[SE] Death of Innocence

Edmund would be lying if he said he didn't have reservations about this. Unicorns were magical, majestic, and awe-inspiring. And he had to kill one and drain it of its blood. It was a task that he truly never expected to ever undertake.  Yet, for his Mother, for his fellow Ancients, for his quest. He would.

Wandering the forest and dodging the many plants and tree-roots, Edmund tried to figure out how to actually find a unicorn. It'd be possible to track one in his molten tiger form, but he was worried that he'd end up starting a forest fire. The young Ancient would just have to settle for looking for hoofprints and other signs of the creatures.

No one bothered the massive snake as it slithered through the wilds. Smaller creatures ran, and even larger predators moved away from the basilisk's presence. It was a better shift for the demigod to take than the polar bear whose thick white fur was not as beneficial to him as the sleek scales of the basilisk form.

As he neared the center of the Oerwood, Noah slowed and waited. He stayed silent as he stilled himself in as much cover as the thick forest would allow. He was contained quite well as he waited for something to come along -- something to satisfy his belly, and something perhaps to leave for the spring deity.

The forest around Edmund grew silent and he paused mid-step. The hair on the back of his neck rose and the young Ancient quickly turned and scanned the forest around him. Through the trees he spotted a familiar flash of scales. For a moment all he could feel was those very teeth around him, digging into soft fur. The sound of his racing heartbeat and the burning pain that followed.

Trembling slightly, Edmund took a step backwards, his back hitting a tree with a soft thud. Wide eyes followed the basilisk, hoping he would remain unnoticed. He wasn't even sure if the man would harm him. But Edmund knew that the man had witnessed his mum's scolding. Neither bode well for him.

The basilisk hadn't noticed the boy, even as his back thumped against the tree. Though the demigod heard it with impressive ears, he dismissed it as a sound of fleeing -- as he had been hearing throughout the jungle already.

Perhaps all the better.

The basilisk waited, great blue eyes searching in his camouflaged state now that it had been several moments of stillness. Regular sounds began to emerge as the creatures around settled. The fluttering of birds wings and their calls that followed filled around the forest as if all was right once more. The basilisk wasn't quite ready to strike at anything yet. He bided his time, regaining some strength that travel took from him. Between his compass and his magic and his giant shift, it was still a long trek from Halo to the Oerwood.

The forest returned to normal, or so it seemed. The birds began to call once more and Edmund let out a deep sigh, unlocking his jaw and forcing his shoulders down. Cautiously, he looked or scales and upon finding none, took a step forward to resume his trek. It was scarcely a minute when he spotted hoofprints. They seemed to be in flight of the large snake. It seems that the basilisk's presence was a blessing in disguise. In an effort to flee the large predator, whatever left this track had taken off with a force, leaving a solid print in the mud.

Perking up, Edmund began to follow the tracks, trying to walk silently so as not to further frighten what he hoped was a unicorn.

While the basilisk hadn't noticed the ancient when he bumped into the tree, he did catch his scent as he moved on following the hoofprints. The basilisk hissed slightly and his great blue eyes shifted to find the boy. A familiar scent filled the hunter's senses after the identifying scent dissipated as he opened his wide jaws, massive fangs glinting in the forest light. It wasn't quite fear, but it was close. Trepidation, perhaps? Hmm. Well.

Noah wasn't a cruel man.

His senses pulsed and he downsized to his normal stature, staying silently in place for a while. He didn't want to run off after the ancient, but he was interested in what he was doing out here in the Oerwood. But Noah would do what he was here to do first. Taking the flask from his belt and the pouch from beside it, Noah knelt down to the ground.

He moved leaves and stones until he was down at the bare dirt, and then he took his pouch and emptied its contents in a sprinkling motion. Then, he watered from the flask on top of it. [say]"For you, Ghilio."[/say] He whispered, barely above the sound of his breath.

Unaware that he had caught Noah's attention, Edmund continued along his path. Doubling back twice when he lost the trail, he finally heard rustling ahead of him. Crouching down, the young Ancient peered down from a ridge. His eyes widened as he caught the sight of a herd of unicorns.

The herd was small. A stallion and three mares. Yet the small foal caught his attention and Edmund felt a pang of guilt. He would never go after a baby and he quickly noted which of the does was the mother, ensuring that he wouldn't harm her either. The stallion was scarred and undoubtedly strong. Coming to the conclusion that one of the other two mares would be his best option, the Ancient began to move along the ridge to get into position.

Edmund was nervous but tried to remain as silent as possible. Once he reached a point where his target was just beneath him, he tensed and began to shift into that of his molten tiger form.

Once Noah’s offering to the seasonal deity was completed, he reattached the pouch and the flask to his belt. Never letting the ancient which he knew to be stalking around leave his mind, Noah let it come to the forefront now. Still crouched, Noah turned slightly on his heels and partially shifted his ears. The keen senses of the polar bear would aid him now, but oh how he wished that he still held the lynx shift beneath his skin. Vi had given him much, but there was still a yearning for what once was when it would benefit him so.

After taking several minutes to listen, Noah determined that Edmund was moving away from him. In the loamy soil it was not difficult to find footprints, and his skill and history as a hunter made him so desperately aware of them that he couldn’t not look. But, he had been gone from Halo for long enough. Finished with his task, Noah let his hand fall into his pocket and thumb the compass and in a flash, he was back in the icy fortress/

FIN