Meissa

the most dangerous thing is to love

Night had consumed the world.

The nights had been growing longer and longer as the cold season came on, but Meissa could not remember a night so cold as this, so long and demanding of attention. The world was changing so quickly, she didn't understand it. She longed for the warmth of the sun, the way it swept over her coat and brought her loving heat, as if the sun itself was caressing her when she walked beneath its glow. She could hardly remember the last time she saw the sun in its full glory.

Was this the end of the world?

Her adoptive pack, if you could truly call it that, had made soft utterances of apocalypses and terrors though they had never seemed to be real. Not until now, when the wind swept whispers and it seemed every way she turned, the stone itself grew crystals and mushrooms that glowed, taunting of the chance (that felt very real right now) that they would not see daylight ever again.

What was next - would wolves begin to glow? Would they somehow grow bio-luminescent? She checked her own pelt, determined that despite her cape of white, she would not begin to glow and take on such a fearsome attribute. Though, of course, she had no control over whether that would occur or not.

What is going on?

Out of Character - Dialogue

OOC

The stallion had made a long journey to investigate how thoroughly things had been shifting and changing in the world he and the wolves of Ardent called home. The days had shifted to barely a handful of hours as he’d gone, and by the time to reached the east coast, the moon never set, and never waned. The fireflies were even more abundant, and he doubted it was just because he’d come east. More puzzling were the whispers of familiar voices. At first, they’d been just out of reach of understanding. But he recognized the lilts and intonations as those of his last band… but not all of the mares’ voices were there that had been lost in that catastrophic landslide. The memory was a tight band in his chest, something that not even the soothing motion of jaws and tongue eased. He came to a stop, just short of the edge of a tall cliff that shone white under the moon, a dark sea rushing over the beach below – far below – and he stood, gazing out, ears flicking and swiveling as the flashes of blue drifted and floated around him. Crystals and mushrooms he could accept for the most part, even glowing flora and fauna—considering his own appearance and that of at least two wolves he knew well, it was the least unusual thing in this entire strange winter. The voices, though. They were an entirely other thing he wasn’t sure he liked. Did it make it any better that he didn’t hear his dam’s voice among those whispers? Perhaps… One ear canted toward a voice, feminine and wolven. One large teal eye flicked to spot the woman, before he turned his great, horned head and regarded her more intently before the skin of his shoulders twitched in a shrug and he responded, “Strange times for all of us.” His voice was a deep rumble, steady and calm despite the concerns he had for the world. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Meissa

the most dangerous thing is to love

Thunder roared in the distance and she ignored it, focusing on the fireflies that danced about, swirling above the already oddly lit landscape. Their whispers drew her Among the whispers broke another voice, masculine and not at all canine.

She turned to look at the stranger and froze in shock.

He was massive, a beast unlike any she had seen before. He was, god, what, three times her height? She stared up at him, unable to tear her eyes away. Not only was he massive but he glowed, his body shimmering in a silvery luminescence that looked like it fit right in with the rest of the glowing around them. A spear grew from his forehead, striking into the sky with a deadly gleam. If he wished, he could stab through her heart in one thrust of that powerful horn.

Had the moon itself come down to speak with her?

It took her a long moment to break out of her trance and shake it off, trying to regain her train of thought. Do you hear them too? was all she could manage to get out at first before confusion and nerves caught her and she had to swallow them down. When alone, the girl could not help but be on edge, especially in such a strange world. She had been separated from the one she cared for and it rattled her.

Are we going mad? Or more specifically, am I going mad?

Out of Character - Dialogue

OOC

Taliesyn took the shocked stare of the young woman with a mild smile, faintly amused as he lowered his head to a level with her own to relieve her of the need to crane her head back. His mane pooled on the ground, some drifting on the wind over the edge of the cliff as he assured softly, “I won’t harm you, miss. Not unless you were to attack me, but you don’t look to be on the hunt, so.” His eyes crinkled softly, lips twitching in a faint smile. The expression sobered as she spoke, and he drew in a sigh, dark-skinned nostrils flaring slightly. “I do. For me, I hear my late herd of mares. I… lost them in a land slide. Them and our foals.” The delicate ears nestled in his thick mane and shaggy winter coat flicked forward, then back as a firefly drifted close enough for him to hear the buzz of wings. Wings and whispers. His head lifted, following the winking insect with his eyes as it floated along the edge of the cliff. “I suppose, that if you are hearing the voices as well, then madness is… probably not the case. The world is changing. Last winter animals that were thought long extinct came amid an ice age.” They beckoned, but for the moment, the stallion kept his hooves firmly planted. Common sense dictated that it would be crazy to follow the strange creatures and their whispers from voices he’d last heard in the waking world screaming in terror, muffled by the horrific roar of shifting earth and tumbling boulders and rock. The possibility that the fireflies could attempt to lead an enthralled type over the edge of the cliff was a real thought in his head, and he had no plans to give himself flying lessons. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Meissa

the most dangerous thing is to love

The strange equine seemed not to mind her confusion, offering a smile and lowering his head so that she could look him in the eye. She tensed slightly at the motion but slowly relaxed as the stranger assured her he would not attack. She wasn't sure how much she believed him with his weapon now so near to her. It was frighteningly sharp up close, as if a bone had been wound around itself many times over and sharpened into a point.

It was lethal.

She shook her head at the thought of being on a hunt. I would be dead before I reached you, she said with a soft laugh and another shake of her head, trying in probably the worst way to agree that she had no thought to attack.

He spoke of a herd, of mares, of foals, and it took a moment for her to understand what he meant by that. His pups, his mates. Did... horned horses always roam in such a way? She had never had time to speak with any, though she had heard of large herds of them across the plains. I'm sorry to hear that, she said, her own voice barely over a whisper as she craned her head to try to listen to the whispers again.

She could faintly recall some, though she couldn't quite be certain of their identities. It filled her with a sadness and a longing. She looked to the stallion once more, hesitating before asking with a nervous hint to her voice, Are... they always the voices of the deceased?

If it was... were all of them gone forever?

Her heart ached.

He spoke of animals long extinct and the girl's eyes widened. In her youth, there had been beasts like that - and she was not so old, perhaps that time was what he meant. It was all very odd for the at-the-time yearling and she could not help but wonder... Why? For some reason, she felt that he would know more about it than she would. After all, he and these odd events held something in common.

Out of Character - Dialogue - Thought

OOC

The observant horse didn’t miss the look the young woman gave his horn, and he could understand her willingness to not start trouble. He appreciated the choice—not everyone was as smart as to avoid attempting to hunt a horse that could feed a small pack for months if the meat was stored properly. His tail flicked lightly at her condolences, muzzle dipping in acknowledgement. “It was several years back by now. The life of a horse can be fickle. I’m part of a wolf pack in the west now, and they don’t begrudge me for my species, nor do they attempt to eat me.” The last he added with a whickered chuckle, rumbling deep in his barrel. The fireflies flickered and danced, holding in one place as though waiting, and he sighed, one ear canting back at her question. He was silent for a moment as he considered the voices he heard even now, whispering, beckoning to follow. “I do not know. I don’t hear my mother’s voice among them. Horses live quite a bit longer than wolves, so she could well be alive still. I don’t hear my sister, either… So… perhaps. I hope not…” He gestured with his whiskery muzzle at the fireflies as he added, “They seem pretty insistent on being followed, though. Perhaps...” Finally, he gave in, keeping a good several feet between himself and the edge of the cliff as he took a few steps toward the fireflies, tipping his head to study the young wolf with one teal eye around his barrel and hip. "Perhaps, though it may be foolish to follow them, we may find answers if we do." Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Taliesyn

As you step after the voices a thick fog suddenly rolls in from below the cliff face. Though the fireflies continue to beckon you forward, you can no longer see where the terrain ends and cliff begins. As the fog thickens, you find it's becoming harder to breathe.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

[Going to post Tal reacting real quick for the NPC, since the deadline is getting close and I can't recall if the deadline is for beginning new event threads or for finishing them too. Don't forget to post Meissa's form in the Halloween Event post thread, it's linked in the News on Ardent's front page <3 Click on "It continues"]

Before the wolf could respond, the surroundings were suddenly steeped in white, rolling fog. His nostrils flared, snorting out a breath of brief alarm before he steadied himself, hide twitching. The fog was thick, as if filling his lungs instead of the salty ocean wind, and he steadied himself, ears flicking and swiveling. He could no longer see, but he could hear and feel. Interestingly, the fireflies were still visible, though the wolf was obscured behind him. It was cloistering, overly intimate, and he wondered idly if horses had felt this way when transported in the strange contraptions his mother had called trailers. He’d never seen one himself, but his mother had experienced them personally as a filly before everything had changed for her in life. “Beastly,” she’d called them, “But I learned to get used to them, and we’d often be in interesting new places when they next opened the door, so… It was alright in the end. But I don’t miss the feeling of them beneath my hooves, rattling and swaying.” A smile touched his lips as the memory of her story settled his nerves, and he let his head lower, serving to steady his heart rate as he let his whiskered muzzle pass over the ground ahead of his feet, one ear canted toward the edge of the cliff and the far below roar of surf, and the other flicking toward the land-side, quieter and yet rife with night creatures, not to mention many day animals confused by the bright, always moon. Ahead, the fireflies beckoned, and he followed cautiously. It was still difficult to breathe even at hoof level, but he pressed on, calling back, “If you can’t see, put your nose to the ground and follow my scent through my hoof prints. I’m going carefully.” He could very well be the only one experiencing the fog, though he had to admit it was an incredibly vivid hallucination, if so. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Firefly Shoppe - Taliesyn

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Firefly's Favor- 1 /
  A firefly in a bottle. Might come in handy if you let him go at just the right time.
  
• Shrink Potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like a pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the smallest one.
  
• Racing Shoes- 1 /
  Some nice kicks that make you feel like you can just do it!
  

A firefly dazzled close to his eyes and he snorted softly, following the creature to find himself confronted with a strange figure. Was this a human? His hide twitched in shock, ears flicking back, then pricking forward as he tried to decide what to do about this. The creature didn’t seem hostile… not overtly, but one could never be too certain. So as his eyes roved the items on the table, he shifted carefully, hooves poised to bolt out of reach. Of the three items, he could see no use for two, not for himself. Shoes that would likely never fit his hooves, something that appeared to affect height or size in wolves – would such a thing even affect a horse? Finally, he studied the first, ears cocked toward the figure in suspicion. Finally, cautiously, he stretched his neck forward, head cocking to better read the label. He didn’t know whether to bother speaking to the cloaked figure—his mother had said humans didn’t seem able to understand them, not in the way the animals did with one another. Why not try, though? “I believe the first item may be the wisest choice on the table.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Firefly Shoppe- Taliesyn

The firefly man nods in response to the horse's words. He presents the item and then fades into nothingness.


You gain:

• Firefly's Favor- A firefly in a bottle. Might come in handy if you let him go at just the right time.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...