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Is This Me? 010 - After
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PopeAlessandrosXVIII



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:08 am    Post subject: Is This Me? 010 - After  

After




Fellion beats her tail gently in the water, making her way slowly towards her home. 'I hope father is not too upset. I mean, I know it's against our ways, but they did help me. Not only that, but that feeling. . . . .' She slows for a moment, looking back up towards the surface. Her hair drifts about her face like the mane of a lion as she looks up towards the swiftly darkening sky above, the surface distorting the colors of the sunset. 'Such an odd feeling, but so warm. Perhaps I should go see Master Mayvernes first? If I could tell father why I feel so drawn to the boy, then perhaps he would not mind. . . .' He thoughts trail off as foul odor passes over her gills. She coughs slightly, turning to face homewards once again. The smell gets stronger. A strong feeling of panic tries to rise up and take hold of her, but her mind manages to blow off the smell, telling herself it must be a large kill the fishers brought in.


Arching she turns, making her way much slower now. Her fear, still lingering in the back of her mind slows her movements. When at last her village comes into view, she lets out a sigh. Like a large tree of coral clinging firmly to the lake bottom, the blue stone seems to sway with the currents. At the ends of many of the thicker branches, see through domes cling to the stone like flower pods. In the center of the tree is a very large pod, large enough for all the members of her village to fit comfortably when they held meetings there. Each pod, other then the central one, holds a family. The water inside the pods, kept pure and clean by hecta. The merpeople of this village long ago formed a bond with the lake, using it's power to begin forming the home tree. It had been small at first, but as the families grew, so too did the tree. Fellion smiles, thinking of her attempts to draw the home tree as a child. She always cut off the top, trying to make sure to get every branch in. She can't imagine the tree any smaller.


Master Mayvernes had always chuckled at the drawings when he came to visit the children. ”Oh no, it seems I'm homeless once again, right Felli?” She would giggle and begin drawing his dome on a separate piece of paper. About half the size of the central meeting pod, the upper dome was where their leader and his or her family always lived. Inside was where the house of tales also resides. Many an evening found Fellion wandering in to look over the smaller books, the ones with the richest pictures. Not many of the children dare enter the Master's dome, but Fellion always felt welcome in it's warm waters. Master Mayvernes had always greeted her with a smile.


She begins humming, the sound carrying through the water to the homes bellow. The tree sings back like it always does, but a chill runs through her at the rather weak sound. Swimming closer, the smell hits her full force and she stops dead in the water. Her heart turns cold as she realizes why the tree sounds so weak. It is dieing. The rich royal blue is already fading into a dull gray along the edges, and along it's base lay several home pods. The smell, the scent of dead flesh, turns her eyes to the large central pod. Her gills close, unable to breath at the sight. Inside the dome seems to be the entire village, floating against the top, dead. A few have slash marks on them, the wounds already swelling as the dead flesh absorbs water, but most seem unmarked. The bodies seem to be lapping against the pod wall, as if soft waves were flowing through the still waters of the pod.


She begins sinking, unable to find the strength to keep herself up. Tearing her eyes away from the grizzly sight above she at last takes a deep breath, gagging at the taste of the water. If merpeople could cry, Fellion would have, but instead the lake fills with her wails. Her pain, sadness, and horror cause the very rocks to cry out along with her with their fading strength. She morns for a very long time, settling against the bottom, her arms stretched out along it's smooth surface. As she sobs, her scales begin changing color, the deep green fading into the darkest blues.


________________


Darkon's head lifts from it's place on Tarith's chest. Having moved to a more sheltered position, Tarith had decided they may as well take a nap while they wait. Looking up at the man, Darkon notes that is eyes and ears seem focused on the lake. Darkon too turns, the sound that had awoken him still seeming to dance across the water's surface. An ache begins forming in his chest, one he had felt before, but can't seem to recall. Slipping out from under Tarith's protective arm the boy makes his way on hands and knees to the water's edge. Tarith follows, wincing as the sound pierces his sensitive ears. They both gaze into the now black surface, the stars having risen some time ago turning the surface into little more then a mirror for the sky above. Reaching out Darkon touches the water. As if hit by a bolt of lightning he jerks backwards onto his back. Tarith panics, scooping up the boy and moving back to where the blankets lay sprawled out on the ground. Darkon shakes, his mind a jumbled mess as he clutches his chest. Not knowing what else to do, Tarith wraps them both up and waits for the shaking to pass.


_________________


A light shock runs through Fellion as her sobs begin to fade. Falling silent she turns her face upwards. A low hum travels through the water from above making her eyes go wide. A surge of strength pulses through her and she kicks off hard from the lake bottom. Racing past the carnage she follows the sound all the way to the top of the tree. Without hesitation she shoots through the cleansing hecta spanning the entrance to the Master's dome. Pausing once inside her head swivels back and forth, tying to locate the sound. Most of the buildings lay silent, dark, the lumas fish no longing bringing light to the fine structures. Like stalagmites rising form the floor of the dome, each building has a different color of ring around it's middle made of shells, letting visitors know just what each one is.


Finally her head snaps to the left, the green ringed building, holds the one making the sound. Darting in, she rushes through shelf after shelf of tomes and scrolls. The house of tales still holds a little light, at the far end. She slows as a small shoal of lumas fish peek out from behind a shelf, their large green eyes spotting her at the end of the isle, only to turn back in a flicker of glowing tail fins. When she at last reaches where they are assembled her heart leaps slightly. Settled against the far wall, his body looking worse for wear, is Master Mayvernes. His breathing is labored, and in his arm he clutches a brown tome. “Master Mayvernes.” She whispers.


His eyes open at the sound, a weak joyful glint coming to his eyes as he spots her trembling against the shelves. “Felli. I thought I heard your dulcet tones outside.” he jokes, chuckling. He pays for his jest as a shooting pain in his side cuts his laugh short. Drawing a deep breath he tries to sit up a little better. Fellion rushes forward, coughing out her own feeble laugh between a fresh wave of sobs.


“Well, you know I like letting everyone know I'm coming Master Mayvernes. Fair warning and all.” Wrapping her arms around him in a half hug, half helping hand, she shifts around so he's more comfortable against the wall. He smiles at her, a gesture he picked up from humans oh so long ago. Reaching out he runs his fingers through her hair, trying to sooth her pain.


“Indeed.” They sit there for a few minutes, finding comfort in one anothers presence. For a moment, the horrors bellow are forgotten. Once again Fellion is a little shrimp enjoying her time in Master Mayvernes's house of tales. The moment is broken by a coughing fit from the elderly merman. Fellion lets out a small hum of sadness but the Master cuts her off. “There will be a time and a place to morn my little Felli, but it is not here and it is not now.” He glances down at her tail, the scales still of a deep sad blue. Looking into her eyes he smiles again. “You have something to do little one. I don't know what it is, but you must do it. I. . .I am not long for this flow of time. Soon, my flow will start over again.” Fellion fights back the urge to argue with him. It is clear even to her young eyes that his life is fading.


Instead a barrage of questions fall from her lips. “Why did this happen? Who did it? What did they want? Why did they kill everyone? Why. . . .” She stops short as he raises a hand. Shaking his head slowly he lets out a sigh.


“I don't know how to answer your questions little one. I know not the answers myself. I can only feel joy that you were not here.” A look of confusion crosses her face, but before she can ask what he means, he continues. “I have long felt that you are a little bit different from the rest of us, and because of this I have tried to teach you all I can. I prayed I could teach you enough so that when the time came you would be able to face your destiny. Long have I studied, seeking out what your role may be.” At last the arm clutching the tome relaxes. With a hand shaking from weakness he passes it to her. Without a glance at it she clutches it to her own chest, another sob escaping her lips. “Take this. It is all I can think of to help you little one. May you come to understand it some day.” Her sobs redouble as his hand falls to his side, the final bit of light fading from his body.


Holding his final gift tight to her bosom she backs away. The small shoal of lumas fish swim off, leaving her in darkness. As she slips out of the building her eyes adjust to the dark. Moving slowly towards the exit she spots movement out of the corner of her eye. Her head snaps to the left but whatever it was is gone. Her heart begins racing again. Swiftly she moves towards the exit. She spots movement once again, this time from above. Looking up she spots a dark shadow, about twice as long as herself, moving over the dome. She begins to panic in earnest as the last bit of hecta held in the home tree begins to wane. 'If the dome goes while I'm in here the sudden change in water will catch it's attention' The shadow above swims on and soon she loses sight of it in the darkness.


Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes she makes a metal map of where she is and the surrounding bank, trying to think of the best place to exit. 'Near the shell. The water there slopes into shallow quickly so whatever it is shouldn't be able to follow me. It's close, so I should be okay' Opening her eyes she takes of in a burst of bubbles. As soon as she exits the dome she feels it collapse behind her. More pods litter the ground below her. She darts past one just as it breaks off it's branch. Pumping her gills hard so her muscles can work more smoothly she darts in and out of branches, using them as cover while she can. She pauses for only an instant as she reaches the furthest tip of the tree's stone branches before rocketing towards her goal.


As soon as she hits open water a throb goes through her tail. Panic grips her at the feeling over at least a dozen heartbeats in the water, none of which belong to her people, but all of which come from creatures larger then her. She feels them moving in on her, their streamline bodies moving through the water easier then her own. She knows she could go faster if she had her arms free, but her clutch on the tome only tightens at the thought. She lets out a loud cry, shrill, like the one from when the ones on the boat tried to capture her.


__________________


Above Darkon's head snaps up. He gazes out over the water, ignoring Tarith's worried utterings. Standing he darts to the water's edge. 'There is something. Something happening. Something here. Fellion. . . . .' A moment later several paces off to the right something breaches the surface. The two males watch as Fellion rockets out of the water, slamming into the curved stone with a sickening slap. A moment later several heads breach the surface of the water, one right next to the other. Each one slides up the bank a ways, carried there by their momentum, before sliding back under the surface. The darkness had made it hard to get a good look at the beasts, but it was clear that each had rows of pearly white teeth in long snouts. Taking only a few seconds to register the creatures, Darkon follows Tarith as he makes his way along the slippery rock to Fellion's side.


__________________


Tarith kneels down, placing a hand on Fellion's arm. Her body jerks, a shrill cry coming from her at the touch. Tarith lets out his own yelp, clamping his hands over his ears. Fellion's lower half shifts quickly to legs and she scuttles backwards, her eyes wild with fright. Tarith, lowering his hands moves a little closer to her. “Fellion, it's alright, it's just us.” He tries to soften the natural roughness in his voice, and seems to succeed as he watches her relax a bit. Glancing at the water he feels wary at it's nearness. The things from before set him on edge. Reaching out he helps Fellion to her feet and moves her to the place where they had been resting. Darkon follows quietly. The breeze from before had slowed but still blows across their bodies making Tarith shiver. Settling against the wall he wraps a blanket around her before sitting at her side. Motioning with his hand he directs Darkon to sit on her other side. He tilts his head to the side in question but complies. “It will make her feel better.” Her murmurs, sitting close against her side.


An hour of silence passes before she begins talking. At fist she speaks of her childhood, and of the wonderful memories she can recall. Naming her best friends, her family members, games she played all pour fourth, putting Tarith more and more on edge. 'All of this, she sounds so empty. Even when she smiles, it's hollow. What. . . . .' Suddenly her voice changes. From empty to filled with sorrow. She tells them of the time she spent in the house of tales, and how much fun she'd had with someone called Mayvernes. Then at last she tells them just what she found when she returned home. Tarith's stomach twist, his mind conjuring up images of the carnage. “Fellion, I. . . . .I'm so sorry. . . . .” His own throat tightens as she dissolves into sobs.


___________________


When at last she can talk again she turns to look at Tarith and smiles in thanks. She relaxes her grip on the tome she'd had a death grip on for so long, her arms aching with the effort to do so. “He said this will help me, that I'm meant for something important. I-I don't know what he means. He said I'm different somehow. . . . .”


From her right she hears Darkon say, “You are different.” Both she and Tarith startle slightly. They both look at the boy. He stares back, as blank as always.


“What do you mean Darkon?” Tarith inquires. Fellion's grief filled mind clears slightly at the sudden declaration from the boy she feels a strange pull towards.


The boy tilts his head. “You are different. I see other people, they are as they are. I see animals, they are as they are. You, and Tarith, and Lassich are all different.” Fellion looks to Tarith for some sort of explanation, but he looks just as confused as she feels. Turning back to Darkon she tries to smile. He tilts his head again and settles in close to her like Tarith. Moments later, she finds herself drifting, the stress from the day all comes crashing down on her, and within a heartbeat, she's asleep.


+++++++++++



So, there you have it, a Catastrophy :P Anyways, what should our group do next? What is the plan?
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kkdestiny



Joined: 05 Oct 2010
Posts: 674
Location: The Library of Interfable History

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:21 am    Post subject:  

Read.The.Book.
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PopeAlessandrosXVIII



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:46 am    Post subject: Post  

Okay, that's one suggestion, anyone else?
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Seraphi



Joined: 25 Oct 2012
Posts: 503
Location: Penna, having a hot cup of tea

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:02 pm    Post subject:  

Holy awesomeness, Pope! My eyes are watering from staring at the computer screen all day catching up...but it is worth it!

This is incredible. I love the detail and description, the plot and action. The characters are great as well (Darkon was my favorite until you added Fallion. I'm a sucker for a story with a mermaid. :P ) and I'm intrigued as to how these characters, and their different auras, will fit together in the story as it grows.

I'm going to go with kkdestiny on this one and say they read the book. I think they should make their way somewhere more sheltered and away from water (or at least deep water) first, but the ultimate goal should be to take a peep at what is in those pages.

I can't wait to read more! Keep it up! :D
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PopeAlessandrosXVIII



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men

Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:27 am    Post subject: Post  

Last call for suggestions! Will start polling (If any more suggestions come in) by tuseday. If no more suggestions, chapter will be up by week's end! Thank you all for reading.
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