I was like damn, fucking insane...
Sirius - long post warning
01-23-2021, 07:36 PM
OOC: Long post warning. A good chunk of it is explaining Sky's disappearance since she was last a part of the Armada. It is not super detailed, but enough to give you a picture. Closer to the end of the post will be her returning to Sirius in the Ashen Armada. There will be a sign to indicate as such on the way down. Sky couldn't escape her fate of returning home. She knew this. With every passing day, Skyfire could feel the need of returning home to earn her freedom. While she was safe many miles away from her home in the Armada, the girl couldn't shake having to look over her shoulder all the time. The constant stress weighed in her mind. It affected her education, her attention in spars, and eventually her duties. One morning, she couldn't escape the watching eyes of Sirius who had confronted her about her lapse of focus. It was an uncomfortable conversation, and Sirius made it that way on purpose to reveal the truth. He wouldn't take no for an answer. With Skyfire backed into a corner, she revealed everything. The conversation took most of the day and by the time they were finished, the moon was out. Skyfire's family history of abuse, greed, and power had leaked into her own life since her father, Mortius, demanded she return home and take her place as heir in a disgusting twist of events. To continue his rule and establish his pack in other places, Mortius's goal was to marry her off into a nearby pack and then usurp its leadership. Mortius cared not for her wellbeing, or her feelings, as he was more interested in the amount of territory and control of prey on his land. Sky's mother, Allana, could do nothing more than watch. Allana had taken much of her own abuse as it was for even voicing an opinion. In her younger years, however, Allana would have held her own and fought for herself. Because of Mortius's twisted, violent nature, it forced Allana into submission. Skyfire, however, would not submit as easily. Skyfire had spent the next two hours pleading with Sirius on why she had to do this alone. Sirius was adamant that she take guards with her to protect her on the way. However, he saw the fire in her eyes when she demanded that she go alone for her own sake. Skyfire had something to prove not only to her father, but to herself also. She wouldn't take no for an answer, and Sirius saw something her that made him think highly of her. With his permission and blessing, Skyfire was allowed to leave. She didn't know how long she would be gone, but Skyfire promised she would return, no matter what. Sirius told her that he hoped so. It took almost four months to get to her homeland. How could she not have kept track of how long she traveled? Through deserts and rugged terrain to reach the paradise that Mortius had crafted with his corrupted power. Upon reaching the borders, Skyfire was attacked briefly until she mentioned her name and revealed the patch on her left shoulder. It was the only sign that Skyfire was Mortius's daughter, as no one else not of his line would have this mark. Skyfire was escorted in to his den at the first chance available. From there, Skyfire issued a challenge to her father. Either Mortius would fight her in combat for her freedom, to the death, or she would throw herself off the nearest cliff. Since Skyfire was the only female born in the litter, her death would be the end of his line. Both of her siblings had died of battle or gone missing, probably as a result of his rule. As much as Mortius wished that Skyfire would submit, pack law would not allow a challenge to go unanswered. Not only would it be a shot to his reputation if he declined, but it was also his daughter and he wished not to maim her too much. She was a prized possession. Skyfire needed to remain whole physically so that she could be married off. If Skyfire were sent to the allying pack injured in anyway, then the territory was all but lost. Mortius had no choice, so he would get this over with swiftly. When he chose of course. Skyfire was immediately thrown into a den used to house prisoners. While she had a water supply from the caves, she was only permitted small amounts of food. Skyfire was in the dark most days while she screamed for Mortius to honor his word and meet her challenge. Allana tried to count the days with the small amount of light that she was able to pick up, but a rough guesstimate told Sky that she had been in the cave for two months. Secretly, her mother would supply her with additional food that she wasn't given when she gave the guards a break. Allana also supplied critical information about Mortius, any weaknesses he had, and his fighting style. Skyfire was aware of the treatment received by Mortius, and declared that she would free Allana. However, Allana insisted she only focus on her freedom. Mortius would not let her go and would kill the only thing he loved if he had to. Skyfire was not as prized as Sky thought she was, so it was perhaps easier to earn her freedom. Within time, Allana was able to convince Mortius to meet her challenge as requested - with a little bit of unmentioned sacrifice. The fighting arena was similar to the arena that the Armada boasted, but there was only one way in or out. A trench surrounding the ring was fill of sharp sticks and rocks as a way to end the fight in a more painful way. Whether or not someone died in the trench of the ring was questionable. The battle between Skyfire and Mortius was brutal. Neither one held back. Fang and claw met fur and skin, cutting in places that may leave scars. Mortius was much bigger in body mass than she was, and taller, but Skyfire remembered some of the tricks and skills used when Sparring with Sirius, who was of similar size. Sirius was much bigger, of course. Mortius maybe stood another two and a half inches taller. Skyfire used her nimble movements and agility to dodge most of the attacks, but in no way was Skyfire not hurt herself. Mortius's big body meant that he had a stronger bite, and while he hesitated in the beginning, Skyfire's bite to his eye, blinding him, resulted in Mortius fighting more aggressively. He would not lose to his own offspring. The end of the fight came when Skyfire was able to find an opening to Mortius's throat and use his weight to somersault him forward onto his back as he charged forward. Skyfire bit down onto his windpipe to choke him while he tried to kick about. Skyfire stood over him, using her weight to keep him down. When Mortius stopped moving, Skyfire made a violent shake of her neck to wake him up. Mortius demanded that she kill him, but she refused. In response, she demanded her freedom or she would ensure he never sired any new offspring again before she tore his throat out. She also demanded that Mortius was to never send anyone after her again, that she was declared longer of his line, and that her mother be freed also. While Mortius would not release Allana, he would agree to the other terms. Allana was young enough that they would have more children, even if he had to take a mistress to continue his line. Mortius could not deny the drive in Skyfire that he once had himself, and according to pack law, he had to admit defeat. Getting up, he announced in front of all the the bystanders that from this day, Skyfire was disowned and no longer of their family line, and that she was to go wherever she pleased and to return where she came from. Skyfire would be escorted out of the territory to the edge of the outlands. The Outlands was the place Mortius called neutral grounds. He kept his promise that she would not be harmed as she left, which was part of the challenge terms. After being treated for her wounds, one of them intentionally placed over the white circle on her left shoulder to signify her new status, Skyfire left the next morning to go home. Mortius had kept his word. The guards let her go, and actually sneered that Mortius had lost for once. All were too scared of his wrath to know how he would react if he lost once. Skyfire returns to the Armada's borders from this moment on. Skyfire took the time to absorb what happened and that she was now free. No one was tracking her and she was free to make her own name for herself. During her four month travel back to the Ashen Armada, Skyfire did a lot of inner searching and exploration. The girl had a lot of growing up to do from this point on. Would Sirirus still remember her? A slight frown spread across her lips at her physical condition. Skyfire had a scar on her left shoulder, all but erasing the white circle, and other smaller ones that indicated the intensity of her battle. Skyfire was proud of herself for being the victor, but also knowing the restraint in wanting to kill her father. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn't stoop to his level of violence. Much like the wolf that inspired her so much, Aurielle, she chose to be better. Over the four months, Skyfire spent her time building muscle tone and eating food again, sometimes eating more than usual, to help with growing the bulk. At three years now, it was unlikely that she would grow much more. However, when Skyfire looked into her reflection, she could see that she had built her body out much more than when she was younger during the first days in the Armada. Skyfire wasn't lean, but instead curved and sculpted. Her gray fur now draped her frame in a beautiful way, giving the perspective of the woman she was. Skyfire made her way to the Tall Grasslands which was the home of the Armada. The grass, covered in snow, was mostly flat, but the scents remained the same. Green eyes scanned the horizon for anyone of the Armada, but saw none. In the year that she had been gone, Skyfire imagined that much had changed. It was hard to say, however, without talking to the giant. Skyfire walked up a few more steps, but then stopped. With her head pointed to the sky, Skyfire called for anyone in the Armada to meet her at the borders, though specifically she sought for Sirius himself, if the man would have her back. |