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!
09-21-2020, 09:49 PM (This post was last modified: 10-17-2020, 04:22 PM by Noah.)
Noah
Spending the majority of a season in Torchline had thrown off a few things for the hunter. Firstly, hunting. He had left his usual group of people he provided for with what he thought would be enough to make it through, but a few families ran out. He spent a great amount of time on the tundra, now, because of it. Countless hours and back-breaking days harvesting enough food to keep people afloat. He was so thankful for Chulane's ningo breeding -- without that, there were a lot of people Noah cared for that would have starved.
Today was not a hunting day for others, however. Today was a day for Noah to breathe (or so, he hoped), before he needed to dive head first into his government duties. So, he walked. He walked along the tundra with wide open eyes and keen ears, but tried to relax his racing mind and his restless heart. His cloven hooves sunk into the snow as the wind beat against him, driving him further and further into his own mind. It was a continuous, strenuous process for him to unwind and remove himself from his own overwhelming thoughts--but it was worth it.
Hours passed before Noah found himself wandering, almost aimlessly, several hundred yards away from the road back to the Citadel.
It had felt much like the others. Somewhere, deep within him, he had simply known something was different, something fundamentally changed. He was getting better at recognising it now - the first time, he'd needed to be shown, the second, he'd almost been sick from the sensation of something within him trying to get out.
This time, he was filled with an urge for space, but not the same way his eagle shift had needed space. He ventured beyond the walls of the Citadel, Auni close by his heels, out into the Tundra, and then he just gave in to it.
Auni had been the most surprised, but was ultimately rather pleased with the change he saw. With mist fogging his breath at the end of his long nostril, his bondmate bowed his antlered crown to the little luxere, crooning a low note of contentment.
Then he began wandering, testing the limits of this form, relishing the warmth its pelt provided, the power its limbs boasted. And yet, it was still a prey animal, which he found fitting in itself too.
Senses that had evolved in this sort of environment caught sight of something ahead, and he froze as he drank in the scene - the wind, the summer sun, the reindeer. Auni bleated and the moose responded with a deep, long and low grumbling call, one that would echo across the expanse - a greeting, to a friend across the Tundra.
The task of pulling himself out of his own head took more work than he thought it would. He did not notice the looming figure in the distance at first. When it finally caught his eye it was just before the bellow it raised toward him. The reindeer stopped and lifted his crowned head toward the moose. His nostrils flared as he scented the air, his large ears swiveling forward as the creature bellowed out for him. He had never seen a moose out on the tundra here. He knew the creatures to like forests of high pine and places where rivers did not freeze solid. The bellow, however, and the luxere at its heels, solidified what Noah's mind tried to tell him: Chulane.
If his reindeer lips could curl into a smile, they would have. Cloven hooves carried him in a swift trot towards the other attuned, his pleasant mood instantly shifting across the bond and moving towards Chulane in shimmering waves. While he did not know the man well--yet--he still trusted him and appreciated his company. His work for Halo had not gone unnoticed by the natural, and Noah was so thankful for the efforts. It helped keep the people he cared about alive while he was gone. 'Chuy,' He finally greeted the other deer-like attuned as he approached. He couldn't help but let his eyes roll over the massive, hefty frame the other now carried himself in. 'This is a good shift.'
Am I a prisoner to instincts or do my thoughts just live as free
And detached as boats to the dock?
Low notes of agreement rumbled through the moose's frame as the other's approval reached him. It was a good shift, one he felt immediately safe in, and at the same time curious as to what it meant. Talk of attuned shifts reflecting different aspects of oneself had him wondering what this one meant - the timing of its emergence, the strength and steadfastness it represented.
Ripples of emotion were sent towards Noah, simple contentness beaming across the bond. It was not all that he felt, but all that he was comfortable sharing at this time. 'It's quite new,' he admitted, before shifting his weight and shaking his entire frame with a low grunt. Auni bleated softly, mimicking the motion of his bondmate, sending waves of simple joy across their bond. The moose leaned his great nose down to touch the luxere's huffing a soft breath of affection against the small deer's face.
'How've you been Noah?' he asked, icy pools turning back to behold the reindeer; he hadn't seen the man in some time, but knew he was always there, supporting the town. It was… nice to see him outside of 'work', to have this opportunity to know him better. He liked the hunter, and respected him for all he did for the region. They were similar, in the way they wanted to serve the community, and he felt a deep sense of comradery for the man for it.
If Noah could have smiled in this shift, he would have. It would have been a fleeting smile, because as his eyes danced down towards Auni it would have disappeared. While he did not have a close relationship with the woman Chulane had loved, he did still respect her and therefor mourned in his own way. Ultimately, his sorrow at her death was felt towards those still living who cared for, loved, or admired her. It was often how he felt. Death was an all-too-familiar thing in his life, having lived always in this frozen place. One misstep often caused the downfall of those least expecting it, and Noah and the rest of the townspeople had to live with the consequences of that.
His eyes lifted back up towards Chulane's broad face as he spoke, and Noah nodded his own antlered head. "I have been...busy." After coming back from Torchline, Noah's days had been jam packed with tasks that needed to be done. Each day they seemed to pile higher and higher, and the expectations rose with them. "Without your ningos, however, I would be even more busy." He emphasized the word more, but let a feeling of gratitude spark over the attuned frequency.
"I hope you have been well, through all of this." He gestured down to Auni, "I am sorry for your loss."
Am I a prisoner to instincts or do my thoughts just live as free
And detached as boats to the dock?
Being reminded of Kia was inevitable in everything he did, and he'd had enough people share their condolences, and spent enough time in his own head, that he had built up a sort of guard against it. He accepted the gratitude with a nod - the ningo establishment that he'd built in town, while not the full dream of a farm he had planned, was enough to keep the region comfortable, to take the pressure off the hunters. And he'd recruited some young workers too, to take care of things when he wasn't there - it was a smaller version of his dream, fulfilling the same purpose at least.
He tried not to let the bitterness that she wasn't here to live it with him get to him.
'Glad they have had the desired effect.' he replied softly, genuinely pleased that his plans had gone well.
'And uh, yeah. Thanks.' His words were stilted and awkward, as he retreated more into himself, shifting his weight and casting his gaze out over the snowy expanse surrounding them. Auni bleated softly, and leaned against his bondmate's strong forelegs for security. A bit of tension relaxed from Chuy. 'I've done what I can to cope. The most foolish thing was going to the Climb, completely unprepared, when the season first turned…' he admitted, letting his gaze turn back to the reindeer, a mental, almost helpless sort of shrug expressing itself across the bond.
There might be a lot of things in this world that Noah did not understand, but grief was something the hunter had intimate knowledge of. The moose before him had experience loss, and was grieving. Noah knew all too well what that was like, and how it could alter the brain. Grief made people make decisions they might not otherwise make -- love, too, had this effect. The hunter could attest to this personally. As a man who could count on ne hand how many times he had been slightly inebriated, Noah had drunk himself into a stupor when Weaver died.
Across their bond, there was no judgement. There was only understanding, and a pique of curiosity as Chulane described how he had used exploration to cope. What did you find there? Noah asked, despite the disheartened feeling that followed the moose's statement. The hunter had only heard brief hearsay about this new land, and had not yet ventured there for himself.
Am I a prisoner to instincts or do my thoughts just live as free
And detached as boats to the dock?
