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!
Lilitu claws dug into the dirt as she trotted along the Wildwood. The soft lush grass beneath her paws was pure bliss. She loved this form, it was always fun to be in, always exciting. From her paws going up her long, lanky legs was black, until the fur began to gradually change to a reddish-tan colour. It was a ombre effect. The Attuned sniffed around, searching for a small animal, preferably a rabbit to hunt for dinner, or simply just to chase around and let go. Her shifted form was a Maned Wolf, a gorgeous animal that markings resembled a fox, but wasn't one. Nor was it a wolf.
The young girl walked barefoot through the woods, barely making a sound. She had left Ludo's Woods behind, finding no answers, no curiosities there. Wandering, wandering, wandering. She supposed, idly, that she was lost. But then she supposed that one could not be lost if one had no destination to reach.
Bare feet padded along the ground, leaving tiny footprints. She dragged a doll along behind her, holding it by one hand, the doll dangling down, its feet dragging along the ground, leaving little trails in the dirt. The doll's black glassy eyes stared out from its porcelain face, one eye smeared with old, dried blood.
The girl stopped when she saw the wolf. Her head tilted to the side, studying it. Curious.
No signs of fear shown in the girl's black eyes, deep as shadows. Not a single muscle in her face twitched. She stood perfectly still, watching the wolf, silent as a doll herself.
The doll she carried, however, turned its head completely 'round, its own deep black eyes looking towards the wolf, staring deep into the wolf's own eyes. Staring. Weighing. Judging.
Lilitu's ears perked up at the low sound of approaching footsteps, turning her head towards the noise. She tilted her head to the side, staring at the young girl in thr middle of the Wildwoods. Why was she in the Wildwoods anyway? It was strange a child was out here. Eyeing the creepy doll that the girl dragged behind her was rather creepy to look at.
Lilitu shifted from the maned wolf into a human. She stood up straight, wiping her hands, and gave the young girl a smile. "Are you lost?" She asked, tilting her head to the side similar to what she did in her shifted form.
Trinket watched the stranger shift. No muscle twitched, nothing in her face changed, she seemed completely unphased by the sudden change in the wolf's appearance. For a long while, Trinket merely stared at the woman, studying her, weighing her.
There was no one else around. Maybe this one would be interesting.
"I don't think I'm lost," Trinket said. She pulled her doll up and held it with one arm against her chest. The doll's head swiveled back around, continuing to stare at the woman, the light filtering through the trees reflecting in the doll's dark eyes, tinting them red.
Trinket considered the woman's question. Questions, questions, questions, all of the time. People asked her questions wherever she went. Questions were interesting. Maybe she should ask the woman the questions people often asked her.
"Are you lost?" Trinket asked. "You're out here alone in the woods. You must be lost. Where are your parents?"
Lilitu was creeped out by the young girl, who didn't look much older than eight. Her facial expression didn't change, and when she held the creepy doll up to her chest, its head moved back around, eyes tinted red. That doll is definitely haunted. 'Shit! That's creepy as fuck!' Lilitu thought.
"No. I am not lost." Lilitu shook her head, contemplating if she should just leave the creepy child with the creepy doll out in the middle of the forest. Sounded like a plan! Lilitu didn't feel like being gruesomely murdered today.
"Well, kid, have a lovely walk in these lovely woods... all by yourself."
"Walking is boring," Trinket replied, her tone flat and expressionless. She only walked in order to get where she was going. She never stopped to consider if the woods were lovely or not.
She continued studying the stranger. She stood perfectly still, considering, considering. The stranger didn't seem to want to play.
Curious.
"Do you want to play a game?" Trinket asked. "The woods are boring. Let's make them more interesting."
There wasn't much nearby except trees, grass, and rocks. They would need to come up with a way to play with them.
Trinket glanced at the nearby rocks. She gave them a simple command: roll. Each rock, one by one, started to roll across the ground. She told them where to go, the rocks tumbling through the grass and over the dirt, each one going where it was told. One rock after another moved closer until they formed a circle of stones all around the stranger, surrounding her from every side. The circle of stones then stood still, each rock silent and motionless, as quiet and still as the girl herself. Waiting.
"Let's play a game," Trinket said, staring at the woman, unblinking. "This game is called 'tag.'"
Then at her command, one by one, the rocks started jumping at the woman, in rapid succession one after another, trying to pelt her legs. Not too hard, not enough to hurt, but enough to sting, enough to make the woman dance.
