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!
With his little girl on his shoulders, Kalt walked through the woodlands, a soft tune whistling through his lips as he moved. He held Theea’s legs to make sure she stayed on, but mostly his eyes wandered around the barren beauty that the woods were in autumn light.
Though he was enjoying the casual downtime with his daughter, he was always alert, something he knew he would never be rid of thanks to his assassin upbringing and training. There were pros and cons to that, but he was thankful that he was practically always prepared for the unexpected.
This time, however, there was a piece of him that simply rolled his eyes at the sound of squishy chattering that had for some ungodly reason become familiar. Turning his gaze over his shoulder, he saw a single lone demon gourd meandering towards him with fury in its not so fearsome face.
“Papa?” Theea muttered. She had apparently also seen the creature and gotten nervous.
The man lifted her over his head and sat her safely on a low hanging branch. ”Don’t worry,” he said with a smirk. ”Watch, it's harmless.” He approached the bumbling gourd and slammed his boot into its carved mouth, making it unable to bite. Then, he picked the pumpkin up and bounced it on his knee a few times like a ball.
Just as the gourd made its third bounce off of Silver Wing's knee, a massive black streak of fur whisked by him with a rush of air and over his leg. The gourd had vanished from before him, and there was the sound of four large paws thudding into the soft forest floor. Ashe trot a few paces with a huff before she spun, the she wolf's tail swaying and her eyes bright - certainly pleased with herself. Her chin was weight down nearly to her chest with the weight of the gourd she held clamped in her jaws, but her head was high as she took a few steps forward, tail moving gently.
Ashe had been on her own today, breathing, just breathing. Soot stayed safely napping in a small pouch on her harness bag, she'd had more water than alcohol today, and so she reasoned that surrendering herself to the wolf once again would be acceptable... as long as she remembered to change back. As long as she remembered there were people who wanted her as much as she wanted them.
Catching the scent of Kalt and Theea had been a powerful reminder, one she eagerly followed before she lost herself again.
Ashe paced forward, golden eyes still turned up at the pair as she dropped the quite angry, snarling gourd at Kalt's feet. She darted her teeth out as she did, nipping at his shin and gently pulling at his pant let before bouncing back a step. She let out a high bark at Theea up on the assassin's shoulders and looked up at her, ears perked forward.
There was a flash of black and his pumpkin was gone, making Kalt nearly stumble backwards, easily regaining his footing with widened eyes when he saw the large wolf. He felt a smirk that he almost couldn’t help, as he watched her self satisfied trot. ”How in the five hells...” He trailed off, raising his brow and glancing in the direction that Ashetta would have come from. How the fuck did she sneak up on him? He didn’t think he was that?lost in thought!
He narrowed his eyes that time at the wolf, as she dropped the pissed off gourd near his foot, immediately darting forward to nip at his leg. Kalt shot her a playful glare and hopped once with her teeth on his pants, before laughing that the high-pitched bark and extreme enthusiasm emanating from her canine form.
It was strange that he didn’t feel the need to get used to her being a wolf part of the time. It was almost as if that had always been part of her and just needed the opportunity to get out.
Theea giggled at the interaction, and Kalt picked up the pumpkin before it had the chance to waddle away. It decided to cause trouble, so it was going to get trouble! ”Theea, should we play fetch with Ashe?” He asked, giving the she-wolf a wink. An excited ‘yes’ from his daughter solidified the thought, and he hurled the gourd further down the path for Ashe to retrieve.
She panted up at the two of them, her heart thrumming strongly in her chest as she pulled in their scents with every breath. Theea's laugh drew her eyes to the dark haired little girl, but that golden gaze darted back to Kalt. Fetch? She was about to growl at him - she wasn't some fucking dog that played fetc-
Theea cried an enthusiastic yes, and the shewolf snuffed sharply with a half-hearted glare at Silver Wing. Still, she let out a playful and low whine, her eyes sparking as well as her magic, flickers of blue bouncing in her fur as he picked up the angry pumpkin. Her eyes followed his hand as he drew it back... and she bolted after it with a loud bark as he let it fly. Theea's laughter drove her foreward as the gourd let out a long and furious shriek, and her eyes never left it as it landed at a bounce.
It didn't even have a second to right itself before Ashe snapped her teeth down on the stem. This earned very snarly sounds from it's caved in mouth, but she snarled right back as she bounded back towards her ... she snuffed and flicked her ear. Back towards Kalt and Theea.
The large wolf slowed to a trot before them before she dropped the gourd back at Kalt's feet and let out a bark, bouncing her forelegs on the forest floor as she moved back. Not yours, she stubbornly reminded herself, but kept her tail high as she darted her eyes between Kalt and the gourd that was beginning to assess which target would be the easiest to gnaw on.
He knew the idea would annoy her - or at the very least insult her ego enough to get an entertaining reaction out of her - but she thankfully played along for the little girl’s sake. Theea had played fetch a few times with stray dogs Kalt would take care of in Northaven, so she always enjoyed the activity. Plus, it kept her three-year-old mind occupied for a decent amount of time. That was just a bonus for him.
The man grinned possibly in a way that could have been interpreted as condescending when Ashetta came trotting back with a snarling gourd in her mouth. Why was that sight so damn funny?
He took hold of Theea, lifting her from the branch and putting her on the ground, as Ashe plopped the demon pumpkin down in front of them. ”Come on, star,” he said with a sideways smirk. ”I’ll hold it still, and you give a big kick. Ready?”
Counting to three, while Kalt’s hand remained on the pumpkin, Theea ran up to it and kicked it. Though the strength of her kick likely would’ve sent it a few feet at most, Kalt added a little push with his hand at the same time, sending it a good distance for the wolf girl to go after and giving Theea some pride in how strong she was!
Ashe's eyes followed Kalt's arms as he brought Theea down to the ground before the harmless gourd, and the shewolf watched with attentive eyes as Kalt instructed his daughter in what to do. Her tail moved behind her of its own accord, and she tilted her head just slightly as she stepped a few paces closer. That demonic pumpkin was snarling and wriggling under Kalt's hand, but he held it fast as Theea wound up and..
Ashe let out a high bark that earned triumphant giggles from the little girl as she bounded after the pumpkin. Ashe's large paws were light on the ground as she slowed bouncing steps in an arc around the gourd. She tilted her head and panted at it, and she watched for a moment as it somehow managed to set itself right, and then set it's sights on her. The wolf snuffed at it before she darted her head forward, snatching it up in her teeth once more as she bounded back towards Kalt and Theea.
As before, she dropped the pumpkin on the side of it's snarling... head? Body? She stood wagging her tail before it at them... but as Kalt would reach for it, Ashe let out a yip and grabbed for it again, prancing away a few steps before dropping it again with a bark. She was looking at both of them now with challenge in her eyes: Catch me!
Kalt smiled at Theea’s laughter as Ashetta went bounding after the gourd. He picked the girl up and set her back on his shoulders as she had been before, seeing the black wolf prancing back towards them. She dropped the pumpkin again, looking up at him eagerly.
The assassin couldn’t help the grin that pulled at his lips. She might’ve acted all tough and too good for fetch at first, but he could tell that she was having fun with this. Not that he would totally keep that in his pocket to shove in her face at a later time. No, that would never happen.
As he leaned down to pick up the gourd to throw it again, it was quickly snatched away from his grasp, as she darted a few steps away with an energetic and daring gleam in her golden eyes, accompanied by the bark that clearly stated a challenge. There was a slow grin spreading on his lips, as he secured his hold on Theea, making sure she didn’t fall back.
”Don’t start something you can’t finish!” He called teasingly to the she-wolf, as he started into an easy run after her. Of course he knew that she could outrun him as a wolf - there was no doubt about that - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t talk a big game.
Fetch, roll over, play dead - she'd do it all for the sake of how brightly Theea laughed. She crouched lower as Kalt pulled her back to his shoulders, narrowing her eyes.. Hah! As if he could keep up with her. She waited for them, let him get within a few paces of her and even let the gourd waddle a short distance away.. and then she lunged forward, grabbing the snarling thing in her jaws before she darted off to the side and danced around behind Kalt .
Theea was shrieking with laughter between being on her running father's shoulders and the way Ashe weaved around them. She bounded away from his pursuit, and her heart beat strongly as she moved with airy steps for such a large animal. Long limbs slowed as she put a small amount of distance between them, and she dropped the pumpkin down between her paws again. It was strange how natural this felt, how easy it was to be both Ashe and the wolf at once. A different version of herself still, but it was freeing - this form often was... but for the first time in a while, she wasn't dreading the moment she'd slip back into standing on two feet.
Ashe barked twice at them, and she grabbed ahold of the gourd again. This time, she didn't run immediately away. With a swing of her head, the gourd was sent growling and shrieking away, flying through the air with and extra electrical boost that left the smell of singed pumpkin in the air. She bounded after it and glanced over her shoulder at them, eyes dancing as she kept her steps slower - she swore she was drunk on their scents, on the sounds of laughter.
Of course he didn’t stand a chance catching her, especially with Theea on his shoulders, but it was one of the most fun things he had done probably since Ashetta had chased him through the ruins and the tree tops in these very woods. He watched her dart around, while he kept a steady grip on the girl on his shoulders. If he hadn’t been carrying her, the likelihood of him being at least able to snatch the pumpkin away from her would’ve jumped significantly.
Ashe’s barks drew his attention again, back to a strangely similar reality to the idealistic world he had just been drifting in.
He watched her hurl the pumpkin away with a few veins of flickering lightning on its trail, and an almost dumb smile was worn on his face. Really, Ashe? Show off. The smell with enticingly appetizing, though. He decided he had to collect some of the pumpkins for food in the future, and he wondered if preserving them was the same as preserving regular pumpkins.
Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Kalt brought himself back to the chase, leaping into an airy sprint after Ashe’s noticeably slower running. He didn’t bother trying to hide the glee he was feeling, nearly matching the squealing toddler’s. If he still had the telekinesis piece of his magic, he would’ve whipped that pumpkin right back over to him, but he supposed he would have to make do. Kalt grabbed two of his throwing knives and hurled them towards the pumpkin, lodging it into a tree trunk, though it was already sinking. Clearly they had beaten the shit out of the gourd already because it was quickly turning into mush.
Ashe let out a huff as silver flashed through the air and lodged the pumpkin into the nearest tree - much to Theea's delight. Ashe barked and made a bounding leap ahead of them, weaving in front of them with a look over her shoulder. For once.. for once she actually wished she were running in her original form, so she could laugh with them. When she wore her furs, she often found herself reluctant to change back, doing so out of need more than want. Now.. she wanted to.
Not yet, of course! Her claws dug in as she braced her upper half against the tree, clamping her teeth on the stem. She gave a sharp tug, but the thing held fast with those knives. Ashe growled and glanced backwards with her eyes, and then she gave a mighty tear with a snarl. Powerful jaws ripped... the upper half of the gourd from the tree.
The wolf bounced away from the tree and dropped the dripping, mushy top part of the gourd down at her paws, standing still and panting up at the tree where the bottom half still remained stuck in the tree. Her eyes narrowed with a small whine, looking down at her half, then up to Kalt. Dead. They'd pulverized the damn thing. Then... quick as lightning, the wolf snatched ahold of the mushy, dripping top half by the stem, and she bounded forward with a swing of her head again. The remains of the gourd flew for Kalt and Theea with a splatter, and if Silver Wing wasn't quick? His chest would be splattered with pumpkin guts.
There was pure satisfaction in watching Ashetta actually rip the pumpkin in half when trying to tear it from the tree. No more savage chattering or shrieking from the angry gourd. That thing was as dead as dead could be, and some part of that really amused the man.
He slowed the run to a brisk walk, as he watched Ashe assess the fairly obvious damage they had caused to the demon pumpkin, casting a look to him with her orange-tinted tongue hanging from her mouth. He smirked at her, raising his brow at the large wolf.
Kalt looked away for a moment, gazing at the afternoon light through the bare trees, then turned back to Ashe...just in time to see her whirl half a fucking pumpkin towards him. He spun away quickly, but still was greeted with some mushy orange nastiness splattering on his arm. Terrific... He wasn’t worried about a stain, but he was quickly growing tired of getting pumpkin off of himself after hanging out with Ashe. It was becoming a pattern with her.
He scooped some of the guts off of himself and threw it in her direction, not paying attention to whether or not it splattered on her. Kalt put Theea on the ground and knelt down, taking more pumpkin and putting it into her hands. ”Ashe wants you to chase her,” he said with a devious grin. ”And when you get her, smear the pumpkin into her fur, ‘kay?” With an eager squeal and nod, Ashe then had a toddler with pumpkin goop in her hands chasing after the wolf.
The wolf let out a triumphant bark at the guts splattered across Kalt's arm, and she dropped her upper half down with her tail flagging in the air. She watched with sharp eyes as he lowered Theea down, gaze narrowing as he began talking to her... arming her... Ashe straightened up on her long legs and yipped at Kalt, nearly sounding offended as he sicked a toddler with fistfuls of gourd-guts in her little hands. She backed up a pace or two as she charged forward with delight, and the wolf didn't dart away until Theea almost reached her.
"Hey!" she shrieked with her laughter. "Gonna get you!" Ashe barked a challange at the dark-haired girl and pranced away. She moved around behind Kalt, keeping on ear trained on the child chasing her. She moved slowly until right when she caught up, and then she darted out of reach to the sound of happy cackling.
She arced around unexpectedly then, and it was Silver Wing she set her golden eyes on.
She didn't bound forward, not with the light and bouncing steps she did for Theea. The shewolf bolted forwards at a dead sprint, and it was only seconds before she aimed to shove her way under his legs to knock him off his feet entirely. Would she get knocked down and caught by a gourd-guts weilding little girl? More than likely. Was it worth knocking Kalt on his ass? Fucking absolutely.
There was a pure sense of delight as Kalt watched Ashetta bound around the forest floor with Theea. It was peaceful, right. Dare he say, it almost felt normal in their world of fucked up nonsense. Normal was such a foreign concept, such an elusive creature in their chaotic lives.
He stood straight with his arms folded over his chest, walking slowly with his boots scuffing the dirt every few steps. A content smile on his lips, as he closed his eyes for just a moment to breathe in the crisp air. The nearly silent padding of Ashe’s paw steps suddenly sped up, and the man opened his eyes, turning his head over his shoulder to see a large wolf at a full speed sprint towards him.
Fuck. Of course he didn’t say it aloud; there was a child present! And his daughter was there too!
Silver Wing felt a heavy collision to the insides of his legs and there was no way he was going to be able to remain on his feet when a fucking wolf charged full speed into him. Thankfully, he knew how to fall and get right back up. Kalt turned in the air so his chest was facing the ground, and would angle his leg enough to trip up whatever momentum Ashe had left from the – rather rude – canine body slam.
He narrowed his eyes at her after catching himself before face planting into the hard dirt. “Really, blue?” He sniped with a grin.
As predicted, Kalt's legs tangled her just enough to miss a step. She yelped and tumbled forward, tail over ears. She thumped down on her back with an oof, paws curled inwards towards her chest as the sound of hysterical cackling rang out in the forest. She didn't roll over just yet, but she turned her back back against the dirt to look at Kalt from her position on her back. It rendered him upside down, like he was clinging to the earth.
Her tail swished through leaves, and she sneezed at his remark. Swiftly the she wolf flipped herself over, rolling to lay between two roots with her forepaws draped over one. She didn't make a sound, didn't even glance up at the three old little girl that was charging straight for her father. She only lay her chin down on her paws with dancing golden eyes, tail wagging idly behind her.
She barked and lifted her head the moment Theea descended on Kalt with shrill laughter, and Ashe's tail moved in earnest. The little girl slopped a fistful of gourd guts down on Kalt, giggling as Ashe barked a few more times and rose to her paws. She bounded only two steps before she was beside the pair, butting her head into Kalt's shoulder in the same moment Theea smeared those pumpkin innards into her neck and shoulder. She let out a low whine and shook her pelt quickly, earning a shriek from the little girl who found herself - and likely her father - covered in the slimy seed and insides of the demon gourd.
A Gourd Game of Fetch {SEASONAL EVENT}
