Wild Wild Woods

Rance had been drunk when he stumbled through the door of the pub. A state that certainly hadn’t improved by the time he hit the ground on the other side, surrounded by trees instead of buildings. The unexpected change in scenery, combined with inebriation and more than one fist to the head, meant that it took him several long minutes to realize that he hadn’t tripped onto a hard-packed dirt street, but soft forest loam. It was the discovery that his cloak was missing — his feathers, his wings — that  jolted him partly sober with a spike of fear and adrenaline. A panicked and fruitless search turned up nothing, but in the midst of his confusion, he changed forms entirely by accident. That had brought a fresh wave of drunken anxiety and he flapped around uselessly in raven form, cawing in distress. How did he change without his cloak? Why had the transformation felt so strange, his magic so off?

He’d attributed it to the drink, at first, but the longer he was in this forest, the more foreign it felt. The heat, as if it were the middle of the hottest months instead of barely past snow-melt as it had been at home. The unfamiliar animal noises reaching his ears when he wasn’t making too much noise himself. Even the air smelled strange! Confused and addled by drink and panic, he made it up to a low branch, hiding his pack amongst the roots. Shivering despite the heat, he eventually fell asleep.

The next several days were spent trying to figure out where he was and nursing his bruises — and hangover — from the bar brawl he’d left behind. He explored in avian form at first, flying high above the trees to see if he could find the town. Instead, he found an ocean of trees broken by an unfamiliar river and distant mountains. It was so disorienting that he ducked down below the branches again and stayed there.

A thin stream quenched his thirst and the last of his trail rations took care of his hunger, but it had been a long time since he’d been lost. Some of the birds and plants were familiar enough that he thought he’d be able to hunt for meals in raven form, but the rest of the forest was even stranger in daylight than it had been at night. A twisted tree moved when he tried to perch on it and giant mushrooms stood taller than any he’d ever seen before. Quite by accident he discovered that the moss was cool to the touch and from there on he kept some of it on him whenever he was in human form.

The afternoon of the third day was him much like the previous,the woods still thick unknowable, and an absolute pain in the ass to traverse by foot or by wing. He’d loosely decided to head for the large river, risking occasional flights into the high branches to make sure he was still going the right way. As he was beginning to ease into the idea of having a plan and, maybe, hope that he’d find civilization, a horned insect the size of a fucking dog trundled past.

That was the snapping point.

“What the fuckin’ hell kind of place is this?” Rance tossed his pack to the ground, snarling and dragging his fingers through his hair. Blue eyes veered resolutely away from the direction the unnatural thing had headed. The jacket he’d tied around his waist followed his movements like a tail as he spun and began pacing between the trees. “Is this some kind of fuckin’ prank? Did that fucker put some of that shitty ass vision dust in my drink? Motherfuckin’ bitch always did cheat, but what the fucking hell?!”

———————
Rance is lost in the Wildwood after a portal popped him out there. He’s confused, angry, and he’s not gonna take it anymore!

MAEA

The air was close, hot, near stifling. Sweat trickled down Maea's temples and made the hair cling to the sides of her face as she trundled after the Elephant Beetle, notebook in hand. Almost as high at the peak point of the shell as she was tall, it was not a mark to be easily lost, something she was very grateful for. Long skirts tangled with her legs and snagged on brambles and thorns with every step, dragging up long tears in the hem that would need the attention of needle and thread later in the evening. But the girl could not be bothered to care about it, not now. Not when she'd found this massive specimen of a beetle to study and add to her journal.

She was distracted by the sound of cussing erupting from nearby. A male voice echoing between the trees, using a language most foul; but for all the rage, she thought she could hear an undertone of panic that drew her attention away from the animal. Searching the woods with pale, near colorless eyes, she spotted a tall figure stomping about, and veered off her path to approach, cautious and a bit wary of the temper tantrum.

"Hello? You seem... lost. Can I help you?" She kept her voice gentle, loud enough to hear even though she paused with a good bit of distance between them.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Having turned away from the immediate source of his frustration, Rance missed the fact that the beetle had someone tailing it. So, the soft voice that slipped in during a break in his rant caught him by surprise. He half-stumbled and turned his head toward the voice.

Attention caught by the human-like figure, he barely noticed that the offending insect was out of immediate visual range. Small, pale, fragile were all descriptors that flitted through his mind before he settled on another fae and relaxed. Hands left auburn hair and dragged over his face before dropping to his sides. “Yes, I could definitely use some fuckin’ help,” Rance said, still agitated, but noticeably more calm. His voice was deep, a gravelly rumble. “I think some asshole might’ve dropped me in your woods as a prank? Unless… am I Underhill?”

MAEA

The girl tilted her head, risking a few more steps in his direction as he seemed disinclined to lash out with more than words. The agitated fingers dragging through russet hair was a gesture of frustration rather than rage, and from his choice of words she quickly pegged him for what he had to be. An Outlander.

"Underhill?" she said, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "No... I'm afraid not. This is Caido. You are standing in the Wildwoods, and I can assure you... this is not a prank."

Offering a tentative smile, she pulled a strand of sweat-damp hair behind her ear. It was always difficult to break it to these newcomers where they were, how they got here, why they'd been torn from their lives.

"If you want to know more, I can explain everything to you. But... you might want to sit down." Maea looked about doubtfully, as if expecting a suitable place for chatting to just appear out of thin air. But there was still only trees, rocks, the occasional shrub, and the crashing of underbrush as the Elephant Beetle trundled off in another direction. The girl looked after it with some regret, and suppressed a sigh. This was a bit more important, she supposed.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

The surge of hope for the possibility of returning home melted away as swiftly as it had risen. It was the way the girl said ‘Underhill’, like she’d never even heard stories of the Sidhe Courts, never been warned about the faerie mounds or the dangers of being lured into them. Before he could think to ask anything else, she’d continued, dropping names Rance had never heard. He barely registered her tone, as if she were approaching a stray animal and it was far from the first time.

Her offer to explain cut into the shock before it could properly stun him. “I… yeah… shit.” He blew out a sigh and looked around as well, though with less focus. Even with his fingers gone, the dark red of his hair stood in messy spikes thanks to sweat and dust. Being in raven form more than half the time helped for keeping clean, but he couldn’t avoid all the disadvantages of a human body. Refocusing his gaze on her, he continued, ”I’m fine sitting on the ground if you are. Or if you’ve got a better idea, I’ll follow your lead.”

MAEA

As her search for a suitable spot to perch on, the girl just shrugged and found a suitable hollow by the roots of the nearest tree. There she eased herself down, leaning back against the trunk with her knees pulled up against the chest, and motioned for the man to sit down as well.

"Well... to begin with, my name is Maea Valair," she began, introducing herself with a little smile. "I grew up not far from where we are now, so I know this place well.

"As I said before, you are in Caido. It is... a different world from the one you came from, most likely, and also the name of this continent, and the Old God that created it. One of our other New Gods has created a device that brings people in here, for the purpose of aiding her in her endeavors to escape their restrictions on her... or at least that's how it used to be.

"Recently, that goal has been fulfilled, but... the device is unfortunately still active. And now it has brought you here."

She broke off there, intending to keep the information relevant and to the point, making sure that he was keeping up. Her voice was calm and clear, sounding almost like a teacher holding a lesson; but the expression on her face was kind. This was not an easy thing to absorb, and she would not blame him for being confused. More than he already was.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. If there is anything you want to know, just ask, I don't mind; it's part of my job to inform new arrivals of these things."

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

His would-be greeter made herself comfortable and, at her gesture, Rance dropped down as well, only making sure he wasn’t going to land wrong on a root or rock before flopping cross-legged to the forest floor. The fingers of one hand tapped a nervous pattern on his knee, but the fidgets were otherwise kept to a minimum. As alarming as the news that he was somewhere entirely strange was, the pale woman — Maea — was so calm that it was hard to fully panic. Under normal circumstances, he might have scoffed at being offered such patience, but in that moment he wasn’t about to turn away a freely offered hand.

He nodded as she offered he name — given and family, so either a pseudonym or she wasn’t a fae at all — and the fact that she was a local. That explained why she was traversing the wood around them with ease. The knowledge that Caido was an entirely different world drew a more dramatic reaction. Rance’s eyes widened and he sat up straight, fingers going still. Meddling gods he understood from his homeland, but a device that kidnapped people from other worlds and brought then to Caido? One active for, apparently, no reason beyond a god’s carelessness?

His mind was a whirl of confusion, lingering anger that could very easily find a focus on this ‘New God’, and an awakening curiosity. He never would have chosen to have fallen through a portal, but since he was already there….

”A lot of questions is an understatement,” he huffed a rueful laugh. ”Not sure where to start. First — Rance.” He tapped himself on the chest. He wasn’t about to give his full name to a stranger, but one name was safe enough.

”Second — does the portal do something to the magic of those it kidnaps?” He tried not to look nervous, but his fingers began their anxious tapping again. ”I had a… cloak. Which allowed me some abilities. I couldn’t find it after I sobered up, and my magic… feels different.” If he could get himself straightened out, then he could start asking questions about the wider world.

MAEA

Bowing her head in greeting as the man offered his name, Maea listened to the question with a tilt of her head, strangely feline in the way her eyes lingered on him while he spoke. It was a good question, indicating a good head and clear mind... she smiled.

"It's my pleasure, Rance," she said, and looked like she meant it. "Firstly, it is not so much a portal, how you came here. You were not brought here bodily. Rather... the device has learned everything there is about you and created a second version of you, and brought it here. The Rance of your homeland is still there, from what I understand... and the you who is here now is... well... a second edition. The reason why your abilities have changed would be because it has been adapted to fit with the laws of this world."

She pointed a hand to the ground beside her, and made a few dry leaves rise up to hover in the air, quite steady as they spun in place, shifting and turning - twirled between some invisible fingers.

"There are several races of beings here on Caido," she explained. "The Accepted, beloved by all gods. The Attuned, who have the closest connection to the Old Gods and can take the semblance of the creatures of the world. The Ascended, who have chosen to align themselves with The Voice, the New God who brought you here, and... the Abandoned, who are wielders of magic and thus shunned by most of the gods." There was a look of regret as she said the last, and with a flick of a finger she relinquished the magic on the leaves, allowing them to flutter back to the ground. "There are also Fae, the inhabitants of this particular region; they are small and winged, and possess abilities of their own... I've not had much contact with them, only know that they prefer to keep to themselves."

Returning her focus to Rance, she raised a curious brow. "What could you do before? If you've noticed any particular changes, perhaps those could tell us what you have become here."

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

If it hadn’t been for Maea’s smile and continued explanation, Rance might have started his frustrated pacing and ranting all over again. Out of respect for the person taking pity on him, he stayed silent during her explanation of the portals and their magic, though he jaw visibly tightened and his eyes widened again. He was a … copy? A duplicate made by the wayward magic set and abandoned by an unknown god? Instead of tapping, his fingers curled in as he unconsciously clenched his hand in a fist.

He followed the motion of the leaves, the curl of what he assumed was air lifting them. He’d suspected Maea held some power, so this display only confirmed what he’d already assumed. Oddly, it put him a bit more at ease and his jaw unclenched, expression relaxing. If she had turned out to be merely a human, he would have felt more wary about revealing more details about himself. He was already putting more trust in a stranger than he normally would, but Maea had arrived at just the right time and Rance had been desperate for answers.

He listened to her listing of the races, memorizing the names, though the mention of each connection the the gods meant little to him. The description of the Attuned made him start a bit. This world had its own shifters, then? He nodded as she seemed to finish, noting the unhappy flicker in her voice and expression. More questions began to pile in his thoughts, but before they even formed words, the Fae were brought up. Here Rance startled again, but her description sat like a rock in his chest. So, the Fae here were only like the Sidhe, were they?

“Ah, the most obvious change is the one I mentioned: my cloak.” The corner of his mouth kicked up in a rueful half smile, the truth of his position a flicker in the back of his mind. “I’m fae — or was, in my world. A raven, though I could look like this, if I took my feathers off. And since I can still do this—” He transformed, croaked up at Maea, then transformed back in a ruffle of black feathers. The incomplete smile was still on his face as he leaned back, letting his frustration out by digging his fingers into the forest floor behind him and utterly failing to look casual about it.

“Am I right in assuming the Fae here don’t do that?”

MAEA

Ge shifted back and forth into that raven semblance, and the girl only smiled. Rather wistful, plenty calm and not at all surprised by the changes. Ro his question she merely shook her head.

"The Fae have some magic - illusions mostly - and one shift, but they are also very short in stature. Never taller than myself, with earthy skin and insect wings. I would dare say that you are Attuned, inherently aligned with the Old Gods.... and this raven is not the limit of what you may one day become, gods willing."

The way she said it implied warm approval, even perhaps a little jealousy. It seemed clear to her that he felt robbed of some identity with this change, but from what Maea could tell it did indeed fit well with what be could do before.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

So, no matter what he had become, he was no longer quite what he was before. At least he wasn’t one of those fae with more magic. His loss had been… minimal. At least he could still take his birth form. The mention of becoming more than that, though, had his brow creasing, bewildered. “That doesn’t make any sense. Become more?” He shook his head. “Not so sure about that….” Why would he want to be anything else besides a raven? It was what he was.

He didn’t catch Maea’s mood shift, too caught up in his own head to be properly focused on her, especially with how subtle the changes were. Still, he had heard the shift when she mentioned the Abandoned — which was what she apparently was? — and how they were ignored by the gods. “This might be damned insensitive, but is the favor of these gods really so important? Where I’m from, most would rather the gods stayed the fuck out of their business.”

MAEA

She nodded, not quite understanding his hesitation. "Why yes. I know Attuned who can take as many as four different shapes, and I doubt that is the limit. Not only that, but they can take the traits from one or more and use them while in their human form. Claws, teeth, feathers, eyesight and hearing; I don't think there is a limit." Maea couldn't say if there was any kind of choice involved in it, and since Rance didn't ask, she did not think to say anything of it.

His question about the gods had her... confused. Visibly so. "Why... would you not want it?" she asked in returned. "To have their favor is to have unlimited possibilities. To have their ear, receive their guidance, their love... I can think of nothing more fulfilling." But then again, she was a pious woman, and had never even considered shunning her gods even when they thought so little of her in the past.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Rance had been trying to process the strange things Maea was telling him, trying to accept that he was no longer what he had been — had never been? Would never be? — but the idea that a shifter could be more than they were, more creatures than that which was their being, seemed utterly wrong to Rance. Any semblance of good humor dropped away, his frown deepening. That he could still change into his true form was a relief, even if it wasn’t perfect. He was a raven, literally born and bred. The thought that he could put on other skins, other sets of feathers, seemed like a violation.

Her obvious confusion about his derision of the gods’ favor didn’t help the panic still running circles in the corner of his mind. Of course she could state such things as being copied so calmly. There were plenty in his world that were so faithful, too. Out of respect for the information she’d given to him, he bit back his first scornful reaction. Quite literally, as he bit his lip before answering her. ”Listen… your gods are obviously different from mine. Mine only make their will known in ways that always come with a price. All the stories of miracles come with a tragedy fallin’ upon someone who isn’t the so blessed.” He licked his bitten lip, fingers digging deeper into the soil and forest debris beneath them. ”And… fuck, one of your gods makes fuckin’ changelings out of people.” He could feel the fear and anger simmering below the surface again, threatening to overwhelm the curiosity. He wanted information, craved it, but to find out that he was not only pulled from his world, but that he wasn’t even the same being anymore?

MAEA

She watched him. Her eyes were pale and seemed to be made of all colors and none, shifting and changing with the light as the wind stirred leaves in the canopy overhead. They were cast in shadow where they sat, but the air was still close, dense, hard to breathe. Too hot, too dry. His thoughts were not difficult to follow, written on the lines drawing and redrawing across his face. The frown, the tense lips, the flashing eyes... oh, he was not happy with any of this. But then, who was?

"The Voice is no goddess of mine," the girl said, quite calmly even if her tone sharpened for a moment. Leaning back a little further against the treetrunk behind her, she considered him, kept her gaze fixed on his figure as if to try and determine what to say, how to say it, how far to go.

"No one says you have to pray to her. Nor to the Old Gods, even if they would be pleased if you did. You can try to live your life from now on without drawing their attention, but... I can't promise you that it will work. They are very real, and very tangible here on Caido. And by no fault of your own, you have been drawn here and flung into a conflict that goes back further than most can understand.

"Caido... is not a kind place, Rance. But it's not a terrible place to be either. It's full of good and bad, like most places, I imagine... and while there is a price to pay for everything, sometimes what you get is well worth the cost."

Settling in to wait, Maea gave him silence, space to think, room to find his questions and ask them. She could start from the beginning and shower him with information, from the creation of the world to the most recent of events, but... it might be too much. So she let him set the pace instead.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3