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!
Adrenaline-fueled and hot on the trail, no part of Ever's mind stops to consider his surroundings at all. With his tail high and his mouth open, the shepherd bolts into the underbrush after the hare just as it had clearly intended. Finding the scent of it suddenly gone and replaced by thorns that bit into his nose and tongue, Ever put on the brakes with a howl of surprise.
Halted in place, his canine mind unwilling to give over motor control even as the man within the dog tried desperately to suggest that they back out the way they came instead of flailing about, instinct won again leaving the shepherd to thrash about in the thorns in an effort to get out. Succeedingly only in securing more thorns in his paws and around his muzzle, Ever lets out a wailing howl he very much hopes Mateo will interpret as H E L P.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
"Ah, merda!" Already climbing to his feet as the first of Ever's yelps hits the air, by the time Mateo actually manages to jog over to where shepherd is fighting with some thorny shrub, his canine friend has well and truly gotten himself in (and this a technical term) a bit of a pickle.
"Ever, hang on--" Mateo is trying to say, reaching in to disentangle fur and paws from snarls of prickly thorns, gaining more than a few scratches himself in the process. "Alright, nearly there," he assures his friend, and with a little more coaxing and blood, he's at least managed to free the aviator.
"That blink hare had a mean streak!" He scowls, backing up so they can put some distance between themselves and the undergrowth, and Mateo can look at Ever properly.
i've told you time and time again i'm not as think as you drunk i am
Whining softly with every breath, the shepherd's ears and tail have lowered guiltily, though as Mateo nears Ever gives his tail a slight little wag. Only when the canine feels the majority of the burrs and barbs have been released does he rapidly (and probably unhelpfully) pull back, leaving several clumps of black fur in the brambles that birds will likely line their nests with.
Trotting dutifully after Mateo, Everest sits down in front of his friend, looking expectantly up at him with large blue eyes. Save for a few scratches around his muzzle and eyes, his thick coat has protected him from the worst that the bush had to offer. In all likelihood, Mateo was wounded more in his attempts to free the shepherd than Ever was in the first place.
With a quiet huff, Ever stretches out his nose to nudge at one of Mateo's hands.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
At least neither of them are seriously hurt and Ever isn't stuck in the thorns any more, though there are definitely going to be a few happy birds in the Celestine. "I think maybe that is enough excitement for one day, how about you?" He laughs softly, gently scratching the soft fur beneath the shepherd's chin as his hand is nosed. "Here," Mateo adds, leaning down and reaching beneath the collar of his shirt to draw out his nonna's finger bones.
It doesn't take long to soothe away their scratches with Vai's assistance, and though the botanist is still speckled with blood, there are no wounds to show for it. "That is better. Shall we go to the Plaza for some lunch? I will play ball with you on the way," Mateo suggests, straightening back up and nodding to the (sort of bald but still serviceable) tennis ball a few feet away.
i've told you time and time again i'm not as think as you drunk i am
Ever's large triangular ears perk forward, though whether it's because he knows Mateo's necklace will soothe his skin or because they're bones is anyone's guess. As Vai's magic knits bits of skin back together, the shepherd's jaws part, revealing bright white teeth and a pink tongue that lolls from the side of his mouth.
Barking once for yes! before emphatically barking several more times just in case his friend was at all confused about whether or not he wanted to play ball on the way, Ever darts to the ball and immediately deposits it at the botanist's feet.
Barking again out of enthusiasm this time, the shepherd lowers his head slightly, blue eyes suddenly intensely focused. One didn't need to be an attuned to know what the black dog was thinking in that moment, and no sooner had Mateo thrown the ball then the shepherd was off like a streak of dark lightning.
~FIN
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
