Flashback red moon cries

(closed, Kalesse) Chiaja falls.

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The massive stretch of desert that overwhelms Eyktol. Here, a man's water is worth more than his life, and the burying sands are the unfortunate's mute undertaker.

red moon cries

Postby Chiaja on August 29th, 2012, 3:36 am

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When you die, you will be spoken of as those in the sky, like the stars.

spring 1 500av, night

Tonight was a Red night. The anniversary of the Valterrian, the day Leth showed his pain by glowing red. Every year was red before, and every year would be red again.

★★★

It was too beautiful for a mortal mind to comprehend. The godly realm, the Ethaefal, they were all too beautiful. Glittering and glowing as a congregation of divine should always. There was Leth and there was Syna, together and bound by a perpetual dance. But like a child, she was cast from the womb of the gods and into the realm of the living. Seconds seemed to last hours, minutes lasted days. And she fell, fell from the Ukalas like a star falling from the sky; glittering in Leth's red glow but all too far away from the comfort of his presence.

She didn't think of anything while she was falling. She felt as if she were gently floating down, as if a silver feather were being tossed from the heavens. And in this halcyon state she fell, watching Zintila's stars wink at her their farewell. And forever she felt euphoria. She didn't feel pained or sad, she felt calm. As if the world she had been in moments before was nothing but a dream, a lovely golden dream.

Until she hit the water.

She landed on her back against the gentle waves of the ocean off the coast of Ahnatep. Anyone watching from the alabaster city of sand would have seen a red and silvery star falling from the sky like it were part of an unseen meteor shower. The pain of the water woke her from her happiness and immediately replaced it with the startling realization that she had been born into this world once again.

Water was all around her. There was no up, down, just water. She opened her eyes and saw the vermilion glow of Leth. She pushed herself toward it, she reached for him. By breaking the surface she took her first fully-conscious breath, eyes stinging from the salt water and from tears. She grasped at the stars, the moon, the sky. The dry night clung to her face and she made her way to the shore, only a short distance away.

She curled up on the sand, felt it clinging to her skin like the dry air around her, and salt water dripped from her face and hair. Her hair was lavender grey tipped white with the remnants of winter, and her horns were the white of snow tipped with black. She could no longer say her name. She could hear it, but her mouth could not form the words. In Leth's light, she cried.
Last edited by Chiaja on October 21st, 2012, 5:00 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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red moon cries

Postby Surei on August 31st, 2012, 1:15 am

Somewhere along the eastern coast of Eyktol, a few men agreed to settle down for the night earlier than usual. The anniversary of the Valterrian fueled superstitions as old as the events themselves in certain parts of the desert; superstitions that still had some hold into these men’s hearts. They were obviously more concerned about nighttime predators, the same predators that made early survivors reconsider their fear of the dark.

Few people would willingly choose to wander the dunes of Eyktol, off the already scarcely traveled roads. They were either Chaktawe, lost or happened to be Eypharian slavers, the latter choosing to camp out in the red moon’s light on this peculiar night.

Surei set out to survey their surroundings while the others set up camp. They stood on flat terrain, which doubled as both an advantage and a disadvantage. For one, they’d be able to spot incoming predators from miles away, while those same predators would spot a fire from even farther. But in Eyktol, nature had every advantage over the living beings that chose to dwell within it. The Dhani’s vision was poor at best, and utterly unreliable at night, nullifying whatever advantage they had, and that wasn’t even thinking about camouflage.

Distracted for a moment by the captivating sight of the moon, Surei didn’t fail to notice a star falling down, and the subsequent perturbation in the waves. How could he resist the urge to investigate? Shifting to a form more suitable for exploration, he approached the apparently living being, limbless, his distinctive gold eyes fixated at the apparition.
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red moon cries

Postby Kalesse on September 4th, 2012, 3:31 am

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They all told her not to leave the tents after Syna fell beneath the horizon. They all said it was dangerous and she shouldn't do it unless she wanted to die. Kalesse's parents might as well have issued her a challenge; the proud girl didn't like being told no and despised being told she couldn't do something. Add to that the child's invincibility complex and it was a done deal.

So, of course, the young Chaktawe girl slipped as quietly as she could from her parents tent, sticking to the shadows as she left the canvas forest behind and escaped into the endless sands, masked to look like a sea of blood by the red moon that hung heavy in the sky. Before she could take a moment to soak in the beauty, however, Kalesse had to make sure she was a goodly distance away from the rest of her tribe before stopping. How was she going to prove herself if she was immediately caught; the very thought over being dragged back home, her fathers hand firmly on he upper arm put a bitter taste in the girls mouth.

Bent almost double and stepping gently in the sand to make as little of a print as possible, Kalesse kept her hands held loosely at her sides, her fingers spread as she tested the air around her for unseen movement. Slow and steady was the key to sneaking away. With nothing to hide behind, if anyone were to glance in her direction she would be done for... or shot. The thought made the spot between her shoulder blades itch as Kalesse imagined an arrow protruding from her back. No, that would not be good.

It took almost half a bell before the little girl felt comfortable with standing upright; she could no longer see the silhouette of the tents and all was still silent. No novice at sneaking away, a fierce smile curled the corners of her lips and Kalesse spared a moment for a little victory dance, spinning in place and pumping her fist into the air.

Pfft. Dangerous.

Mid-dance, Kalesse threw her head back as she spun, her eyes turning a deep red as the moon reflected in their onyx depths. Having forgotten about the rare beauty of the night, the sight gave the girl pause once more. She hadn't seen anything like this ever, the way the red light played over the waves of sand leaving her dumbstruck.

As still as a statue the girl stayed, simply staring, until a faint light racing towards the horizion caught the corner of her eye, pulling her attention from the moon and into the distance.

"Wha...?" Whispering, Kalesse squinted. It had fallen in the direction of the sea, she was sure. But what could have fallen. Proud and seemingly older than her years, Kalesse was still but a child. It didn't take long for the excitement of adventure and curiosity to drive the girl forward towards the water.

"Oooh maybe it was a shooting star!"

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red moon cries

Postby Chiaja on September 8th, 2012, 6:51 pm

She crawled out of the wet sand, waves lapping at her feet. The tiny grains caked her damp skin as she pulled herself out, out of Laviku's reach. She closed her eyes, pressing herself close the sand in an attempt to salvage warmth. The initial shock of the fall had blinded and confused her momentarily, and now she could tell it was much colder than she had initially thought. She crawled forward on her belly and opened her eyes, coming face to face with two golden reptilian orbs and an extraordinarily large body glowing red from Leth.

"Where?" She spoke the first word that came to her mind, in the first language her mouth would form. She didn't expect this snake to answer, but she stared it down anyways. There was something oddly familiar about her surroundings. Far into the distance, the dusty city of Ahnatep could be seen, while all around there were sandy dunes and tiny scrubby plants. She had been here before, maybe even to this exact spot. So familiar.
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red moon cries

Postby Surei on September 15th, 2012, 2:11 pm

Stars were hardly more than a subject of contemplation in most people's lives. They were up in the sky before their birth and as static and unchanged long after their passing, apparently content with their role in the stories of those that came and continue to exist. That one could fall right in front of Surei, on a red moon no less, couldn't do other than keep him right where he stood, fascinated by what looked more like one of those nomadic women than what you'd expect from a shining star.

In the end, it was the reality of business that broke the Dhani out of this rather unusual state of mind. The woman had horns, legitimate, solid horns. Eypharians did love their exotic pets and frankly, horns like those were dangerously high on the exotic scale.

Surei figured that if he'd want to carry out that idea of his, now would be the best time to shift into a more convivial form. Confused as she was, she would probably put in on the account of her apparently hazy mind. As limbs appeared where there was none before and he regained the ability to speak once more, he crouched beside the woman and asked her name, whispering, for the beasts of Eyktol surely didn't sleep tonight.

"Who are you?"
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red moon cries

Postby Kalesse on September 16th, 2012, 12:42 am

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Laying belly-down on the sand, Kalesse watched the two forms hunch together, silhouetted by the gint of the moon off the water. Clearly, neither of them were all that worried about being spotted; they did work to keep their voices down, however, for the girl could hear nothing that was being said.

A smart individual would have stayed put, watched from a distance and ascertained whether or not danger lurked down there by the water. Kalesse, however, was already moving before a plan had even completely solidified in her mind. Sliding diagonally down the side of a dune, the girl adopted her hunched position again as she scurried up behind the pair.

The element of surprise was the only thing Kalesse had in her favor; if she was spotted before she got there, things could go terrible wrong. Especially if they were unfriendly. Still unfazed by the potential danger, Kalesse crept along until her toes began to sink down into the sea-moistened sand.

Not only had she escaped her parents, but now she was successfully spying for the first time! A cocky smile curled the corners of her lips when the pair was only a dozen or so feet away and had yet to give any indication of noticing her. However, not even ten ticks later, the jig was up.

Stepping solidly down upon a broken shell, the sharp object sliced into the bottom of Kalesse's foot, drawing a loud yelp from the girl. Cursing wildly and hopping up and down, the "plan" instantly forgotten, it wasn't until she felt the strangers eyes upon her that she froze like statue.

"Uh... hi."

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red moon cries

Postby Chiaja on September 16th, 2012, 3:48 am

The snake was then a man with the same unnerving golden eyes. His scales were pulled and stretched into skin and his reptilian head turned humanoid and grew hair. He was stretched and shortened and moved every impossible way. Was this magic? Was this a ghost? It was an incredibly macabre and disgusting transformation, and the human now in front of her wasn't any more comforting than a snake.

He spoke. She understood that language, too. Was this her past life? She glanced down at her arms, covered in damp sand from her fall. They glinted like silver, a far reach from the beauty of Leth's celestial realm. She reached her hand, touched his face. Was he real? She felt skin under her fingers. Her name. She could not say her name.

"I have no name." Her hand found itself in her wet, sandy hair, finally following the trail of her horns. They felt smooth, and no sand seemed to have stuck to the surface. Her skin was still shimmering red silver dust in the moonlight. Was there still chance that this was just a mirage? That nothing was real, it was all in her mind. Such a snake-human couldn't exist on Mizahar.

Her thoughts were broken by the loud yelps from a dark girl. Her black eyes seemed red reflected off of the moon. Everything did. The entire scene was bathed in red, dark as it was. Like blood. A bloody Leth. Dark-girl seemed awkward compared to the few words she had exchanged with the man before. She stumbled and stuttered over her greeting. Wasn't she young to be out alone? Dark-girl seemed young, no more than a child.
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red moon cries

Postby Kalesse on October 6th, 2012, 3:56 am

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Kalesse lost her focus for a moment, sitting down hard in the sand as she choked down a few more curses, her foot held gingerly away from the grit; petching shell. Shouldn’t it have stopped hurting by now? Looking down, the girl tried to inspect the cut by the pale moonlight for a tick or two before giving up entirely; with the red glow from the moon itself, everything looked bloody. It was no use. Glancing back at the strange woman in the sand, however, the young Chaktawe leaned to one side and then the other, trying to look behind the woman without actually moving.

“Weren’t there two of you a tick ago? A weird man?” The moonlight gave her eyes a sinister crimson color as she looked around, finally spotting what seemed like wavy lines in the sand. Nodding her head in that direction, Kalesse raised a brow. “Did he get dragged away by some monsters? Is this a trap? Who are you?” Not having heard the man ask this once previously, the young girl became wary at the disappearance of the man, scooting backwards a few feet on her butt.

“Why are you here? What are you?” It was only luck that the questions didn’t come out in a whine. ‘Please don’t hurt me’ lingered on the tip of her tongue, but the pride that straightened Kalesse’s spine didn’t allow her to ask such a question, though she could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

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red moon cries

Postby Chiaja on October 7th, 2012, 3:50 am

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Snake-man was gone. Just like that. He must have been a mirage, a ghost. She looked back up at Dark-girl. She opened her mouth and out poured out Tawna, language of the crows.

"I don't know," Pulling herself into a crouching position, she took her lavender hair tipped with white and twisted it, sending drops of red-glow seawater into the red-glow sand. "Will you help me?" She opened her mouth a bit, showing too-white teeth that glittered red in Leth. Leth was making everything bloody tonight, wasn't he. Bloody Leth, bloody moon. Tears stopped dripping from her almond eyes.

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red moon cries

Postby Kalesse on October 18th, 2012, 5:32 am

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It was around the same time that the strange woman stopped to take stock of her appearance that Kalesse also paused in her flood of question, following the others movements as she flipped her hair before turning to grimace at Kalesse. The Chaktawe flinched away from the sight, ducking her head to stare out at sea instead. The woman was just… weird.

“Great Eywaat,” she breathed, using her gods name for lack of any better exclamation, her gaze flickering towards the stranger though the opacity of her eyes made this impossible to distinguish. “How am I supposed to help you? I’m half crippled over here and you want me to help you?” Holding up her foot with its soggy mix of sand and blood caking the bottom, Kalesse snorted derisively.

As the woman continued to look about, moving as if she had never seen her arms and legs before, let alone the desert, Kalesse couldn’t help but feel her interest piquing once more. The red moon shone only once in a great while, and her people talked of mysterious things happening beneath it. Perhaps this was one of those things! If she discovered a new goddess, or perhaps a myth come true, and brought it back to her tribe… Oh! They would sing of her for all of the ages! Like all of the heroes, except better, because it would be her!

With her childish dream in the forefront of her mind, the young girl turned back to the woman with a new light in her eye. “I suppose, if you helped me, I could take you back home and we could…” Her tone friendly now, raised a few octaves as she tried to sound cheery and helpful, Kalesse paused and bit at her lip while she thought of what her parents would do when they found a traveler or a fellow tribesman in trouble. “…get you some clean clothes and food.” That’s what her mother would say. Nodding with satisfaction, already sure that the stranger would take her offer, Kalesse started to push herself to her feet.

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