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!
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
The lynx moved carefully.
When he connected with Deimos after their training tournament about hunting, and the warlord told him of the places beyond the settlements they knew of, Noah felt like he had to go. Deimos had agreed to accompany him in the Wilds, and with the tales of what had happened to others on his mind from the other attuned, Noah felt both excited and apprehension.
The pair moved easily enough from Halo to the Hollowed Grounds, and from there out into the beyond. The beyond of what they knew, the beyond of what was recorded in the books in the Citadel, beyond what Noah had ever seen. There was more color here than the hunter could ever remember. He thought Torchline had brought the most color into his life, but as the pair strode silently through into this new part of the world, Noah was amazed. Vibrant, verdant, and warm, he took it all in. Glacier eyes continuously scanned and radar ears rotated atop his head, muscles tense beneath his skin and fur even though the heart fluttered with the beauty of everything around him.
When they finally came astride a small river, barely above what could be called a stream, Noah stopped. He looked around with great intention and alertness before lowering his maw to lap up at the cool water. Which direction should we move next?
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
The last time the Sword had gone out exploring, the nature of the Attuned manifestations ensured they’d arrived safely home, after several wrong turns, confusion, and overall distortion, inquiry, into the events. He still didn’t know how or why the motions had occurred; there beside the stone steps rising towards the sun, and within the next instant, lingering within the jungle. And while they’d had their share of amusements and hunts, the beast was no closer to the angles and apprehension – merely presuming it had something to do with the Voice (didn’t it always?).
So for these moments strung along days – movements and motions towards the Hollowed Grounds, and then beyond once again – he’d taken his bag of holding with adequate supplies, and his two companions. Zuriel was there for healing measures, as well as some sentiments of wisdom and sagacity, Belial for moments in the sky, breaching proportions in his quiet grace that even Deimos couldn’t adequately tread. For now, paws unfurling as his hellhound endeavors again, the unicorn held onto his bag, and the peryton flew above, content to spring along the ethers of wind.
This was a different trek then he and Aisha had taken before, and the Sword lingered in the opportunity to stare, to wonder, to glance towards the rolling hills, some seeming natural, some mounds clearly covering something. At Noah’s inquiry, his ears swiveled back and forth, piercing eyes taking in the landscape, the potential. This was the world they’d been trying to reach so many seasons ago, embedded and coated in lightning, in fellow unicorn herds. We can try north, he indicated with a toss of his canine head, beginning to instigate motions in that direction.
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
When he had his fill, Noah lifted his head. He turned to look in the direction that Deimos had gestured. He nodded and let his satisfaction in agreeing with the general spill over the attuned bond. He raised his body back up and trotted along the riverbank, heading north. He ears still rotated like satellites atop his head, large paws silent on the loamy ground. why couldn't the grounders get to this land before? He asked as they walked, his eyes flickering gently to the sky for a moment as Eira trilled above him, trying her best to followed Belial.
This land seemed so much more fertile than what the Hollowed Grounds was. He imagined that, before the barrier, the virility of the wildlife here may have spread its fingers all the way into the grounds. However, that land was so barren and nearly fruitless now after the barrier - its recovery barely scratching the surface. If the grounders had the ability to come here after the lifting of the barrier, he couldn't imagine why they wouldn't -- so there must have been something that truly prevented them from going.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
The fertile landscape was something to be admired, with fields upon fields of blinding greenery; rich and lush, and untouched by humans for likely hundreds of years. History was written in the stones, in the riverbanks, in the mounds and barrows, but no one was around to tell it, and so his mind could inquire and wonder without truth or revelations springing forth. Presumptions and wonder, eyes widening to take it all in, to breathe amongst and amidst the expanse with a lifted maw, seeking and searching for nothing in particular.
The inquiry made sense. Halo would’ve craved these nutrients just as much, and wouldn’t ever have to rely on foreign trade for simplistic, farming wares. His tone was flat and neutral, memories conspiring, gaze watching as Belial permitted the griffin to keep up with his fast-moving pace, before diving headlong for the sheer thrill of it. We tried.. Just after Kiada had died. Reckless and yearning, craving for purpose, amongst the thralls of the unknown. There was an electrical storm blocking it. We went underground for a while, but then there was a herd of unicorns… and it sounded like some fantastical, bewildering story the more he thought about it – a shrug maneuvering through hound shoulders. So we did not get much farther. Maybe time had taken it apart and down. Maybe another crew had marched in and found success.
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
The lynx plodded on, the wonder still unable to leave his mind and body. Green was his favorite color, and there was more green here than he had ever seen anywhere in his life. As he walked and listened to Deimos, he couldn't help but wonder if Delphine had wandered this place when the dragon had transported her. The thought did not linger long, because the hunter decided that if she had been transported here, she would not have left. It was too beautiful.
Hmm. the hunter mused over the bond. Glacier eyes flicked briefly to Zuriel at the mention of unicorns. I've never seen a wild one. He imagined that they were a sight to behold. He thought the General's companion regal on her own, and he was sure that many of her would only bring this same sort of wonder and awe to his mind that this place already had. I don't think there are any that enjoy the cold of Halo. Perhaps, before the tundra existed, there may have been unicorns. Now, though, the hunter could not recall any living there on their own accord.
A flash of movement caught the corner of the lynx's eye and he jumped. Claws extended into loamy soil and his center of gravity dropped naturally. Everything on his already alert body raised and he lowered his head. Did you see that? He asked, just as another flash of movement caught his eye and had him turn his head the other way.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
As if aware she was under some scrutiny and attention, the unicorn shook her head, quite content, haughty, regal, and defined upon the terrain. Deimos had to wonder, momentarily, if this had been the land of her birth as well – that she’d somehow managed to wander and meander from its tempests, to settle in along the Fields, where he’d found her, being chased, stalked, and hunted by a landshark. Most likely not, he mused in return. Halo had been the home for luxere; fitted and used to the terrain, to the cold – Zuriel’s counterparts seemed likely to simply enjoy a world like the one before them. Lush and wild, unknown and intertwining, history-laden with myths and tales they didn’t have, couldn’t procure.
Before there could be any further methodical ponderings, the same intricate flash of movement and motion caught his eye. A predator’s intuition, preamble, and melee struck a chord in the hound’s mind, and he ceased all motion for a moment – simply to stalk, convey, and wonder. I did. He was very still, poised, silent, considering the possibilities and parameters. There were hares when we went before. Another pause, naught moving save for his eyes in speculation. Even Belial had frozen nearby, blending neatly into the surroundings, just as malicious as the rest of them. They moved much like lightning. Like electrical currents, bounding and leaping, sparks and nothingness, swift and uncanny. Was that what they’d seen?
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
While Noah wanted to ask more questions about the Grounders previously failed endeavors into this land, his mind could not move away from the motion he had seen. Predatory instinct was set deep in this shift. The more time he spent between this skin and his polar bear skin, the more and more he fell into the ways of these creatures. His reindeer kept him in check, but it wasn't enough to keep his eyes from the mirage-like images of the flashing hares.
the tawny cat lowered his body, his spine stiffening momentarily as his glacier eyes followed the trail of what he thought would be the hare's trajectory. His limbs bent and his body lowered into his stalking position, satellite ears rotated forward. How many do you think we could catch... He found himself asking out over the bond before a hare snapped into his vision and he darted out after it.
Eira landed on a tree next to where Belial fell into hiding, her wide golden eyes full of excitement as she watched her bondmate start his chase.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
All notion of exploring deeper and further into the midst seemed to have disappeared, altered, for a time, as hunters gave into their natural instincts and accord. While Zuriel hastened off with a flick of her tail, as if unamused by the proceedings, preferring to grass as the others tended to their maelstrom.
Deimos dug into the provocation and challenge with very little instigation – watching, waiting, ears flickering back and forth in his svelte, limber form; hound inclinations honed and rapacious, twisting and turning, coiling through his blood. It only pooled further into his flesh and bones as the hares continued, persisting in vibrant lights, in exalting their presence. Scrutinizing, analyzing, the beast attempted to follow their pattern – less haphazard, more intricate than he’d first believed, out there before the electrical storms.
Belial seemed to have the same idea. A carnivorous deer, he left Eira behind, hovering over where he thought he could best approach, as the Sword hastened towards his own prey. Together, they took a tandem march; the peryton from the skies, and Deimos from the ground, launching, presiding, descending, rampaging after their chosen wares.
His companion’s talons just missed, and he could hear some menacing growl through the melee; while his claws sunk into the hind end of the hare, and he listened to the strangled screech as it knew it’d been had.
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
Eira trilled and crouched on the branch of her tree as she watched the three predators move. The surges of Noah's mind overtook her, and her excitement rose in her chest, but she knew she was too young to be able to keep up with them all. To try and stay with them, the hybrid glided from tree to tree, golden eyes wide with wonder.
Deimos vaulted his own assault on one of the hares, and it only made Noah's desire to catch one increase. The lynx took off after the flashes of a hare before him. Brown and white fur were only present for a moment before the blipped from existence again. He sprinted ahead of where Deimos caught his hare, still chasing the mottled one he desired. From what he had seen of it, it was rather large and plump. Green scenery was a blur all around him as his predatory instincts took over. Blood pounded in his ears as he sprinted after the rodent.
Finally, trying his best to time the blip of the creature and his retaliation, Noah pounced. Claws extended out from massive, furry paws. His mouth opened in anticipation. It was all well timed and anticipated. Claws sunk into the fleshy sides of the hare as it reappeared. Strong jaws clamped down around the base of it's skull and the lynx quickly shook his head from side to side. The easy snap of bones in his mouth sent a shiver down his spine as the hare went limp in his grasp.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
Had he not already had one in his mouth, the swarm of rapacious decadence between the majority of them would’ve kept him rolling, kept him reeling, kept him in the facets of blood and anarchy, sedition and unrelenting precision. As it was, he had no need to continue his assaults, but quietly observed, adding his molten, predatory instincts into the fray.
Noah chased and pounced. Belial ducked and dove. The snapping and crunching of bones from the lynx was an audible reach, and while Deimos kept his locked in between his fangs, his eyes cast towards his companion. The young peryton came in on a strange angle towards the closest hare, talons and fangs poised again, but it wasn’t to be. His practice on ningos might have been sufficient in Halo, but not here. These animals weren’t as dim as the birds amongst the Citadel, fast-moving prey, likely generations upon generations of beasts swarming and honing in their skills. The hare took its opportunity to teleport, blinking quickly, swiftly, towards the other side of dew and grass, leaving the deer empty-handed and pouting.
The discernible hiss from Belial made the hellhound nearly choke with laughter – but instead of feeding into the peryton’s sudden wall of juvenile anger and frustration, he directed his attention towards the fellow Halovian. Enough for now? Two hares would cater to a sufficient meal, and they could meander farther, further, into the stead with energy and provisions.
The lynx finished his job and dropped the blink hare. The mottled body fell to the ground with a dull thud, and with it Eira knew it was her time. The gryphon came down from her perch and instantly went for the hare. Greedily, she tore into the creature a Noah took a step back from it and shifted back up. He stood tall and firm, looking to the hellhound. He nodded in response, though with his shift the answer was clear. The hunter took a few steps back toward a boulder and took a seat. "Since I have been able to shift into a lynx and a polar bear, I have felt more and more of their instincts. It's an adjustment for me. I got so used to being in the form and tendencies of a reindeer." His hand went up to rub the back of his neck. "It's like when I am in those skins I can't help but let it all go and fall into step with them." Glacier eyes turned to the general, eyebrows lifting some.
"I am sorry that it happened in the middle of a conversation." I will try to control myself more. He seemed to imply the statement, even if it did not grace his lips and move to the warlord's ears. The youngling, happy with her prize and her full belly, lifted what was left of the hare and trotted towards Belial. She dropped it at the peryton's hooves, chirping gladly.
Noah Olson
When the night is cold and you feel like no-one knows
what it's like to be the only one buried in this hole
You can make it to the sunrise
The griffin was a kind little thing, and the General smiled through the measures of his Attuned reaches, extending a thank you in regards to the companion, as she offered a portion to Belial, the pouting deer. While Zuriel sniffed and made a dramatic head toss to show her unimpressed nature, Deimos tossed his own kill towards the peryton, and together the pair could eat in relative ease.
Thereafter though, it seemed their time in shifts was up, and he followed suit, mobilizing back into his residual, monolithic figure, striding over towards where his unicorn was grazing. Removing the bag from her, and placing it over his shoulder, Deimos had to realize he didn’t anticipate the measures suddenly coming from Noah. The Sword had thought nothing of the distraction in the midst of conversation, as he’d been more than content to oblige in hunting, in preying upon masses, in miniscule measures of combat, even in avenues of exploration. It was normal, nearly, especially when he and Aisha wandered together, to maul and brutalize without a second notion.
But he’d always been a predator the majority of his life; honed like a blade, like an armament, like a weapon, from an early age. “You will receive no judgment from me,” Deimos permitted with an arch of his brow, the lighter tones of a muffled laugh. Reassurance, perhaps. It took nothing more than a moment for him to ever linger in the stead of those ravenous eaves; but it had been the way he’d always been. Scarcely any adjustments needed to be made – thriving instantly on the fringes, boundaries, and edges of rapacious creatures. Just another form in his abhorrent, contemptuous, savage haze. And while they meandered, starting again, his brows furrowed slightly, in traces of notions and curiosity. “What is it like to be immersed in prey instincts?”
It was not quite a shameful feeling that veiled over the hunter, for he knew shame well, but there was still a sense of turmoil within himself that he was still trying to understand. He took comfort in Deimos' response, thankful that the general was not offput by the display. "Very different." He stated the obvious, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. "I know a lot of prey animals feel fear most commonly. I didn't really ever feel afraid -- I knew that I could still fight if I needed to, as a man, or I could run as a deer." A calloused hand worked through tangled blond locks as he thought over what to say. "But as a predator...there's a different sort of security I've never felt before. A power, raw and unhinged and indomitable." Nothing can touch me. He thought, though in the depths of his mind he knew that was not true -- but it was how he felt.
"i always had great respect for what I hunted. I think the gods gave me my reindeer shift so that I would cultivate that. In a land like Halo, it is easy to take for granted what we hunt. But I....I understand luxere in a way that most hunters don't experience." Before now, before dealing with the different ways his heart and soul and mind were being pulled, Noah ad never expressed this.
Noah Olson
When the night is cold and you feel like no-one knows
what it's like to be the only one buried in this hole
You can make it to the sunrise
While he listened, the beast adjusted the rest of the belongings and pack along Zuriel’s back, and then left her alone – no need to hold reins, no need to grasp and tether her to himself, full trust and instinct honed, built, within their bond.
But Noah’s admittance made him realize that there wasn’t much difference in between humans and prey. Didn’t they all still feel fear? Didn’t they cluster in apprehension, in trepidation, when the world tossed and turned, when their loved ones weren’t safe? There were more influential impacts, and they were capable of beleaguering the tides, but all of those senses still remained firmly entrenched in their beings. Even the Sword held misgivings and disquiet from time to time, lodged along his chest – concern for those he cherished being ripped apart again. Maybe it was the amount of possibilities and parameters conjured between – and where humans could holster some amount of logic into their movements, animals clung to those impulsive, impetuous designs; hardwired to fight or flee.
He tilted his head a fraction, resuming their walk through the fertile fields, eyes scanning the stretch of green – unburdened, unabashed, in its compelling landscape. “So perhaps it is a blessing that you have both. You know exactly what each one feels.” The Sword would likely never be able to conjure such a sentiment – not when he’d spent so many lives churning his way through demolition and deceit, power and precision, sometimes solely there to ensure destruction. “That neither it is to be taken for granted.” And perhaps far more connected than the majority of them.
