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!
08-21-2020, 03:13 AM (This post was last modified: 08-21-2020, 03:53 AM by Loren.)
like thunder gonna shake the ground
Still trying to get used to his latest shift, Loren had decided to test it out somewhere other than Halo. Still banned from Torchline and not particularly wanting to deal with the, well, everything and everyone in the Hollowed Ground, he'd headed to the Greatwood. After emerging from the portal, he'd immediately shifted and struck out in a random direction.
Eventually, he found himself padding along the Stonesong. Astra wasn't with him today, so he could go at his own pace. In this form, that was surprisingly lazy. Stumbling upon a particularly idyllic bank of the river, he settled in for a brief nap. The sun glittered off his oddly metallic looking for. Between that and his size, it was clear he was something more than a regular lion, but even with his extensive knowledge, he wasn't sure what.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
He’d gone home, just to grab a few things he wanted and/or needed. It was also a nice refresher of how much greenery was within the Greatwood, within where he’d been born and raised. Perhaps being around so many people in such a busy home seemed to make for the quiet need of getaways and a bit of separation from society for a bit. Perhaps he was simply just as wild as his father, needing and craving the solitude of the forest.
That and the last time he’d been out adventuring in Torchline, that wicked mermaid almost made him drown.
So he’s fishing in the Stonesong, in his bear shift, capturing a salmon before a unique form catches his eye. He continues to fish a bit more, waiting to see if the creature comes closer, and when it doesn’t and appears to take a nap, that’s when Felix grows far too interested. One would think he’d learned from his prior experience with the mermaid, but he hasn’t. No, instead, Felix drifts closer to the lion-like beast, dripping with water, a salmon between his teeth – lowering his head to sniff at the lion with a bit of wariness glimmering in his dual-toned gaze.
Loren might've been dozing, but he wasn't so out of it that he missed the bear approaching. No one would ever be so out of it so as to miss a bear approaching. As it leaned forward to sniff him, he rolled to his feet.
Then he opened his mouth, showing off his nice sharp teeth. His paws flexed and carved deep furrows in the dirt and mud where his claws dug into them. He shook out and fluffed up his substantial mane and the rest of his fur. And he projected, quite clearly, on the off chance this was an Attuned or a Fae, I have no desire to fight, but I will defend myself if you attack.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
Well, he gets one sniff in, watching as the creature begins to move and Felix is already back pedaling hard. His heart thunders in his chest, a sudden fear coating the edge of the attuned bond, gaze wide as the fish drops from his maw and he hears Loren in the rumbling of his mind. The first thing that comes to mind is ‘oh my god’ and the second being ‘at least he’s warned me’ unlike Nerissa.
He tries to recover, giving the lion space, head ducking low as the young man focuses on the lion, not letting him out of his sight. So so sorry. He begins, though the words jumble a bit together. I… Didn’t know what you were. Never seen one before here. And for that it was substantial to the young man. How could he have any idea what al ion was in the middle of a place like the Greatwood?
A little too satisfied as the bear retreated, Loren tamped down at the fierce and instinctual triumph that came from driving away another predator. He managed to keep most of it from spilling through the bond. Settling back down to the ground, he yawned, the motion entirely catlike.
Then he peered at the other man (he assumed, because the mental voice was decidedly male). Don't worry. I'm one of a kind. With that, he began to rest again, though he kept at least one eye open.
So are you Fae or Attuned? Just want to know if I need to be on my best behavior. There was a great deal of amusement behind the thought, though Loren didn't bother to explain what, exactly, was so amusing about the situation.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
One of a kind, huh? It intrigues Felix a bit, to realize he’ll never see a creature like this again – always the type to take things at face value because he hadn’t learned not to yet. The fear is slowly tampered down as the lion creature lays down again, Felix tentatively stepping forward to take back the salmon into long clawed paws before sitting there before Loren – gaze still lingering.
I’m Attuned. He says easily, taking a moment to pause and gather his thoughts rather than blurt out everything he wants to say. I’m Felix Calob. He almost goes to mention that he lives here in the Greatwood – but that’s not entirely true anymore is it? Not as he’s been living in Torchline with Remi, Ronin, Vervain, and Ianto. No, he supposes this isn’t quite home anymore. Are you Attuned, too?
Loren fully opened both eyes for a moment as the bear approached. However, when it became clear the other man was just retrieving his catch, the healer relaxed again. Sending a pulse of acknowledgement and understanding through the bond, he shifted a little to get into a more comfortable position.
Felix's name was a shock. Surprise and a little bit of disgust spiked through the Firebrand's mind, and he wasn't sure how much he kept from the bear. Calob, huh? Any relation to a Devrum? The thought came out carefully, almost as if Loren was afraid of the answer.
I'm an Attuned. Among other things. My name's Loren. He watched Felix carefully, wondering if the name would ring any bells.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
Oh, Felix feels the distaste as it slips down the bond. The question, however, has the bear’s head bobbing. Devrum’s my dad. He confirms, remaining sitting in the grasses, pulling the fish from his maw with his clawed hands to work to pull the pieces off of it he doesn’t want to eat. I don’t really remember him. The boy admits with perhaps a tinge of sadness, having to hear about his father from other sources.
But that’s neither here nor there.
Instead, there’s a bit of cockiness in the way Loren says he’s attuned ‘among other things’ and if Felix were far more curious, he might have asked what those things were. But instead, the name sparks a brief, dull bell, though Felix can’t quite say where. Nice to meet you Loren. He offers, a pulse of boyish greeting given toward the lion-like creature in the hopes it might cover up the distaste of before.
At the confirmation that Devrum was Felix's dad, Loren felt his disgust and, yes, maybe a bit of hatred for the other man rise up. However, the healer was ready for it this time, and only hints of it made it through the bond. Still, the lion lifted his head and regarded the bear very carefully.
I'm sorry to hear that. And your mom? Despite everything, the Firebrand genuinely felt sympathy for Felix. Whatever Devrum had done, Loren was the last person to assign the sins of the father onto the son.
Nodding at the other man's words, the motion odd given the lion shape he currently wore, Loren settled in to rest again. Nice to meet you too, Felix. Then amusement colored his thoughts. Don't let me keep you from your meal. Turning slightly, he tried to give the bear at least the semblance of privacy, knowing how important that was, predator to predator.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
Mom’s here. Vervain. We’re in Torchline now. They say quietly, pulling a few more pieces from the fish before setting it in his lap, bi-toned eyes focusing on the lion again as he nods. There’s still that brief flickering of distaste, one that confuses Felix far too much to actually know what to do with – perhaps a question for Vai later.
Perhaps he should be more careful traipsing through the Greatwood and meeting people if this is how people reacted when they knew who his father was.
He mulls over what Loren says, ears flickering in uncertainty before he moves to stand and grab the fish again in his maw – leaving the pieces that he didn’t plan on eating from the fish for Loren if he wants them. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime? It’s an uncertain question or offering, but Felix is stepping away – giving that space just as Loren appeared he wanted to do.
Vervain's name was vaguely familiar, but not enough to trigger any particular memory. So Loren just sent a vague sense of acknowledgement to Felix. Where were you before? The lion found himself oddly curious about the bear's situation.
As the other man began to leave, the Firebrand stirred slightly. However, he didn't move from his spot, just lifted his head. Maybe. There was a split second's hesitation before he added, But I'm not allowed in Torchline. So what're you up to now? I didn't mean to scare you off from your hunting. There was a weirdly hopeful edge to the thoughts.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
There’s a moment of pause as the curiosity flute his way, faltering in his step as he turns back toward Loren and lets his dual toned gaze scan over the lion. The Greatwood. Hence here, home, a familiarity that Felix has only known. He hasn’t been to the Grounds, hasn’t been to Halo, and before he’d even gone to Torchline Vai had gone ahead to make sure they would be welcome.
Loren keeps talking, which keeps Felix from scurrying off with the fish — instead, pausing to focus on the lion, turning to stand with the fish still in his jaw, claws digging into the soft mossy earth beneath him. Getting some stuff from home! I’m studying my reading and writing and mom works at the clinic in Torchline. He explains, ears wavering a bit in uncertainty, before focusing his attention entirely on Loren again. Sometimes one of us comes back to grab things we left here.
This time, Loren lifted his head further up and fixed his gaze on Felix. Were you born here? The question sped through the bond.
Finally the lion stood. Shifting his weight from side to side, his claws kneaded the ground. Are you a healer too? He opened his mouth to pull in air. As he did, scents exploded in his mouth: fish, guts, green and growing things, and the bear.
The Firebrand stayed where he was, though shook out his mane and fur. What are you studying? And what do you like to read? Yawning, he padded over to the river's edge, staring into the water. His stared into it, his reflection rippling.
// the sky ran out of stars, they're all livin' in the city don't wanna be nameless for life. you wanna be famous? that's fine //
Yeah, I was born here. Felix replies easily, swiftly. Technically… Two years ago. But I went to a shrine when I was really small and something there just sorta grew me up. There’s a rise and fall of the bear’s shoulders, bi-toned gaze focused again on Loren. But when the question of healing hits, the bear shakes his head slowly, ears perked through the curiosity though. Not really no. He says with a huff.
I’m learning to write and read better. Hopefully the explanation of growing up really quickly at a shrine would make sense now to Loren, would make sense that he hasn’t grasped most social cues that everyone else has at his age, how in some things he’s smart and in others almost dangerously ignorant. Samuel’s having me read a mix of history stuff and stories. The stories so he doesn’t get bored wafting through all the history.
