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!
In the relentless grip of the river's current, terror blurred the driver's vision as the world above turned into a chaotic swirl of water and rain. Gasping for air, the river became an unforgiving force, pulling him beneath its surface.
Raelyn materialized through the murky depths, her nimble form slicing through the tumultuous river. Beside her, a magnificent polar bear swam with powerful strokes, a guardian in the storm. Desperation turned to a glimmer of hope as the girl's strong grip found the driver's arm, and the polar bear offered its steadfast support.
As they breached the surface, gasping for air, the wagon driver found himself indebted to an unexpected alliance, a tale of salvation etched in the tempestuous waters.
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Grab on!
The mental voice had Raelyn's head snapping around to find the source, and a jolt of surprised recognition rose within as she saw a polar bear - not in the least native to the Grounds - swimming towards her. It had to be Noah, which meant that he was an Attuned or a hybrid or something else entirely. Either way, she wasn't going to look a gift polar bear in the mouth, and she flung a free arm around the beast's neck as she held fast to the driver with the other hand.
The water was cold, but not unbearably so - though Raelyn was less than pleased to be soaked to the bone as they were propelled towards shore by the bear's powerful paws. As soon as they reached the shallows, Raelyn dropped her arm from around Noah's neck and dragged the driver the last few feet to land before flopping to the ground with a huff. Swimming through the torrential river had taken more out of her than anticipated.
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
Noah’s massive body pushed against the current. He was a large, powerful swimmer by nature and even though this river was swollen with a Biblical amount of rain nad its current swift, it was nothing compared to swimming in the Sea of Glass for seals. Noah’s huge body brought them safely to shore.
He felt the woman slink off of him and heard her body squash in the muck and mire. Relief wanted to flood his veins, but more panic took over. The driver! Noah shifted as quickly as he could, hoping the seconds it took for bear to return to human weren’t in vain.
He rushed over to the driver, which was more of a half-jump, half-flop with the way the mud held onto his booted feet. He pushed the man and rolled him over on to his back. ”Shit.” He mumbled between gritted teeth. He wasn’t breathing and blood was streaming from a gash on his forehead. Noah locked his hands together and started the revival motions on his man’s chest. He pushed hard and fast to try and get the man recovered as rain streamed down his face.
Growling, Vi’s demigod pulsed out magic, and a brilliant dome covered all of them. He felt renewed in his own muscles, and Raelyn would feel every ounce of fatigue and struggle and anything else poor she felt melt away within the blink of an eye.
And the driver coughed and sputtered, sinew and skin sewing together on his forehead.
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
Gasping for air, the wagon driver's consciousness flickered back, caught between the remnants of drowning and a newfound awareness. A warm glow surrounded him, emanating from Noah. With each rhythmic compression, life surged back into the driver's body. His eyes fluttered open, meeting Noah's with a mixture of confusion and gratitude, an unspoken acknowledgment of a debt owed to the intertwining of magic and mortal effort. Then his eyes moved to Raelyn and he weakly lifted a hand towards her, clear that he wanted her to take it. "t-thank you--" he struggled, but each syllable was full of gratitude.
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Raelyn coughed and spluttered in the shallows, but she was nowhere near as impacted as the driver of the cart, who lay without moving, blood seeping sluggishly from a wound in his head. She scrambled to her hands and knees in the water, hovering as Noah began to try to resuscitate the man. Gods, if she had jumped in the river and risked her neck just for the man to die, she'd be pissed.
Then the strangest feeling overtook her. It was warm and comfortable, all fatigue and soreness from battling the river fading from her bones. The driver's eyes fluttered open, and Raelyn's brow knit in confusion. Hadn't he been, like, almost dead before? As the driver took her hand, she patted his absently. "Rest," she told him, almost kindly, before her eyes snapped up to Noah's. "What did you do?" she asked, curiosity evident in the lines of her face.
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
Noah let out a breath when the driver woke up, water expelled from his lungs and forehead cut closing. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to Vi, for giving him the ability to save ones life in such a way. Adrenaline still pumped through Noah's veins that, despite the way the rain still poured down on them and the thunder roared, Noah could only focus on the two people before him.
He leaned back away from the driver some, resting on his knees in the mud. Raelyn's question caught him off guard and he swung his head towards her, water flinging off of the lengths of his hair and beard. "What--" He started, brows drawing together, before realizing this woman didn't truly know who he was. "Oh, I healed him. And you." He said simply enough.
"We better get out of this." Noah said, standing and helping the wagon driver up, then extending another hand to Rae.
As gratitude filled his eyes, he mumbled words of thanks to Raelyn, a silent acknowledgment of her vital role in his rescue. He squeezed Raelyn's hand and committed her face to memory, vaguely knowing where her farm was located. Concern etched his features as he noticed his mule nowhere to be seen. He got up with Noah's help, still shaken from the earlier chaos. With a shaky but heartfelt expression, he turned to Noah. "My mule..." He mumbled. The driver's gratitude mingled with genuine worry for his faithful companion.
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
"Uhhhh," Raelyn said stupidly, staring at Noah with a slack look on her face. She couldn't deny that whatever magic he'd conjured had made her feel better, but it was still strange to be on the receiving end of it. "Thanks?" she said, her voice squeaking up uncharacteristically at the end. But she quickly refocused on the cart driver. She'd deal with Noah and his magic later. For right now, the driver still had a death grip on her hand.
Until, of course, he shifted his hands to Noah as the demigod helped him up. "My mule," he mumbled, and Raelyn tensed. She raised a brow at Noah behind the driver's back. What had happened to the mule?
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
Noah, having gotten the animal safe from the falling cart, but focusing instead on the man's life and Rae's life rather than its, had lost it. He remembered holding its bridle before he teleported in to the water, but now as he looked through the pouring rain towards the bone bridge they had been on, Noah didn't see the mule. He frowned. "Probably ran home. We need to get him out of this weather." Noah said, taking the man's arm and hoisting him up over his shoulders. "We can look for the mule once he is safe and dry." Noah said, waiting for Rae to take the man's other arm.
Together the three of them found their way back to the cartman's farm, found his mule trying to get in the fence to the shelter and hay, and settled them all back in.
