From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
600 MP are being used in this thread to purchase a race-specific companion
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
The man was out for a hunt, his general supplies in a bag on his back with a quiver full of arrows and his recurve in his hand. Kalt kept himself alert, his eyes darting everywhere in the area and his ears peeled for anything that might seem out of the ordinary.
A sharp cry traveled through the Glade, and he snapped his head in the direction of the Oasis, his feet spurred into a brisk and silent run. Silver Wing pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocking it and holding it in the position ready to be drawn if needed. He knew the sound. He had been surrounded by horses for nearly two decades, so every sound was well-known to him.
He emerged from the thick trees in time to see a large black horse slam its hooves onto the grass with a bobcat pacing in front of it. Instantly, he drew the arrow and loosed it, hitting the unsuspecting feline in the side. The horse was startled by the other animal’s changed behavior, and it looked ready to run, but it stayed, agitatedly awaiting something to happen. Another arrow drawn and loosed, lodging in the large cat’s neck. He dropped his bow, unsheathing his hunting knife as he moved forward. He plunged the knife into the big cat’s chest, twisting it to kill the creature without it suffering too much, then jumped up, looking at the large horse pawing at the ground and snorting. Or… Was that a fucking unicorn?
The unicorn watched the newcomer cautiously, unsure if she should try to make a run for it or not. The pain from the bobcat attack radiating from her left shoulder through the entirety of her left side. She was bleeding from claw marks that would likely leave subtle scars on her shoulder, but overall, she appeared to be okay.
She breathed heavily, nostrils flaring and muscles trembling, as she continued to paw at the ground, lowering her head defensively towards him.
He took a step back from the beautiful creature. She was deep black in color, her shoulder and ribs currently stained with the slick red, while a silver horn twisted from between her eyes. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought he had gotten a little too enthusiastic in telling Theea one of her bedtime stories.
Kalt knelt to the ground, placing his quiver on the ground, followed by his bag. He extended his hand to the terrified creature, not trying to touch her, giving her just enough distance to really gather his scent.
He pulled his arm back and quickly removed the off white shirt he was wearing, revealing the excessive scarring on his torso. He got closer to her, seeing the increased agitation from the animal, her breathing growing heavier as he approached, and he couldn’t blame her. Smoothly, he looped his shirt over her face and moved in, wrapping it around her to seal off her vision, while holding her firmly so she wouldn’t escape. Kalt held her firmly but careful not to hurt her, as he stroked behind her horn and down her neck. Holy fuck, she was a magnificent creature.
Eventually, she settled herself, though her flaring nostrils indicated that she wasn’t entirely at ease with the situation. She lowered herself carefully to the ground, the muscle in her shoulder twitching as she did so.
She laid still enough for him to clean and treat the injury on her shoulder as well as he could without the proper equipment. There were a few upsets, which caused her to start to struggle to stand and get free, but the man was successful in subduing her.
It took nearly twenty minutes for him to finish, but she had started to trust that he wasn’t there to hurt her.
Kalt finished the treatment as well as he could and rinsed the blood off of her coat with water from the river. He put his supplies back in his bag and closed it up, then turned back to the unicorn. There was a piece of him that didn’t want to tell anyone what happened because who the fuck would believe him?
He approached and started carefully unwrapping his shirt from the creature’s head. As soon as he had pulled the fabric away, she immediately moved to gather her surroundings, radiant blue eyes open wide and ears swiveling in all directions.
”You’re okay, beautiful,” he whispered, shrugging his shirt back on and leaving it unbuttoned. He watched her struggle a little bit to get back up, so he walked to the other side and helped to urge her onto her hooves.
After a few attempts, the man would be successful in helping the unicorn back on all fours. She eyed the stranger curiously, cautiously, ensuring that he was indeed no danger to her, before she started walking to the pool of water.
There was a noticeable limp in her front left leg, but that was to be expected and it wouldn’t last for very long. If the man was paying attention or was truly aware of his emotions, he would feel a sense of calmness settle over him in a way that would be clear wasn’t his own emotion.
Watching the beast with a sense of awe, Kalt couldn’t seem to look away, a foreign sense of warmth and odd familiarity washing over him in the presence of such an incredible creature. While he was concerned for her well being with an injured leg, he wasn’t going to take her from her home. The gods would decide her fate, and she seemed to be a fighter, which gave him a good feeling about her odds.
He got to his feet and secured his quiver back to his belt, then slung his bag and his bow over his shoulder. Kalt leaned against a tree with his arms folded over his chest. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away. How could he? There was a fucking unicorn in front of him.
What he didn’t understand was why she was alone. Horses were herd animals, and while unicorns were of course different, he assumed the instincts were pretty much the same.
The unicorn remained where she was, drinking briefly before turning her attention back to the man. She didn’t seem to have any interest in leaving, simply taking a few steps and glancing over at him, as though she was making sure he hadn’t departed.
This continued for nearly ten minutes, before she approached him. Her head dipped to the ground, sniffing at his boots, then bumping his leg with her head.
Kalt watched the unicorn’s strange interaction with him, and he was cautious in making any moves regarding her. He didn’t want to scare her off, but at the same time, he couldn’t help reaching out, wanting to touch her.
His fingers ran through the impossibly silky mane, and the unicorn lifted her eyes, sapphire eyes acknowledging him in a way that he had never experienced with a horse or any other animal in his time. Kalt moved his hand to touch the spiraled horn extending a little over a foot from her forehead. And she let him.
He smiled, couldn’t help the awe at being near such a creature inspired in him. When she took a step back, Kalt turned to leave. He wasn’t going to remain in the area with her, couldn’t disrupt her life anymore. She had thanked him for helping her simply by not running away from him, so he wouldn’t push his luck anymore than he already had.
As he started away, he heard footsteps behind him. The assassin turned his head over his shoulder to see the black unicorn stepping - rather, limping - behind him. A few more steps, the same thing. He furrowed his brow. ”You’re free to go,” he said, waving her off with his hand. A few more steps. Kalt huffed a laugh, partially of how ridiculous it was and partially of what the actual fuck was this. ”Alright, I guess you’re coming with me.” He didn’t bother putting a rope on her. If she was coming, it was of her own decision. ”What’s your name?” He asked the unicorn, to which he received a flick of her ear. ”Kysma. Come on, Kysma. I have a little girl who will absolutely love you.”
