Aela raced through the city as fast as she could, tall leather boots clicking against the stone floors, the bow at her back twitching and clicking, almost mimicking the sounds of the arrows rustling about inside her quiver. They were after her, the Endals were hunting her to avenge the death of the Wind Eagle that she had killed, and to take back the egg which she had stolen in the process. The frightened teen raced on, labored breaths, met with short gasps as she turned to glance back over her shoulder again and again.
They were on her tail, and although she couldn't see any of them, the shadows that continued to move ever closer, were a sign enough. Aela had to escape and fast. She paused, resting against a wall close to the Courtyard, her chest rose and fell as quickly as her heart would beat. Emerald green, wet with mournful tears trickled down her warm cheeks and meshed with the beads of sweat rolling down her neck and chest.
The Courtyard stood right in front of her, a place she had visited many times in her young life. A place where she had learned to sell, made friends, and witnessed strange events. This place which held so many memories for her, was now her only way to escape her captures. Something was strange, however, there were lanterns scattered about, illuminating the courtyard in a brightness that would eclipse even the day. Unknown to her, Aela was in the world of dreams... A place where her reality no longer existed.
As far as the fleeing teen knew, it was real...She was living out her worse nightmare, and the only thing that she could do was run. And so she did, Aela ran through the courtyard hugging tightly to the egg that rested inside her backpack. It seemed like a life time, as if she would never reach the gate before she was caught. Then suddenly, just as she had the thought, Aela found herself in the forest of the Unforgiven. She was free, she had escaped.
However the terror was far from over, looking down to the backpack that she held in her arms, Aela was beside herself with shock and confusion. The egg was gone, and nothing but the empty backpack remained in her arms. She spun around, eyes widen and producing fresh tears to wet her redden cheeks. It was gone now, the one saving grace of all the chaos had been taken away from her. In the distance, a malicious laughter erupted, growing stronger and louder, until it surrounded the girl.
Dropping to her knees, Aela covered her ears and whelp openly. Whatever strength the young Avora had was all gone and she cried out in fear, sadness, and frustration. Then, just as the cackling had started, it suddenly stopped leaving behind an eerie silent. Aela slowly rose from the ground and a thunderous sound crashed across the sky, causing her to turn around. That's when she saw it, the volcano had erupted, an explosion so loud that it left a ringing in her ears and caused her vision to blur.
Dazed and stumbling on shaking limbs, Aela stared through blurry, tear-filled eyes at the mountain top that was already covered in boiling lava. Another explosion shook the earth, sending molten rock and fiery debris raining down upon her. Turning on her heels, Aela ran as fast as she could to escape. Another explosion sent more of the mountain tumbling down, and a large mass of fiery rock slammed into the ground right in front of her. The sudden impact of the molten crater caused another explosion. The sheer force of the blow sent the little Avora flying backwards, the heat easily melted away her armored cuirass, and turned her clothing into tatters of burned rags.
Aela hit the ground with a violent thump, her tiny body almost blurring itself inside the ground before she finally stopped tumbling. Panting, coughing, and wheezing, the injured teen slowly pushed herself up, using the trunk of a near-by tree to support her weight. The ringing in her ears had grown even louder, and though her vision was still blurred it was clear enough that she could see the small blob of molten rock twisting and forming itself into a shape a few feet away.
Terror gripped her, and her mind was filled with disbelief as the mounds of rock, lava, and earth continued to shift and form until it resembled the shape of a woman. Aela stood against the tree frozen, her heart pounding, limbs trembling and with no air in her lungs to scream. What happened next, the sigh that she saw, was enough to force her down on her knees, with her mouth opened and eyes expressing more fear that they had ever before.
The creature stood up, a dark twisted version of Aela. Auburn hair flowed in the winds, pale skin of ash, riddled with dark veins coursing through it's entire body. The armor that had been burned off of Aela was displayed in a form of harden rock upon the creature, the bow at her back was of burned wood and torched iron, and the talon sword at her hip was a burning rod of iron so bright that it seemed to glow. The eyes poured into Aela, embers of fire, and red as the lava covering the mountain. The creature smiled, cracked lips slowly curled upward just as it dashed forward.
Aela yelped loudly as she tried to move, but the creature was too fast and rammed into her before she could even pass the tree behind her. The clash was hard, violent, both bodies hit the ground curled against the other. Aela cried out, the creatures body burned, an unsavory tingle as it squeezed her tighter pushing itself to fuse into her being. The pain was unimaginable, and left the girl twitching on the ground and screaming gasp of voiceless cries before it was over.
Then..it was over, and Aela once again found herself alone, only to stand again to a very different reality. She heard voices, shadows surrounded her, all screaming and shouting for her head. The Endal stepped forward, the one who had caught her just as she was about to take the egg. The look in his eyes were fierce, as was that of the Endals that were with him. Aela stumbled back, glancing from one to the other until something happened. A burning of sorts, though just as cooling at it was hot, took her. Dropping to one knee, Aela's mind wavered even more. The once burning feeling turned into a cool breeze as a strange fiery aurora surrounded her.
Aela glared around at the Endals, anger now feeling her heart and soul. The Endals were monsters, they were evil, they were trying to take her life away, for something that wasn't her fought. She hissed under her breath as her emotions grew to a boiling point and wished them all gone. The aurora around her grew in size quickly, a twirl of fire and light consumed everything around her, setting the Endals on fire in a blaze of hate and anger. Their screams were invigorating, soothing the hate that she had for them and making her wish for more.
But something was wrong, the voices changed, and the cries became familiar. Aela jumped up in a panic, now seeing the faces of her friends, her mentors, the people of the city all burning in a violent flame. The flame that she has caused... Aela screamed, loud and hard.
"Nooo!!!!"End
by Invictus on November 19th, 2012, 10:53 pm 