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!
They had made a good hunting team before, and Jigano hoped to put them to the test again. This time, though, he had promised to do the gruntwork of bringing the prey back, and he was ready. An elegant white horse stood in the field outside of town, a simple rope harness slung around his powerful body, ready to be wrapped around whatever beast they brought down. A small white gryphon perched on his withers, fluffed up to keep warm as the clouds overhead promised more snow before long, to add to the deep drifts already covering the ground.
And a pale blue jewel was tucked into his mobile lip, the same that the fox had carried before.
The equine bard snorted and shook his head, sending his silvery mane flying, but he knew he wouldn’t have long to wait. He’d arrived a few minutes early, but his note to Aisha would have her out soon, he knew. She wasn’t afraid of a little cold, and she was more than capable of holding her own in the hunt. He was perfectly happy to let her take the glory of the kill – even if he was the only one who would know about it. The scheme this time was to deliver the meat to someone special and run. Childish? Maybe. But it was the sort of winter gifting that tickled his mischief, and he thought the leopardess would enjoy the fun of it, too. Hopefully their friend would appreciate the gift in the spirit it was meant?
Only time would tell. And if he didn’t, well… at least he wouldn’t know who had done it?
Another hunt was on the horizon, Aisha called to the outskirts by another note Jigano had left. She loved these little hunting trips, she enjoyed doing it on her own but everything was better with company. Especially helpful company, with magic and shifts to aid them in their tasks. The moment she hit the fields the woman became the leopardess, a golden spot among the sea of snow and pitifully brown grasses.
This hunt would be a bit different from the last, she wouldn't have the fall colors to blend in to. So speed would be her biggest asset, and the stamina to back it. She kept that in mind as she wove her way through the outskirts, at last coming across a big white stallion and his fluffy companion. "Hey Isuma, you look radiant today," she said with a purr, and a catlike grin as she neared her hunting partners.
The leopardess was a fluffy golden sunbeam prowling through the silver snow, and Jigano watched her approach with amusement twinkling in his blue eyes. Three seasons out of the year his white-pelaged shifts stood out against the greens or reds and golds of the foliage. Only in Deepfrost was he truly a ghost across the snow, while his friends stood out in turn.
Isuma chirruped a cautious greeting from his back, standing and stretching as she met Aisha's feline gaze with less wariness and more warmth than last time. Time did indeed heal some wounds, and the gryphlet was never one to hold a grudge as long as her more stubborn companion did. What, no compliments for me? the bard asked, attempting to pout and managing soulful horsey-eyes at Aisha. Lady Aisha, you wound me! He couldn't quite deliver the lines with the passion and melodrama they deserved in his equine form, but he tossed his head and pranced with eagerness as he set out across the snow, forging through the drifts and breaking the trail they would use to drag their prey back home again.
Assuming they caught anything today, but between the three of them he had high hopes.
How have you been, my lovely lady leopard friend? he asked, teasing lightly as he practiced sending the tongue-twister through the gem tucked in his lip.
Aisha giggled down the bond, playfully weaving between the horse's long legs before coming to a stop in front of them both, tail flicking behind her. "I guess you look rather beautiful too," she replied, tilting her head up just a bit and licking her lips. As glad as she was to see her friends, the predator was ready for the hunt.
"I've been good," she cooed back, basking in his alliterative praise, "I made my first trip out of the Grounds and into the Greatwood, met a fae, and a spirit at a shrine. Safrin must've been busy this time," she explained, remembering the way the spirit had lifted her sword in invisible hands, and dashed about so wildly with it.
Thank you for noticing, the stallion all but purred, arching his neck in teasing vanity as she wound between his slender legs. Your pelt is looking particularly shiny today as well. One good turn deserved another, after all, and Isuma peeped agreement as she leapt to the sky, circling above them as they began their journey.
Today he was leading them to the margins between field and forest, those twilit areas where the deer and luxere would sometimes come to paw at the drifts and dig down to where wheat and rye and corn had been harvested, seeking grains fallen in the harvest.
The Greatwood is beautiful, isn't it? he agreed, a pulse of appreciation for the living forest tickling along the bond. Who did you end up meeting? Gentle Tarasha, or warlike Alina? Fierce Delah or someone new? So many of his Fae friends had drifted into his life and then away again, and he never knew what had become of them in the fastness of their maze-like home. News of the spirit, too, had his large ears perking forward and he snorted, careful not to lose the gem in his mouth.
What kind of spirit? he asked cautiously, remembering his last conversation with Loren. What happened?
Aisha purred at his compliment, even if it was only given as a return for hers. She agreed, she did look rather shiny today, and so for that she gave a mirthful chirp, "Thank you, you're so very kind," teasing and playful as always.
Just afterwards, Isuma leapt into the air and the hunting party was off. Once again Aisha was happy to let Jigano lead the way, he seemed to have a place in mind. She would play the weapon, he would play the compass. At the end of the day they'd have their bounty, that much she was sure of. The conversation had turned to the Greatwood, Jigano bringing up a couple names of Fae, she assumed.
"Her name was Sen, she was really sweet," she replied, recalling the small woman, with her dark cropped hair and lumiscent wings. Then she thought of the spirit, her other acquaintance, her memories of them far less fond, "They weren't evil, just childish. They wanted to play a game with my sword, made me look all over the place," she replied with a bit of a grumble.
Thinking of shrines and spirits and gods, she remembered when Jigano had first told her about his own godly allegiances, about Ludo. She'd heard a little bit about why he prayed mainly to the god of death, but was interested in why he'd chosen it over the other two, "You pray mostly to Ludo right? Why not Safrin or Frey?"
I'm glad you met one of the kind ones, he offered, ruefully considering the rude lantern-maker he'd come across in the woods last season. He listened to Aisha's tale of the spirit more intently, relieved to hear that the game hadn't ended in a curse or an attempt to kill her. I've heard of the shrines becoming more... unpredictable. More spirits answering instead of the gods, or more curses befalling the faithful even when the gods don't answer and the person does nothing to provoke it. If you hear any other encounters like yours, would you share them with me? Maybe they could find a pattern, or learn the likelihood of prayers going to the wrong ears.
Aisha moved swiftly over the snow, while the white stallion pushed his way more slowly through the drifts, but the line of trees grew steadily closer, and soon Aisha might scent an odd, musky note on the light breeze - wild boar, if she had hunted such before. Her question kept Jigano occupied enough not to notice it at first, though, and he chuckled at her question, lipping the jewel thoughtfully. Frey intimidates me, he admitted freely. I have a mate who I love dearly, and I have heard that Frey's preferred, ah, 'offerings' are... lacking a more delicate term: orgasms. I should pray to them, but I have heard of others ending up bound or cursed for not pursuing pleasure in the way Frey wants them to, and I like my personal life the way it is. He was a little embarrassed speaking freely of such things, but Aisha seemed far from prudish and he didn't think she'd take offense at his honesty.
Safrin... is... a much more complicated issue, he admitted with an equine sigh. I have prayed to her. Several times. She has rejected me at each one. She is as possessive a goddess as the Voice, in her own way, and she does not like to share. That I serve Ludo has been an insurmountable 'flaw' that she sees in me. So. It is to Ludo and the Greater Gods that I direct my prayers now. Though now that she'd brought it up, the idea of praying to Frey wiggled with possibility in the back of his thoughts. After LongNight, maybe...
Aisha's thoughts flickered back to autumn, when she'd met Korbin, his unfortunate run ins and curses. And Oliver's curses as well, though his were divine and not spiritual. Frey's doing. As Jigano spoke more on it, she further instilled a weariness of shrines for the future. After her first run in with Safrin she'd had a glazed sense of invulnerability. She shouldn't have been so confident, next time she went she would narrow her intentions further, so perhaps the gods would listen instead of blow her off.
"Of course I will," she replied with a swing of her head back to him, the large white beast walking slower behind her. They continued on closer to the forest's edge, and a musky scent entered her nose, fresh, and exciting. Wild boar, yes she'd hunted them before, and was actually a big fan of the meat. They could be tougher to catch than buck, but worth the trouble.
Her question was asked, and Jigano answered. First about Frey, and though he might be a bit flustered to speak on it, Aisha was not. Sex was a thing that people did, something people enjoyed, and frankly she'd carried a reverance for the god of sex ever since she'd found out about them. There was something real about that, so very mortal but in the most ethereal way. It might be a turn off for others, but left Aisha curious, and somewhat more enticed to meet them.
Then about Safrin. The things he said about her weren't things she hadn't heard before. The goddess of stars, as benevolent and beautiful as she'd seemed was a petty woman. Aisha could appreciate a petty woman, but there was something frightening about a petty god. She would know to be careful around her, and to keep caution at heart. "Have they ever cursed you before?" she asked, always wanting to know more.
He bobbed his head in gratitude for her willingness to share information, and he returned the favor by answering her questions honestly - if a little embarrassed on the topic of Frey. Not that such things bothered him as much as they'd used to, but he had never found a lover who wanted him as much as he did them until Rory, and he wasn't comfortable with the reactions Frey stirred in him, when he'd thought only one man had that effect on him.
Her question about curses had Jigano's steps slowing, the horse shaking his mane as if to dislodge a pesky fly - and then his nostrils flared as the scent of boar hit him as well. In a manner of speaking, you might say. They certainly would, he thought quietly to his feline friend. Safrin, as you might have guessed. I might argue that she overreacted, though I wasn't without blame myself, but in the end it doesn't matter. He snorted softly, skin prickling at the painful memories. Do you want to get behind them, and I can drive them towards you? He suggested of the nearby boars that they could smell on the wind, though they hadn't sighted them yet.
Aisha couldn't imagine Jigano having done anything to Safrin warranting a curse, but it was all the more reason to take caution. If she could find fault with him, then there was certainly plenty about her that the goddess could use against her. She often found when speaking of gods people took the more modest approach, always claiming they were partly at fault. Aisha wasn't nearly as competant as that, she had a hard time accepting blame and should she ever be cursed by a god, would be a hellstorm of bitterness for it.
Finally the pair came closer to the boars, their scent filling her with a drive to hunt, the leopardess crouching closer to the ground to mask her scent. "Sounds good," she replied to his idea, then took off slowly to make her way around the group, staying low in the winter grasses and foliage, hoping her bright pelt wouldn't distract or be seen.
Jigano snorted - but softly - to clear his senses as he perked his ears towards the hunt ahead. It was strange to be hunting in a herbivore's body; the instincts were all wrong, but he still had a fox's heart hidden within that plant-eater's chest, and he tossed his head (careful to keep the jewel firmly tucked in his lip) as Aisha went prowling around the long way to the cover of the trees.
He'd been keeping an eye on this group, talked to Rory about them, concerned that they might come too close to the farm and stir up the dogs. Fierce and loyal as the dogs were, they weren't boarhounds. They'd get hurt or worse trying to chase the wild pigs, gored or trampled by the bristly beasts. There were no piglets in winter to worry about, but the big males could be unpredictable, and this trio were trouble waiting to happen.
Aisha was lucky in her approach, padded feet silent atop the snow, and body held low enough to the ground that the piggy eyes of the foraging group missed the brief flashes of gold over the drifts as she moved behind them and into position. Isuma flew overhead, sharing images of what she saw with her companion as they planned their assault, and once she saw Aisha had found a good place to wait she signaled Jigano.
The horse set his head down and bunched powerful muscles, charging through the snow drifts - leaping more than running, a jerky, violent motion as he plowed towards the wild pigs. They were unprepared for such a surprise, and the two females turned to flee, running on short legs towards Aisha's hiding place.
The male, unfortunately, froze a moment in surprise, then turned and let out an oinking bellow, charging straight for Jigano's slender legs.
06-10-2020, 02:46 AM (This post was last modified: 06-10-2020, 10:08 PM by Aisha.)
Aisha's stalk was rather lucky considering it all, though she preferred to think of it as ~skill~. Eyes narrowed, electric sun beams that bore into the hogs, she traced them over her chosen target. The fatter of the sows, mudtrodden and plump, shuffled around next to her herd mates. The others were out of sight and mind, only caught in peripheral and considered in case of danger, her sow was her centerpiece.
She waited, the patience of a prowling cat yet the eagerness of a fiery hearted girl, she boiled and simmered and glanced for a moment to the horse. It was then that he began his charge, spooking the wild boar right where she wanted them. Focus snapped back, she shot off towards the sow just as she was close enough, jaws open wide and aimed at the back of her neck. The boar was closer to the ground, thicker than the buck, her method changed.
But the results were the same, in the end the leopardess brought the creature down with viscious claws, and then gone in for the throat. The creature stopped moving, breathing, Aisha suffered an irritating kick to her back leg but it was nothing more than irritating. Once she'd finished, the rush pulsing through her veins, she looked back to Jigano, as he dealt with a problem of his own.
He trusted Aisha's skill and strength, have already seen her hunting ability first-hand on another, warmer day when she had brought down the buck. He knew the boars were no match for the jaunty leopardess, but he had been ready to provide back up if the three had tried to overwhelm her.
He had hoped they would all run towards her hiding place, giving her a choice of bacon on the hoof, but the big male did exactly what he and Rory had been worried about, throwing caution to the wind and getting its dander up to charge the approaching apparition in white, and never mind how much larger the horse was compared to the hog.
While Aisha dispatched the sow, Jigano was forced to dodge her mate, clumsily bounding to the side through the hobbling drifts, and snorting and shaking his head in surprise, neck arched and tail flagged as he readied himself. Sure as the sun would rise after LongNight, the boar skidded to a halt in a drift and turned, shaking the snow from its head as it set itself and charged again.
Only this time the stallion was ready.
Jigano pivoted, twisting his hindquarters around and waited until the last second before lashing out with both legs, hooves connecting with a solid crack of snapping bone as the boar's thick neck snapped from the impact and it was flung back.
In the time Aisha had taken to make her own kill, the boar's attack had been thwarted and now they had two large repositories of ham on their hands. Jigano pranced a little, proud of himself and not ashamed to show it to his fellow huntress as he winked a blue eye at her. Two for the price of one! Not what I'd intended... but it's nice to have a little luck on our sides for once. If you want to put your clever human hands to work attaching them to the harness I can drag them back, he suggested cheerfully. The rope harness wrapped around him had plenty of extra length tucked into the back for wrapping around a beast or two, and the snow would cushion the drag of the beasts back to town.
Aisha watched the wrestle with the boar, and as she expected the stallion came out victorious. There was a sickening snap, and suddenly their prizes had doubled, the bounty well worth the work. The horse gave his own prance, Aisha was madly impressed by the show of a prey animal hunting another prey animal, so she relinquished the gloating to him. Not something everyone was awarded, but he'd earned it.
Unable to hold in her pleased growl, she gave a little joyful show of her own before settling back by her kill, far more messy a sight than his. Jigano suggested she attach the kills to his harness, to which she slipped back into her human skin and began the work. Not without giving him a playful side eye and a bit of trouble, "I don't remember having a harness when I was the one carrying everything."
