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!
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
She doesn’t know how long they run, chasing one another through the underbrush, winding through trees and colorful foliage that is not nearly as eyecatching as the kitsune’s tails that continue to keep her running. Until eventually she lets herself transform in kind, golden pelt rippling into being mid-stride and landing on silent, agile paws. Fair is fair, she gloats, gleeful and mischievous as she bounds over a fallen log with far more ease, thus diminishing the distance between them.
Hotaru keeps her claws carefully sheathed, aware even now of keeping her playmate safe, even if the Wraith likely doesn’t need such considerations. So when she leaps, aiming to land overtop the kitsune and tumble them both, only the dexterity of her paws themselves lend any grip to her reach.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Fair?! Joyful amusement and a sense of teasing flare down the Attuned bond as Wessex cackles back, Since when do you play fair?! Maybe that’s not a question she really wants answered, because it could remind her of past things gone awry. But for now, the question is mostly rhetorical because it’s the most fun she’s had with Ru in years.
The Kitsune is tumbled from behind, head over plenty of tails, black lengths of fluff uncontrollable and unexpectedly helpful to the Wraith. She might be pinned, but just where her much smaller body is might give the sleek, tawny lioness some paws. Struggling just for show, the fox snaps playfully up at the feline as she finds herself rotating at least once, to land on her back.
Which is exactly where she wants to be.
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
The easy, childish glee is a maelstrom that coalesces from both sides. Since you got a shift of your own! she gloats in the moments before her larger feline frame takes Wessex down, sending the two rolling in the leaves that have dropped early at the turn of the season.
Without her claws, meant for pinning prey unlike the kitsune’s, Wessex is a slippery dark blue beneath her even with the friction of fur. Hold still! she laughs, cheeky and demanding as the Wraith ends up on her back below the Valkyrie. For a moment Ru crouches over her, triumphant, and then she leans in to drag a scratchy tongue against the kitsune’s snout. What be your final words before I vanquish you, fox? The lofty, ominous tone is at odds with the easy mirth in her heart, but she has always had a fondness for the dramatics.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
There’s a world of emotion and opportunity inside the shifts, feelings that Wessex is privy to now that she wasn’t before. Unspoken things that she can’t quite ignore in favor of spoken or physical. She eventually stops wriggling and ends up squeezing her eyes shut against the sandpaper tongue. When she opens them again, it’s with an easy vulpine grin. And in a matching flare, the fox looks up at Ru and summons all the melodrama she can muster. It is, after all, a General’s last words. They should be memorable. Tell the world that against all odds, I died happy.
A black paw comes up to tap - or perhaps caress - the lion’s chin as adoration seeps into her gaze.
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
The Attuned bond is a gift in many ways, allowing a level of honesty that otherwise would not be found in the Valkyrie. Without the available focus to filter out her own emotions, there is only a deep abiding pool of girlish delight, filled with bright undercurrents of mischief and abiding happiness that blinds her to the difficulties of the world at large. And love, love that is present everywhere you turn. Shades and variations that color every moment.
It overwhelms her for a moment at Wessex’s words, a gravity she didn’t expect pulling her down with how badly she wants them to be true. For the Wraith to be happy. Perhaps even for Ru to be the one to be the cause for it. It blindsides her into temporary stunned silence. The paw at her face has her blinking, breaking, and fondness spills forth. As you wish, she vows. And then she dives forward, keeping her maw closed as she jabs her nose into the soft throat below her, thrashing in a feigned final blow as she growls playfully.
Then she flops sideways, sprawled languorously, large paws pushing idly at Wessex’s dark shoulder. I wish we could just stay here for a while. There is no melancholy to her tone yet, just a peaceful, wistful sigh of desire. ‘Forever’ lingers on the tongue, but she doesn’t say it. It’s too much a fantasy even for her. Too impossible. Her dark tipped tail flicks lazily in the dry leaves, content to sprawl and pretend they both have nowhere else to be.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Damn, her final words weren’t supposed to be that grave, and Ru’s silent emotions take her by surprise as well. It quickly disappears as they return to their play, with the Wraith making mock strangling noises in her human-head voice as the lioness earns her kill.
Once the much heavier feline abandons her pin, the kitsune rolls over as well so that they’re face to face. Not quite snout-to-nose, but if they were to spoon, they probably wouldn’t need to scooch in much. And Wessex would be little spoon, which let me tell you, is a very rare thing. She hums an agreement, top ear swiveling to listen to the noises of the Oerwoud, and relishing in the fact that none of even remotely resemble people, or civilization…
We could have a spot, she suggests suddenly. Something that’s ours, and ours alone. No kids, no war, no Gods or Goddesses. Even as she says it, the demigod knows it’s a fantasy and they can’t really extricate themselves from the world, but to just buy into the fantasy for a little bit… maybe it’s what Wessex needs. The kitsune shifts again, twisting so she can lay a head on her paws and look at Ru with her little cocked head and big, pointed ears.
Are you happy? she asks, gentle, and meaning nothing more than just that. Is Hotaru happy?
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
Whether it is woman or cat, Hotaru can’t help the playful curl of emotion that lingers even as Wessex turns to face her. Amused by their size differences, inordinately pleased by the way the tables have turned for once. It’s not as if she doesn’t have the personality fit for a larger frame anyway.
The suggestion is an intoxication Ru wasn’t prepared for. And yet…her heart leaps with the idea, insistent and brazen. Yes, she says immediately, for once not caring to think through the semantics beforehand, letting them come naturally in conversation instead. Somewhere near here, even? A place with no ruler, no oversight. Just…just us. She yearns for it with a soreness she refuses to touch.
Her heart softens, soreness abating into nothingness at Wessex’s question. Yes, I’m happy, and though the Wraith will hear her clearly, it’s scarcely more than a whisper. In general? No, she would dare say not. But right now? Just the two of them? Yes. Yes, she is happy.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
03-16-2022, 12:49 AM (This post was last modified: 03-22-2022, 06:22 PM by Wessex.)
Wessex
Nothing could stop the kitsune’s grin from spreading as wide as physically possible, all pearly whites bared in reflected enthusiasm. She whines thoughtfully, flopping in a circle to look at the surrounding area. Hmmmm.. Oh, what about the Mistbanks? The question prompts a flip back to Hotaru. No one would find us in there. But we could find each other. Between the two of them? Two headstrong forces? They’d find a way if they wanted to.
Because Ru’s answer wasn’t very convincing. All nine of her tail tips flick about for a moment, doubt in all her extremities. But does she comment on it? No, Wessex lets that one pass, changing the topic with what she like to think is a very smooth non-sequitur. I kinda like you bigger than me. It’s different.
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
As much as she enjoys watching the smaller body writhe and flop, Ru is more content when Wessex wriggles around to look at her properly again, bright eyes where they should be once more (if Ru has any say). Mistbanks it is. We can hear each other this way, and I can fly in my other form - cover a lot of ground that way without needing to make noise. Or any kind of lightshow that would draw the eyes of others. Warmth curls in her chest and emanates through the bond at the idea of having a place and a plan.
A laugh bubbles free as if the woman was doing so right at Wessex’s ear, but there’s only the pleases expression of the cat to pair with it visually. One large paw extends to lay harmlessly upon Wessex’s comparatively tiny ribcage, letting the Wraith feel the weight of it. I kinda like it too. Only time I get to put you in your place, she teases, snapping her teeth dramatically.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Mistbanks it is, then. If Wessex had a shift that could purr, she would be doing so; the same kind of happy-contentedness floats down the bond like a whiff of sun-warmed wildflowers. I’ll have to teleport in. Or get a new shift so we can fly together. My mech-bird - it’s fast, but it’s obvious. And I dont have Attuned-speech in that form.
They should figure out some more specifics - days, times, seasons - or at least the next one, but the demigod is too busy relaxing. And playing, apparently, as she whips her head up to gnaw playfully back at Ru’s paw. The Valkyrie has far more power over the Wraith than she realizes, and in any other world, Wessex might be putty in her hands. If it weren’t for the impending war… the things Wessex would do for her. That’s right, you like to be on top, she murmurs seductively, bright eyes hooded for a hot second.Luckily for you, us tricksy creatures need to be put in our place every now and then
Then she chuckles dramatically and there are two or three extra kitsune’s now sitting on lioness!Ru, with open, laughing mouths.
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
Wessex cannot purr, but Hotaru certainly can, and she does at the notion of flying together. It is such an intimate act, and already she yearns for it. The mech-bird might be capable, but there’s something enchanting about the idea of the two of them, alike in size and form, so far in the heavens nobody can touch them. I would love to fly with you someday, she is finally able to verbalize, though the rumbling purr and flow of emotion that preceded it had already translated the words long before Ru gave them life.
The easy contentment twists into playfulness as Wessex’s small, sharp teeth wrap around her paw. Her toes spread and flex, claws still harmlessly contained, to bat at the long snout as best she can. A hot flush of lust and fluster sweep through her at the boldness of her companion, reminded vividly of that first night beneath the moon at the lakeside, Wessex giving the Valkyrie her first ever bite scars. A scar that still remains even now on the highest inner point of her thigh. Wessex! she scolds, but it’s entirely bluster, taken by surprise quite pleasantly. Normally she’s the flirtatious aggressor after all. The surprised yelp that the woman gives doesn’t translate well to feline vocals, more of a startled mrrp, as the illusions spring into being as if they’d always been. So real they’re distracting. But Wessex’s true form is warm and solid and unmoving below her, and so Ru rolls to flop the front of her body over the kitsune in a heavy but harmless pin, trying to ignore the distracting illusions. Don’t tempt me, dearest. I’ve found quite a few fun ways to use my lightning on your sensors, I don’t need a room to have you on your knees without a bite being involved. Because two can play at the bold game.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Human ears would have been able to pick up the puma’s purrs, but in the kitsune’s ears, they’re a veritable rumble of emotion, vibrating through her on the waves of desire, yearning, and affection. That’s all the Wraith needs to know she must make it happen. Somehow.
Flying. Seduction. Somehow, it’s all part of the demigod’s bigger plan (a plan that has nothing to do with the war, mind), and she laughs, childishly amused at the cat-sounds that erupt from her unbidden. The faux-foxes disappear soon after, but only when her attention is once again held by the gorgeous creature that takes up her entire field of vision. Offering a happy whine, she boldly strains up to place a long, wet lick on her squared nose, following it up with a few extra quick, devious fox-smooches as she retreats. Now that would be new, and exciting Wessex declares. What if I ask for it nicely next time?
Which brings her to a point they haven’t discussed yet, and the Wraith is privately a little worried it might be too good to be true. Let’s set a date for next time.
What is life? A madness What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story
Her voice is a fearless proclamation of protection She lives what's within her out loud
The illusions depart as if they’d never been, but poised over Wessex as she is, the original figure taking up all her attention - as she so often does whenever they are together - Hotaru barely notices their dissolution. Though her whiskers flex and lip wrinkles slightly at the coarse tongue, revealing long fangs, there is only amusement and adoration to be felt from the woman within.
Nicely? Just as new, coming from you, she teases, feeling girlishly infatuated despite the insinuations abound between them. With the world so far away from them, no distractions to remind her of how careful she has to be, it’s easy to fall into Wessex’s gravity and lose herself how she always wants to. The last full moon of the season? she proposes, if only because it isn’t too far away, and Ru already longs for this again. Her stomach twists, and she pulls away just enough for her eyes to meet Wessex’s. You’re here with me now and I miss you already, her voice trembles from within, vulnerable in a way she hates to be and yet has always managed with the woman below her.
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
I’m nice to those who deserve it. She barely protests the statement, knowing it isn’t an accusation of any sort, just an observation about the Wraith’s nature and the world they’re stuck in. And besides, she wants Hotaru to feel special, one among the few who have earned gifts and promises and sweet words from someone who’s name is cursed in other parts of Caido.
She can think of nothing other than Astor’s snail pace death that would keep her from the Mistbanks. Anticipation, surprise - and happiness - seep out of her. Her heart is full and there can be no hiding or containing that pleasure. Done. The last full moon of Leafchange. And if the world hasn’t ended by LongNight, then too. It feels risky to promise something so far away, at a time that is traditionally a disaster waiting to happen - but these are the side effects of lust and infatuation: gilded promises, far away plans, and the best of intentions.
An edge of concern colors her next words, as she meets the lioness’s gaze. I’m never that far away. And this is the truth. Rolling over to her front, she scooches out from underneath the feline and when she has enough space, begins to shift back. Some things needed hands. Some things needed lips. “I can’t come to the Greatwood, but you’re always welcome in the Grounds. The Ascended can always find me.”
Reaching out to stroke the tawny fur, Wessex’s hands are gentle, and then firm, trying to find that spot betwixt cheek and ears, as if this beautiful, fierce predator were nothing more than a tame housecat.
there was a time that we were kind, but now don't write me, you're not fooling anyone
