Trapdoors and Fractures

Another crack of thunder ruptured the sky as Ashiel scrambled along the muddy pathway. The rain was pelting his body but he could not turn back until he found Griff. The kite had been right behind him until that sudden burst of wind and he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened. "Griff! Answer Me!" The emperor called out but was only answered by the thunder and the echo of his voice against the canyon walls.  Blazes and curses!

Lightning fractured the sky as Ashiel worked his way further down. If the bird had been blown into the canyon wall with enough force it could have knocked the other unconscious and- there!  "Griff!"  Ashiel spied the form of the bird laying weakly on a ledge that was swiftly eroding into a muddy stream from the deluge. No!  Ashiel leapt just in time, one of his great paws batting the bird away and onto a more rocky and solid ledge. The downside was that he landed upon the eroding ledge which gave way under his sudden weight, sending him plummeting to the depths below. A sudden crack as his head hit a rock and he was lost to the darkness.

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Ashiel was standing knee-deep in freezing water that flowed around his legs like deep, black ink. He shivered, looking around him but all his eyes could see was a snow white horizon that was swiftly swallowed by walls of fog on all sides. Ahead of him the water cut like a wound until it to disappeared into the fog. Even stranger were the dead trees and plants that surrounded him.  They looked as if they were being brutalized by a fierce wind but Ashiel could feel nothing of the sort.  As his attention turned back to the river he froze, his hackles standing on end as he noticed a massive shadow standing in the water, staring at him. It's body seemed to be made of tightly bound vapors in a swirling mass. Small yellow eyes, like two beads of flame stared back at him.

From the shadow he saw fangs that parted as the creature spoke.

You Are Lost

Ashiel steeled his heart, his body stiffened but he did his best not to show fear. He was an Emperor. He was a god. He would not be cowed so easily by this spirit or whatever it was. Ashiel sneered at the apparition and said dryly, "Literally or figuratively?"

Ashiel didn't have a chance to respond as the monster leapt forward and he found himself pinned on his back his neck stretching, struggling, to keep his head above water. He gasped then chocked at the horrid stench of the creature. It was then he realized that not only was the beast covered in writhing shadow but it seemed to be covered in maggots as well! The beasts flesh was rotting and it stank terribly.

I do not suffer fools and you are as ignorant as a newborn whelp still sucking on its mothers teat.

Indignant, Ashiel snapped back, "How dare you! Have you any idea to whom you speak? I am Ashiel Abraxas. Descendent of the fallen god and ruler of the Eclipse Empire. You have no right to speak to me so!"  He thrashed and flailed against the creature but its grip held him like iron.

You call yourself a god but you haven't earned it. Can you really be a god by blood alone when you don't even know the spirit of your lineage? What do you know of your own beliefs, boy?

Ashiel felt himself fall silent. Pyralis was not exactly the religious type and there had been so much going on with the conquest that his lessons on his religion had fallen to the way side and even though Griff had been trying to teach him he'd had other plans. He'd had a pack to claim after all and members to take care of. His understanding of the festivals was slim at best.  In the end Ashiel remained silent. What could he really say? "Who are you?" He managed to ask.

The beast looked down at him out of its stinking flesh which corroded around a cheshire grin.

"Aerrigor, a high priest of the god you claim to serve! Your accomplishments are indeed impressive but you do it for the admiration of your family and of mortals. How can you truly aid in your families goal when you can't even comprehend it?"

He leaned in closer so that Ashiel was forced to sink further into the water, barely keeping his ears above it.

"You have missed your calling. Your people are well led in the arts of battle and conquering but what of the spirit? Who from the younger generation shall step forward? Ashiel. Will you not bare your fangs and dive into the mysteries of the otherworlds? Could not your family use the likes of one who has travelled the Highways?"

Aerrigor moved off of him but Ashiel couldn't move, his whole body was numb to the cold and in a moment the water level rose over his head.

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Gasping, Ashiel awoke and stood, the act of standing bringing his head up out of the water that was flooding the area where he'd fallen. His head throbbed painfully, his body shivered and he coughed violently. Around him lay the broken remains of the ledge and above him perched the worried expression of Griff. "Griff?"

"I'm here Ashiel, you had a nasty fall and your head is bleeding badly. The storm seems to be letting up but we can't stay here. We need to go." Ashiel nodded and let his companion climb onto his back. It was clear now that one of the birds wings had been injured, he couldn't fly but Griff helped Ashiel navigate his way back towards the dens. All the while the dream… the vision… played over and over in Ashiel's head. If this was not a sign then what was? Why had he chosen to establish a pack? It certainly hadn't been any sort of childhood dream. He'd simply wanted to prove himself to his mother and uncle. Could it be that he was meant for something else? Was this a good omen? Was this a message from the fallen god? Or was this something trying to lead him to ruin?

A roll of thunder was his only answer.