We're so different, yet alike. (Tinnok)

[Rosalyn Snowsong]

"Late at night when all the world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you... and I wish on a star, that somewhere you are thinking of me too." OOCThe words above are from a song by Selena. It's not included in thus post but seems to pair well with the beginning of this thread... 13th of Spring, 514 AV It was the most perfect dream. Avanthal was covered in thick layers of snow, pure white snow that continued to fall from a cloudy sky. If you weren't a vantha or a,faithful follower of Morwen, you did not understand the value of snow. Especially on a wedding day. Yes, Rosalyn was dreaming of her wedding day. It took place just outside the Iceglaze hold, since she would soon join it. There was only a handful of people were there. The mixed-blood was gorgeous on her wedding day. She wore a long silver coral dress with see-thru sleeves which showed off her wonderfully toned arms, her hair was in a big perfect bun and her makeup was spectacularly done. Those intimidating eyes didn't look as scary. For one, she felt beautiful. "We waited our whole life for this day." A male voice seem to whisper in her ear. The dream was beginning to move fast, she was no longer admiring the perfect day, instead she was cuddling her lover. Rosalyn head rested on his shoulder, her arms were wrapped tightly around his abdomen. She could feel him breathing in her hair. It was silent until she raised her head up to look him in the eyes. Once again, the dream had moved fast. She only got half a second to look her lover in the eye. His gorgeous eyes that glowed green. It was only a second but it felt longer. When she tried to reach out to touch his face, he grew farther away. Rosalyn got a glimpse of her surroundings now, they stood on a snow-covered cliff."Rosalyn." Joey called, his black hair with a sheen of purple was slick back. He was still wearing his suit."I love you." He blew her a kiss and fell off the cliff. "Sssssss'alright. There are plenty of men. Sssstep out of Avanthal. Sssstep out!" "I refuse too!" She made the mistake of closing her eyes, and when she opened them and looked around, it was clear that she was not in Avanthal. Where was she? There was an unknown smell to the place, the humming of birds and the sound of a tiger roaring. The sight of tropical trees and poisonous bushes, there was no snow. It was the jungles and she didn't know it. Rosalyn covered her ears and took a step forward only to step in something warm."Ahh!" She screamed, looking at puddle of blood and her own reflection."My dress, my hair... it's ruined!" Indeed it was, Rosalyn's dress was shredded up on her body and muddy. She tried to pick her feet up to run but she couldn't. The blood seemed to pull her in, farther and farther. "Morwen cannot hide you in Avanthal forever. Sssoon you will be pushed out, and fall into the armss of our kind. Your kind... It sounded like a hissing snake, full of hatred. For her, or where she came from. The hissing grew loud, and began to hurt her ears. She knew for sure that she would die in the unknown location. Rosalyn would die and there was nothing she could do about it.

[Tinnok]

For a moment, the world to Tinnok was a blinding white. The half breed felt a bone chilling cold, the likes of which she had no word in Myrian for. "Cold" was the ocean, which to anyone else was balmy. "Cold" was a slight dip in temperature during a Winter monsoon, just enough that you didn't wake up with sweat beads dripping down your forehead. Whatever this feeling was...she knew she detested it. Not simply because it wasn't familiar, but because part of her blood...the Dhani in her, couldn't stand it, not one bit.

She was shivering uncontrollably, and lifted two fingers slowly into the swirling flurry of white that surrounded her. Sparkling gems of white landed upon her fingertips, and felt even colder upon her skin. She watched her fingertips turn blue, then purple. After a few ticks, she couldn't even feel the cold in her extremities, but she knew it was there, like a horrible sickness pulling away all of her senses. She knew not what this was, but she knew then she hated it, and for an instant, she hated it more than she did herself...

Then she was standing in the jungle. Her bow was notched, but undrawn, grasped in one hand, the other reaching for a woman. Tinnok was garbed in her wolfskin cloak, its paws falling over her shoulders, her hair not short from when she had cut it not long ago, but bound in an impossibly long braid that curved over her shoulder and down her chest. On one hip was her scimitar, on the other three daggers, her spear draped across her back. Loose light cotton strips, dyed with the colors of green and brown to help camoflauge hunters were wrapped sparingly around her breast and groin. The memory of the cold was already a distant one as she helped this strange woman upon her feet. She knew she didn't belong here...but somewhere inside a voice was calling her, telling her that this was the same for both her and this stranger. Your time here is finite half breed, as is hers.

Tinnok's skin was tanned, but glinted strangely in the Falyndar sun creeping in with criss crossed patterns through the canopy. Where Rosalyn's slitted eyes were a deep rich purple, the woman that offered her silent aid's were a rich gold, growing closer to bright Syna-like yellow the closer to her slitted pupils you got.

"Tell me where you are from, stranger." She didn't realize it in the dream, but here she spoke fluent common, something laughable if you met the Half Breed in reality, where she stumbled over every strange word.

"This place is dangerous." Well that was obvious of course...yet...Tinnok still felt it needed to be said.

[Rosalyn Snowsong]

She was going to die. It was only a dream, yet she felt it was going to end her life. Surviving in the wilderness was something she did not master. Rosalyn was brave enough to step out of the safe haven known as Avanthal here and there. But the world outside of Avanthal, the ground she's walked across, wasn't as,dangerous as this one. Not at all. Rosalyn closed her eyes, part of her was ready to die, while the other part hoped the unknown location would disappear. Things never went her way though, not at all. Which is why she wasn't surprised. I guess it's my time... Rosalyn thought she was ready. She began to fall deeper and deeper in. It was only a matter of time before a woman, who looked almost Wilder then the untamed jungle itself, came to her rescue and helped her out. She didn't get time to look at the woman, she was too caught up in getting out anyway. When her feet- which were bare- hit the solid dirt ground, she couldn't help but sigh in relief."Thank-" She got the chance to look the woman in the face. Rosalyn gawked at her beauty, and her snake eyes. Is she a dhani? Or is she like... me? The began to feel heavy, and Rosalyn couldn't get herself to utter another word. Her own slitted eyes fell upon the rich gold ones Tinnok had. For once in her life... she didn't feel the need to deny her eyes; instead, she envied a pair of snakes with a richer color. Eyes that seemed a lot more valuable then her own. "I'm from Avanthal," she found her voice which was louder then she expected,"It is ruled by the sweet and very kind goddess Morwen. Just in the city, I live in the Snowsong hold; we give Avanthal music." She took a step back. The woman may have saved her, but the weapons strapped to her were very misleading. She couldn't defend herself, and her only option would be to run. The Dhani mix wasn't very good, but it was better then trying to fight the woman herself."I am Rosalyn Snowsong. What about you st-stranger? Who are you... are you familiar with this place?" She seem to lose her voice, thinking about what the woman is capable of."An-and why did you save me?" Rosalyn hugged herself. There wasn't any snow to make the place look less scary. Matter of fact... the air wasn't cold and light. There wasn't a single thing cold except the soil beneath her feet.

[Tinnok]

oocApologies for the delay!

Tinnok glanced, apparently not worried about the stranger who was standing before her. When she began to speak the half breed’s eyebrows rose in question.

“Who is Morwen, where is..Ah-vanthal? Taloba is where I was born, it is ruled by a Goddess as well.” She grinned then, “But she is not kind.” She gestured for the woman to follow her, and a trail, dusty but clear appeared before the two mixed breeds, wide enough for them to walk side by side as they talked. Tinnok reached out and a strange looking green bird with a red and white chest and long emerald tail feathers landed on her wrist, chattering happily to the two of them as if it was in on the conversation as well. Tinnok looked interestedly at the bird, as if she could understand every word it was saying, before she placed it upon her shoulder and turned her attention back to Rosalyn.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Rosalyn, I am Tinnok, formerly of the Tempered Steel, but now I live here in the wilds of Falyndar in service to my one true mother, the Goddess Caiyha. So yes, I suppose you could say I’m very familiar with this place” She chuckled at her own little joke, then noticed there was a split in the path ahead and guided Rosalyn down the left facing path, the dirt turning to large flat stones beneath their feet. Around them there was a constant vibrating thrum of noise, mostly from insects, but frogs and birds as well. The mixed Dhani could hear strange cries that came from monkeys, and even the distant caws of hawks.
A barrier of giant ferns blocked the path of the two women, but Tinnok pushed them easily out of the way, revealing a sapphire pool of water being fed by a small, elegant waterfall. The pool was filled with hundreds of brightly hued fish, turtles and crocodiles basking on the edges, birds collecting on the surrounding foliage. Tinnok smiled.

“Makutsi has blessed us this day Rosalyn, it is not often that I find a place such as this in the wilds.” She stroked the nostril of a Crocodile and began to strip away her armaments one by one, clearly in no hurry. “Tell me of this Morwen. You say she is kind, what does she do for your city and its people?”

By this time Tinnok was nearly naked save for her undergarments, and she waded languidly into the beckoning water, sighing as the cool comfort of it washed over her scaled flesh, which glinted in Syna’s light. She turned around to face Rosalyn, beckoning her in with a hand and a smile.