gone too far. They would know no peace. And concurrently, Sani knew suddenly that there were broader repercussions to this. She’d have to join the war on the side of Utopia, the better to get after the Helkaer and their allies in the Underworld and the Dark Kingdom. It was the only right and proper action to take.
tagged// fleabittengray notes// Vigilum coming in after the next response round - likely just a hand off. Happy to have Xovad come in for some therapy sessions with Vigilumites after this if you think that would help to? (I always try to pull my Vigilum in somehow haha)
horse: venomxbaby.deviantart.com
|
|