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       #Post#: 16--------------------------------------------------
       Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: KingOfRealms Date: December 3, 2012, 10:17 am
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       [font=courier]You can feel the bristles of grass beneath you, as
       well as the cool of the hard ground. There are small rays of
       light that pierce through the thick canopy of trees above you, a
       dazzling way to illuminate the flora of the land around you. As
       though it wasn't enough, the ruins around you are covered in
       vines, the runes and letters eroded from time and weather, but
       they still stand strong, towering over you. This feels nice, but
       one thing stands out: This isn't the world you know, this is an
       entirely new place, maybe even a new time. You try to remember
       where you were and what you were doing before you woke up here,
       but nothing comes to mind. Your mind races as you turn to see
       people you never met, who look just as confused as you do.
       ... And so the story begins.[/font]
       #Post#: 17--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: Amaya Yuki Kiyoshi Date: December 3, 2012, 12:32 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Yafunis stretched slowly, her arms above her head as she
       listened to the light popping that came from her back. With a
       sigh of content, she rolled onto her side to nuzzle against the
       soft, sweet smelling grass. Her fingers stroked it absently. She
       did not, however, remember falling asleep outside. In fact, she
       was not allowed outside.
       Her cat-like eyes flashed open. She sat up, her hand
       instinctively reaching to her back and grasping the white mask
       that she always wore, to bring it over her face. Only her eyes
       were able to be seen, as was requested by her government. As an
       outcast already, she could only imagine that she had finally
       been cast out of her prison. This didn't look like any type of
       prison she had ever heard of, more so a sanctuary of some type.
       'Anything is better,' she whispered quietly to herself.
       Standing, she took inventory of her personal items; clothing,
       paint brush, mask. She seemed to have with her what she always
       carried. Yafunis looked up slowly, taking in the greenery and
       sunshine. It had been so long since she had been able to bathe
       in the sunlight that she pushed her mask back and lifted her
       face to one of the tiny streams of light. She forgot herself
       momentarily, a smile creeping onto her face and revealing a set
       of teeth, slightly sharpened.
       She stepped back and pushed the mask over her face as she heard
       a faint sound coming from behind her. Turning, she looked
       questioningly toward the people behind her. Yafunis decided that
       she would find out why she had been brought to this beautiful
       place, and what it was she was expected to do here. All of her
       life she had been a servant, and she wasn't sure what else she
       could do just yet.
       Pulling her paintbrush from its little pocket at the side of
       her pants, she gripped it tightly, as if its frail bristles and
       wooden handle could save her life. With a breath, she walked
       towards these unknown people. They looked slightly odd to her,
       confusing her more. She had only seen two types of people in her
       life, and these met neither of their specific attributes.
       "Wh-Who," she stopped for a moment and took another breath,
       straightening her posture. "Who...are you?" Her voice was soft,
       almost blending with the sounds of the forest. She no longer
       stuttered though, of which she was proud. She was not allowed to
       speak in her government's presence, causing her voice to be
       rather unused.
       #Post#: 18--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: Maelthra Ssinss Date: December 3, 2012, 1:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Whatever had put her unnaturally to sleep, did not keep
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill deeply asleep. She slept as light as
       she ever did, though perhaps a bit more deeply. The first
       whispered words of the strange girl did not wake her, but she
       merely stirred. The feeling of the grass, so wrong, woke her.
       She did not wake fully, though, her eyes merely cracked. Through
       heavy lashes, she processed the green light filtering through
       the trees. The feeling of the grass beneath her itched terribly.
       It was nothing like the sands of her homeland. The voice of the
       girl, no matter how much it seemed to fade in with the natural
       sounds, stood out in sharp relief to Mahktiranhi
       Ilrahktrahnill's cat like hearing.
       With no warning, she jerked to her feet, reaching for a weapon
       that was not there. Moving hair from in front of her face with a
       savage flick of her head she crouched and snarled, much like a
       cat, at the girl, it was a girl, wasn't it? It was hard to tell
       when it was covered head to foot with clothing. She must be hot
       in so much clothing. Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill processed this
       in a moment before she construed the brush wielding girl as
       minimal threat. Her sharp gaze then turned to the still sleeping
       male occupying the clearing with them. She dismissed him out of
       hand. He was just a normal wetlander. The arm that was beneath a
       torn sleeve appeared strange, though. She shook her head,
       dismissing it.
       Her attention now turned to their surroundings. Glancing at the
       trunks of the trees and then the canopy, she shuddered as a
       distinct feeling of paranoid claustrophobia overcame her. Never
       had she been a place out of her Hold or a tent where she could
       not see the sky. But even in a tent she could see the sky, as
       the top of their tents had to be open or the steam or smoke
       would have no place to escape. She shook her head. No, she could
       see the sky, there, through openings in the limbs. She looked up
       for a moment, entranced by how many clouds she could see passing
       over head. It was not the same as the wide openness of the sky
       in Let'Fehlahtnahl'O'Let Zorah o'let Saralei. Blinking, she took
       her gaze from the sky and looked around her.
       With no warning she let out a sharp, high-pitched, "AI-yah!"
       accompanied with a click of her tongue.
       In the distance the call of an obviously large creature
       answered. It sounded like the call of a pterodactyl as portrayed
       by Hollywood. The sound of heavy, running footfalls on the soft
       ground came from in the direction of the call and after a
       moment, the creature they belonged to came into view. Standing
       on four legs, it's head hung just above the height of
       Mahktirahni Ilrahtrahnill's head, who herself stood at six feet
       seven inches. The creature had a body shaped like that of a
       wolf, but was covered, not in fur, but a hide like that of a
       lizard, only thicker. The head, also, was nothing like that of a
       wolf. It was reminiscent only vaguely of a lizard's. But on each
       side of it's head, it had two eyes, slitted like those of a cat.
       It's tail hung to the bend of it's back legs, and was plated for
       protection. It's ears, laying flat against it's head, were
       obviously very expressive.
       The Kahlorahkta skidded into view, throwing up spongey grass and
       dirt a short distance away, stopped next to Mahktirahni
       Ilrahtrahnill. The color was hard to discern, but it blended in
       nicely with the background. The lips of the beast pealed back in
       a snarl to reveal pointed teeth, perfect for tearing through
       skin and muscle. Mahktirahni Ilrahtrahnill put a calming hand on
       the Kahlorahkta's neck and the beast calmed, looking at her
       through four large, trusting eyes.
       Finally, Mahktirahni Ilrahtrahnill turned her attention back to
       the strangely garbed, and strangely colored girl. Adjusting her
       Shan around her head and trying not to feel awkward without her
       weapons, Mahktirahni Ilrahtrahnill decided upon a less primitive
       means of greeting and sketched a rather elaborate bow, her right
       leg extended fully behind her, only the barest tips of her toes
       touch the ground, with her right hand upon where she could feel
       her heart beat in her chest and her left touching her lips
       through the Shan. She bowed until her chest was parallel with
       the ground and she could see no more than the toes of the girl's
       shoes. Strange things the wetlanders wore.
       Finally she spoke in a voice thick with a strange accent, more
       emphasis on the sharp K's, and breathy H's. She stood as she
       spoke, but remained balanced readily on the balls of her feet.
       "Since you have asked, I am Mahktirahni Ilrahtrahnill,
       Zha'Dahkrah, Rider of Zehlmehnhi, of Delfynzah Clan
       Zhali'Borakma'Let'Saralei."
       #Post#: 28--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: KingOfRealms Date: December 7, 2012, 7:23 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Simon is quite the heavy sleeper - if what he was doing was
       sleeping - during this vocal commotion he didn't bat an eye or
       rouse. He continued his sleep until the thumping beat of what
       sounded like hooves echoed through the ground, and the shrill
       screech of a beast pierced his ears. As his eyes fluttered open,
       he lifted his right hand to rub his eyes, but his left hand
       remained motionless at his side, "Whoa, what the hell..?" Using
       his right hand to prop himself up, he looked to his left hand,
       but instead of its usual vibrant red hue, it held a grayed and
       lifeless vision. As he looked around he noticed the two ladies
       and the... What was that thing? It was nothing he had ever seen
       before, looked much like a horse yet the skin was obviously more
       reptile.
       He took a moment to look at his surroundings, trying to see if
       any of it would reawaken memories of what happened before waking
       up, but to no avail; the forest they were in was foreign to him
       and, from the look of the other girls, them as well. He looked
       long and hard at the deteriorated ruins, you can barely make out
       any of the images, only small blobs of what once was. It was
       foreign, all of it: the land, the ruins, the girls and the air,
       all of it was alien and creepy as hell. But what to do now?
       Obviously he was put here for something, but for what? Maybe
       these two know? They were awake before he was, and maybe he
       missed something like a message.
       He picked himself off the ground using his lone hand to reach
       into his pocket, pulling out a small package of cigarettes, "So,
       I assume maybe one of ya would know what's going on?.. Hopefully
       ya speak English, otherwise this whole ordeal will become...
       Troublesome." He lifted his knee to knock a cigarette out of the
       package, lifting it to his mouth. As he held the cigarette in
       place with showing teeth, he placed the case back into his pants
       pocket. He tried reaching into his left pocket, but his left
       hand... Yeah, so he twisted his hips so as to let his right arm
       have better access to the pocket. Instead of pulling out his
       lighter, as he intended, he pulled out two cards, one with an
       image of his arm and the other with his lighter, "... Ya' gotta'
       be shittin' me. This ain't funny, at least give me a lighter,
       dammit." He looked back to the girls, "Oh, my bad, forgot ya
       were here. So, do you two know each other? Obviously not
       related, far too different looking... Then again, I have this
       weird-ass arm, so who's to say?"
       [[Man, my posts are small compared to you guys. XD Also, sorry
       about the long wait.]]
       #Post#: 30--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: Amaya Yuki Kiyoshi Date: December 7, 2012, 9:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Yafunis watched the odd woman closely, the paintbrush wavering
       slightly in her grip. When the woman let out the sharp sound
       that called forth her beast, she yelped and backed away, all of
       her courage forgotten momentarily. She had seen animals before,
       briefly, but none were as large and terrifying as this one.
       "What is this beast?" She was startled, and moved further back,
       her eyes wide with shock.
       
       As the woman gave her name, Yafunis became more and more
       confused, her eyes squinting slightly. She caught the first few
       syllables of the name, but the rest were lost to her. Never had
       she heard such speech, she didn't want to seem rude, though.
       After a moment's hesitation, she gave up trying to make sense of
       the words. She caught the movement of the male out of the corner
       of her mask. Curious, she turned towards him, to watch him put
       an odd object into his mouth. Quietly, she listened until he was
       done speaking.
       
       "I have no idea what has put us all here, I thought I had been
       sent to an alternate prison. What is this lighter that you speak
       so furiously of?" she asked, her voice still quite. It seemed to
       be the loudest that she could bring herself to talk aloud.
       She waited a moment for his answer before turning back towards
       the odd woman. She knew nothing of either of this people, which
       was a bit terrifying by itself. With a soft sigh, she shook her
       head slowly and put away her paintbrush, focusing on the streams
       of light that hit the lush grass so delicately. Whatever this
       place might have been, she couldn't quite tell what was so bad
       about it. Why her people would send her to such a paradise was
       beyond her knowledge. She planned to enjoy it, for she knew they
       would punish her somehow, they always did.
       
       "I am related to no one, and I've never met this woman before.
       Nor you, in fact. What are you called, sir? More importantly
       what are you? Both of you!" Her eyes darted back and forth
       between the two people, confused once more. "A simple answer is
       all I ask." Her voice was rising slightly, finally coming closer
       to a normal volume. She was getting angry; she didn't want to be
       angry.
       "Mahkti...rak..Eelra... Might I call you Mahkti?" She asked as
       her eyes settled on the woman's face, remembering that she was
       trying to make sense of the name before. Remembering was good,
       it kept her focused.
       'Calm, be calm.' She said to herself. Her hands came up to push
       her hair back, though none had fallen forward. Yafunis shook her
       head and reached into her own left pocket, finding two cards of
       her own, just like the male's. As she pulled them out, she saw
       that one depicted her sewing needles, and the other her dagger.
       Her dagger! The only precious thing she had. 'Calm!' She
       reminded herself, but she was glaring down at the grass now. She
       could understand why he had become furious with the bits of
       paper. Someone had taken their belongings!
       #Post#: 58--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 1: Arrival
       By: Maelthra Ssinss Date: January 5, 2013, 1:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill looked at the girl with her head
       tilted slightly to the side as she asked what the "beast" was.
       Was the girl dim? HadMahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill not already told
       her what he was? He was no beast. He was a Kahlorahkta and
       Zehlmehni was probably more intelligent then the woman looking
       at her this moment. Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill  put a hand to
       her forehead and rubbed. There was a pounding beginning just
       behind her right eyelid. She opened her mouth to repeat her name
       and Zehlehni's, when the male awoke. Loudly.
       After his half-spoken question, the male with the strange arm
       seemed to ignore their presence for the moment. That was a
       mistake. Had Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill perceived him as a
       threat, he would have been slain before he had thought to turn
       around again. But as it was, the Wetlander was allowed to live.
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill  swallowed her anger when the
       stranger spoke. He forgot she was there? Zehlmehni at her side
       bared his teeth and growled, but Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill  put
       a comforting hand on his neck. They would not rise to his
       insult. He was a Wetlander, he did not know what he had done.
       She thought. Should they ever find evidence to the contrary,
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill would make his death swift.
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill let the strange woman finish her
       little freak out before she spoke, telling her name once more.
       Bowing again, she stared at the ground in front of the male's
       feet as she spoke. "I am Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill,
       Zha'Dahkrah, Rider of Zehlmehnhi, of Delfynzah Clan
       Zhali'Borakma'Let'Saralei. I do not know this woman, nor how we
       came to be in these Wetlands. I do not know what this...
       Eeng-Lish you speak of is, but we do not speak Tehmolehk o'let
       Zhahi, the tongue of my people."
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill listened to the girl butcher the
       pronunciation of her name with an amused half-smile. When she
       ask to shorten her name, Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill's hands
       clenched into fists at her sides. Zehlmehnhi's lips curled back
       once more in a snarl, and this time, not even his rider's
       calming touch could soothe his temper. A single warning bark,
       was all he gave. But he did not pounce, though his muscles were
       bunched in preparation to do so.
       Taking a deep breath, Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill clenched her
       teeth spitting out the words. "You would disgrace me in such a
       way? To shorten my name and spit on the graves of those who gave
       it to me? My name is Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill and no less. I
       am Zhahilen o'let Fehlahtnahl o'let Zarah o'let Saralei, and
       this... Mahkti... will not be acceptable."
       With another deep breath, Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill willed the
       muscles in her hands and arms to relax. An annoying itch at her
       breast brought a hand up. Her clothing held no true pockets.
       Mahktiranhi Ilrahktrahnill's temper flared once more as she
       glared at the two slips of paper she pulled out from between her
       breast and her top. Her weapons. Someone would pay. Oh yes.
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