• Closed • Shadow Lands, Umbra Skies

[Mal]

"The Hyx"

Vhalar 6th, 716

The obtrusiveness was inconclusive, as Mal’s sensitive black vulpine nose observed some fraying to the wilted flora, those emerald-green leaves tainted with brown splotches from the decay brought on by the beginning of the Cold Cycle. He was on high alert, that bandana around his large neck. A large, ten-foot-long Hyx that padded through the game trail on all fours, ears rotating as he listened all around him for movement. The Shadows were largely silent, those dark beasts, but they did bend the foliage with them as they moved through it.

A dark blotch blocked out the sun for the briefest of moments, and Mal instantly crouched, looking over his shoulder and then up at the sky. Another blurry, winged entity shooting through the wind silently. The shadows seemed to even take the form of birds this day. The Becomer didn’t want to be out here in the wilderness on such a trying time, but the world seemed to descend into chaos moments before Mal was sent out into the wilds south of Etzos to keep watch for danger and report back to the Etzori.

That green scarf around his neck was slightly tattered from branches tugging and pulling at the fabric, but it still bore the symbol of the Etzori quite clearly. Mal was a military ‘pet’, to be trusted by the people of Etzos. Still, many distrusted his mighty countenance in this looming form. Three full-grown men could ride upon his back without giving him pause, for such was his size and strength.

A crack alerted him as those muddy paws of his compressed against some dry grass, Mal’s head whipping around to see an entity of black emerging from the mists which shrouded the ground. The Shadow seemed to rise, four large arms and mandibles, black pincers ever-seeking to maim opened. Reacting with force, Mal placed one paw far out and dragged himself closer, kicking with his hinds, paws out-stretched as he jumped at the monster half-shrouded by underbrush. The leaves cackled in his wake as Mal’s large form pounced on the darkness, outstretched claws puncturing the black and rending it to a dissipating mist as he swiped down.

And worse yet, there were more. He could see them, looming in the distance, appearing behind trees. The shadows are persistent... he had a cut on his side from when they first ambushed him in human form, forcing Mal to Unleash into a Hyx. Surrounded on all sides, the Becomer knew a fight was brewing. And, it seemed, the sun was fading as those shadowy birds grew in number, circling overhead frantically as if fighting a battle of their own as they dipped and dived at some unseen threat, as far as Mal could perceive. He was far too focused on the ground to care, looking for a way out to rout his attackers so they couldn’t come at him from all sides.

[Nightshade Eld]

Nightshade had not expected to get into a fight today. It was one of her very few allowed days off. She had expected it to be peaceful, a day to be spent relaxing after the many fights she got into when doing both of her jobs. But it seemed today would not be that day. The half Avriel had been flying and completely minding her own business. For the most part there was no reason not to. Her luck had held steady and no Shadows had attacked her yet. But apparently everyone needed an unlucky today. That day would seem to be today. There was movement in the corner of her eyes. She twisted quick mid air to notice some kind of bird. Usually birds meant nothing to her, considering she was a decent amount bird herself. At least that's what one of her two races had originally spawned from. Yet danger warning started blaring through her mind and her body recoiled as she nearly brushed the creature. It blazed past her and she was able to get a closer look. Pure black and horrifying. She felt herself shiver internally though she didn't allow herself to be phased on the outside. It led to more danger than good.

More of the strange birds started to surround her, they most certainly didn't look very friendly. Her hand trailed to the sword which rested upon her hip at all times. Trusty red brand had been with her through thick and thin, the last memory of her family and the only kind Avriel to ever be part of her life. Kind person, for that matter. She never had the best of luck with people. The birds flocked around her making strange noises that birds honestly shouldn't make. Her skin was crawling and she could feel the cold of early Vhalar start to seep into her body as her feathers fluffed outward in a defensive measure. Of course this also made her colder. Without any kind of warning the birds started to fly at her trying to attack her. Night wasn't one to be taken off guard by an attack that was obviously coming. She zipped out of the way angling her body to slash at the birds behind her without falling out of the air. She had been taking time out of her daily routine to specifically practice how she angled her body in the air. It seemed of little importance as a child, but the mobility it provided for an aerial based warrior was outstanding.

Only after dogging the first attack of the shadow birds did she notice something on the ground. Something not human, but the cloth around its neck caught her eye. The watched the Hyx curiously diverting some of her attention onto it while she tried her best (and at times failed receiving small pecks and scratches on her legs, something painful but of little consequence as far as she could tell) to shake the birds. She noticed how it lunged at one of the shadow creatures on the ground. They were similar enough to the birds that she was able to make the connection. They also seemed to click together with the stories she had heard about the underground race. She wasn't able to be of much help on the day of the explosion, something she regretted. Maybe she could be of some help now. She let the birds catch up to her slightly only to slash at them while she let herself drop out of the air, a maneuver she was proud to say was in face perfected.

After her sky fall she pulled upwards getting a good boost in momentum. She flew past the shadow beast that was closest to Mal landing a hit. It wasn't much more than distraction, but at the same time it was also more of a message. She was here. And she was trying to help. After the hit she went back to her battle with the birds. The creatures were now even more agitated, their wretched calls becoming like nails scratching a chalk board.

[Mal]

The enlarged heart in Mal’s chest rumbled with vigor, beating furiously as Mal’s head careened from left to right, ears rotating and taking in the sounds of the encroaching nightmarish entities. His claws digging into the earth, a frustration filled him, and his head lowered as he cringed that feral muzzle of his. Brimming with fierceness, he bore his teeth and let out a rumbled growl, preparing to strike out against the nearest shadow as his hind legs creaked down, filled with tension and ready to spring.

And as he was ready to go through with his motion, the hollow, sharp whirring of metal cleaving through the air met his ears, and a gale of air flattened out his fur, leaves stirring in the wake of some shadow... bird... man? Mal had only ever seen an Avriel in passing, on the ground in the markets of Ne’haer. This new development filled him with surprise as that black shadow was cleaved in two. Delving into the totems within by force of will, he extracted a human trait, muscles in his throat shifting quickly as he enabled himself to speak. “Bird-man, I am Mal, a scout of the Etzori! Your assistance is much-appreciated!”

He sprung into action as the much-needed backup soared off, hind-paws kicking out as he stretched his body, arcing himself over a bush to land on a shadow creature. One soon took its place, feet away. Mal looked up at its features, lips peeling back and eyes raising with surprise. It looked like Mal’s mentor, whom he despised and feared. Not you... the pause allowed that creature to lunge at him, forcing the large four-legged Becomer to step back as it weaved underneath him, claws digging into the underside of his neck as they tore apart the skin, leaving light lacerations. Mal whipped to the side in shock, a feral squeak of pain leaving him as his hips rocketed outward, a bucking kick forced into that shadowy form. It shattered in a puff of smoke, and Mal tilted his head to the side, making sure he wasn’t bleeding too profusely as warm crimson dripped from that gash. It’s not deep, good... no hesitation. I can’t let these things get the upper hand!

Three more creatures barreled at him through the brush, whispering with vile intent. The first, he stepped back and swiped at with a fore-paw, his large paws dragging lines of empty air through the apparition. The next two struck in unison, jumping upon Mal who stamped its feet with his right foreleg and swiveled over to snap his jaws at the next, teeth catching against the slightly thicker shadow flesh of something large and monstrous. It reached down, dwarfing Mal in height as it clasped its arms around Mal’s abdomen, causing the Becomer to wriggle and writhe as his form was lifted from the ground, snout facing the ground as he kicked and whipped his tail skyward, snapping at that crawling shadow on the ground as it reached out, ripping its hand away and making it vanish. “Help, Bird-man!” Mal roared, fearing injury as the human-shaped shadow of massive proportions squeezed, those arms tightening around his waist, his muscles popping as blood rushed to his head. A look of fear washed over his fox-like facial features, eyes going wide as his ears splayed back, desperate to free himself from the grips of this titan as sickly fog rolled over them both.

[Nightshade Eld]

Nightshade smiled at his reaction. But she burst out into actual laughter when he said bird man. She was luckily the crying of the birds and the rushing of the wind as she flew higher covered up her almost feverish laughing. She had to take a moment to compose herself before she lost control of the situation and the birds start to get the upper hand. Had this man seriously never seen an Avriel? Or a woman before? Of course she was flying at pretty quick speeds. In fact right now she was going faster than she ever had before, and slowly running low on steam but that was an entirely different matter. Of course she realized it wouldn't be that hard to take her for a man. The speeds she liked to travel made it hard to see her properly. Even if someone noticed her long hair against her cloak and black wings plenty of men had long hair.

She got her mind back onto the matter of the fight a trill of amusement still touching on her actions. At least humor made the fight a little nicer. Her body felt lighter as well as her spirit when she felt happy, a rare thing that was often a great benefit but a rare one in a fight. Nightshade fought by herself for a couple moments more as the creatures became a large variety of flying monsters. Just her luck one or two would be notable Avriel of her past who had tried to kill her as a child for her mixed breed blood. She had been terrified back then. But she was stronger now, braver and well versed in fighting abilities. She pushed down her fear putting on a brave facade, something she had gotten good at over the years. Truly it wasn't an act, as bravery itself was he act of forcing back fear. But now wasn't the time to discus grammar. She turned upon hearing Mal's cries. Luckily for both of them she was close enough to actually hear him over the rushing wind and bird calls.

She swooped low next to the creature scoring a hit against its shoulder and part of its neck. She landed next to the creature making a fierce and guttural noise, far from human, as she plunged her blade deep into the side of the creature and wrenching upward. It dissolved into shadows dropping Mal to the ground. Another had approached. This time it was a large and rich looking man, but a powerful looking one who brandished a whip. "Oh for the love of everything good in this world... in this immortal damned universe why did it have to be you?" She muttered quietly her body freezing up slightly as she gazed upon the disgusting disgrace of a man who had bought her father for her education. Of course that didn't stop him from beating the both of them. After all even if she was free she had still been apart of his house.

"Are you okay? Should we run? Do you need help?" She asked Mal moving closer to him in a defensive position as more shadows approached. However they were sizing the pair up allowing for a clam in the mess that was this situation. Her voice was notably more feminine than the description bird man gave to. But she wasn't going to bring up such a mundane quandary situation considered.

[Mal]

Far too engrossed in the flames that fanned in the thick of battle, Mal was oblivious to the appearance of this ‘bird-man’. He hadn’t gotten a good look at it, and his mind was so focused that he failed to catch the tone of her voice. However, as that blade came down and sliced into the shoulder of the best gripping him, the tension faded as that grip over his chest relaxed, allowing the giant fox to gasp for air. Moments later, he hit the ground with a thud as the nightmare vanished from the secondary strike. He heard her voice now, realizing his mistake. There was no reason to apologize - there were far more important issues to contend with as he analyzed his surroundings, forced to wallow through a foggy haze of pain as his ears rang.

All at once the sound returned when the pressure emptied from his ears, which he flicked, looking all around and counting their number as the bird-girl stood next to him. He heard her loud and clear. “My ribs are bruised, and my neck has a shallow cut,” he said in his deep, growled voice, feeling two major areas of pain. He shot her a sideways glance for the briefest of moments, eager to keep his gaze on the enemy.

“We stand our ground, bird-girl, they’re tireless. They will chase.” A shadowy blob skewered into his field of vision, motivating Mal to react instinctively by raising his paws, claws outstretched as he smacked that shadow out of the air. It blistered into fragments of darkness without leaving behind a single trace before it even hit the ground. “They do not seem to be infinite, there are less than before.” The shadow with a whip finished shoving its way past a bush, but there were at least five of the larger shadows in a narrow spread before them.

“This one is your fear? They show me my fears too...” Mal said, his head swinging close next to Nightshade’s to follow her gaze. Lurching forward, he lunged at the shadow creature. It whipped at him, a loud crack resounding above his ears as it wrapped across his paw. Mal’s training kicked in, and he turned his head to chew down upon that weapon just as it started to pull tight against his limb. It came off, dissolving as he turned and kicked his hinds into the abdomen of the creature. The weight of it tumbled into the earth and ruffled the bushes, Mal quickly stepping forward to jump at another shadow which had gotten close, paws latching around it as he gave it a bear hug, his jaw clamping down upon its throat and crushing whatever material it was comprised of until it broke.

More of those birds started to dive into the clearing, and Mal’s gaze turned to watch the whipless shadow-man as it started to rise from the ground, trying to get to its feet. He wondered if Nightshade could dispose of it, if she had the fury to overcome her fears. His own rate of ventilation had risen, his form feeling somewhat tuckered out as he realized he hadn't been regulating his breathing. Those lungs of his burned like teeth chewing apart his insides as he huffed out warm, audible puffs of air.

[Nightshade Eld]

Nightshade wasn't just full of fear at the sigh of her old "master". Disgust and hatred mixed together into a horrible fire in the pit of her belly. She charged forward after Mal moved to the next shadow. The screamed out in anger and hatred, a battle cry the likes of which hadn't ripped itself from her body prior. It was honestly the most terrifying sound her form had ever created, being one of a deep and guttural hatred that shook her to her very cored. She jumped atop the creature knocking it down once more before it could stand up. Her talons dug deeply into the shadows cutting away at them as she slashed downwards with her blade repeatedly. This one could take a lot more of a hit than any of the prior creatures. But eventually it to came to its end. She breathed heavily but now there was a fire dancing through her veins. She felt full of fear, a rush of strength coming from it. At the same time she had never quiet felt so alive. Her eyes narrowed as an adrenaline rush finally started to kick in from the earlier bout of fear and energy exertion. She was most certainly going to pay for it later, but right now she felt like she had the speed and strength of the wind.

She charged for another shadow, a larger and more vicious looking one. It was some kind of monstrosity of thrown together parts that looked like a mad scientist had sewed together. For a long time she had worried that her half breed blood made her little better than a creature like that. So in all technically she could call that one of her fears. But she was far past that stage in her life, a childhood night time fear. She slashed the beast as more birds started to descend. But the half Avriel was on a rampage of sorts. She jumped out of the way of an attack of the larger creature only to jump into birds which clawed and pecked at her. But the birds were nothing. She turned on the balls of her feet flapping and wings and causing a large circular gust of wind to surround her. Enough momentum sucked in the birds in her general area and forced them into the ground.

With her back turned she could still feel the presence of the creature behind her approach. So she arched her arm backwards allowing the sword to dig deep into the side of the creature. She jumped of the way letting go of the blade and kicking it into the creature. Of course it had to get logged. Another one of the creatures tried to jump upon her in her weaker unarmed state. But with each attack Nightshade was starting to become a little more feral. She jumped out of the way slashing the creature with long talons (she had once again forgotten to clip her nails). It recoiled for a moment long enough that Night had a chance to stomp on the other creature's head while it couldn't do much out of pain. The creature dissolved into shadow and she grabbed her blade. She was barely quick enough to block an attack, still managing to get a scratch to the cheek as she was a second to slow.

"Still alive over there, talking Hyx?" She shouted with a small laugh. Her adrenaline high was slowly started to come down. But she still had enough to not yet be registering the pain. Just enough to be starting to remember reason and get control on her wild and animistic mind.

[Mal]

Fighting grew more tiresome with every passing moment as he watched his battlefield companion, enjoying her vigorous battle cry. “Save your energy!” he barked as she felled her fear. His eyes caught some lumbering creature peeling itself out from behind a tree. “Mhmph!” he growled as he caught the movement of this creature with his eyes, the size of this beast rivaling his own, though not quite as large as the humanoid that lifted him before. His paws rose skyward to shield himself from a large, flat-looking arm that descended upon him. The weight collided to send pain through his awkwardly-bent forelimbs and began to crush his body downward. Realizing he was going to receive a blow to the head, he shoved his rear legs against the earth and lunged forward into a writhing mass of black tendrils that whipped and smacked against his face as the shape enveloped him, jaw rapidly whipping open and snapping shut as his paws gripped on all sides, trying to fell the creature with some kind of blow. Claws raking against shade-skin, the beast suffered so many lacerations and cuts that it crumbled to a fine dust in Mal’s grip. He had new cuts all over his face from those bladed tentacles as he turned, looking a bit worse for wear as he breathed heavily.

More of those shadowy birds were falling from the sky, a seemingly endless swarm of them vying to bring about the demise of this fated pair of survivalists. Feeling the drain of his Echo tugging at him, he knew he only had so long before he would lose his voice. This other warrior fought valiantly, for a cause unknown to him. Was she Etzori? He couldn’t see any symbols on her clothing. The studying glance at his friend only lasted a moment before she asked for his status. Mal glanced over his shoulder to see if there were any more shadows lurking, but he saw none.

“I’m fantastic, how-about you?” he said in his characteristically snappy tone, his head dipping past Eld’s shoulder as he jumped out in front of her to snatch another bird out of the sky, only to miss it with his teeth. It flew up into the air, flying off. I must have missed it since I’m tired, Mal thought, his breathing ragged, one eye shut as his mind pulsed with head ache. The insides of his nose were caked with blood. “I think that’s all of them, except for those smaller birds. They’re getting more coordinated,” he observed, head swiveling around as his ears poked up, studying the surroundings. “I can’t hear anything moving out there. It’s quiet, not even a bird chirping. Just our heartbeats, and... my breathing.” He sat on his hinds, shutting his eyes briefly to recoup his senses.

“What’s your name, bird-girl, and what race are you? You seem peculiar.” He paused, opening his eyes and looking at her with a tilted head. His eyes were large, a bright blue that stared deeply beneath the skin, lips peeling back as his cheeks rose with a genuine, expressive smile. “Not a bad fighter, either... I might have died back there... thanks.”

[Nightshade Eld]

"My name is Nightshade Eld. I'm a half breed. Half human and half Avriel. You don't seem to disturbed by that so I'll take that as good sign you aren't racist against all of us," she said, her strength instantly began to start to wane. With the adrenaline leaving her blood stream she felt the full brunt of the pain. It was obvious to by the look on her face and the way her entire body tensed. She didn't get as many wounds as he did, and she didn't start the battle with any either, but the birds had done a good deal of smaller lacerations that added up to a good deal of pain. She grimaced slightly as she moved her body trying to remove the tenseness from her muscles. "I might be able to lead the birds away if they become to much of a problem. And the more coordinated they become, the more it starts to become like fighting a singular being. And a singular being is a lot easier to hit then hundreds of tiny birds," she said glaring up at the small feathery creatures. Her own wings were still bristling at full size and slightly stiff now. She ran a hand across them and made an attempt at massaging the pain at here her wings connected to her body.

"I think maybe we should try and head back to town before this gets worse," she said quietly her voice dropping at the very least and entire octave. That dangerous sound was similar to the warning growl of a wounded animal trying to make an escape. "You said you work for Etzos or something, right? If we get to the gates there should be guards who can fend off the birds if we can't swat them all away in time," she said with standing up a little taller and trying to get herself battle ready again for the next attack the birds made. The swooped down at the pair again in a coordinated attack. She swing her blade right now the middle, but was only able to catch one or two birds on it and she suffered for her inability to hit more with a couple more scratched to the cheeks.

"Damn these birds! If you catch flies with honey, can you send birds away with vinegar? Because these birds are becoming honestly just as annoying and painful as a horse fly!" She said anger as a bout of anger slipped into her tone. She couldn't help it. A she was tired and wanted the fight to be over. "How many of these damn birds are there!?"

[Mal]

Mal’s face had bloody patches, red markings along his neck as he breathed heavily in slight relief. “Nightshade... an Avriel half-breed? I’ll call you Eld, since that’s quicker to say.” He listened to her speak, weary of the birds circling around them. “I’m not the type to judge based on appearances. I’m a Becomer, a shape-changer after all.” He watched her stretching, not feeling compelled to do the same. “The birds are easier to evade if we use the trees to our advantage. We’re in an area where they can fly in through the canopy, but most areas are thicker. All we have to do is stay on the move and those birds will have a hard time swooping at us, I’d wager... but you’re right, smaller enemies can be more difficult to deal with in large numbers.”

His eyes shifted, rolling up to watch the aforementioned flock as it congealed and then dove in a black swarm. “Shit,” Mal said following Eld’s suggestion to go back to Etzos, rearing up to stand tall on his hinds, standing tall as he prepared to pounce on any birds he could. The Becomer caught one between his paws, another in his teeth as he fell to the earth, body shaking violently as another clung to his back. His toes gripped that bird beneath as he crunched the one in his teeth until it dissipated. His weight seemed to take out the other, and the one digging in his side made him grunt. It wouldn’t let go, even as his body fat rolled from side-to-side with violent jerking motions. Mal jumped forward, slamming his side into a tree, catching Nightshade’s own battle out of the corner of his eye.

Rolling to the ground, the bird was gone when he got back up. He sighed, covered in painful cuts and bruises. There were more birds in the sky, but they were waiting to gather. “To Etzos,” he said. “As a warning, my voice does not last forever... it drains a reserve of energy I possess within. Soon, I will be unable to speak. It doesn’t seem wise to fly at the moment, and we’ll lose the birds if we travel in the foliage, so climb upon my back, if you please.”

Mal sat down and then allowed his body to roll gently forward until he lay upon his belly like a resting dog. “It’s... a little degrading to have someone upon my back, but I owe you my life for saving me back there. Just be careful not to break my skin with those talons of yours.” He studied Eld’s features for a moment, eyes falling upon her hands before he looked down at the earth briefly, ears still twitching, always aware in some way as he listened to his environment. A great weight had fallen over his features which now sagged, run ragged by the war which had only just begun. “I’ll admit that they’re starting to get on my nerves too, but this is no place to lose ourselves to frustration!”

He turned his head, grumbling underneath his breath as he glanced around. ”Fucking shadows.”

[Nightshade Eld]

She growled to herself quietly as she watched the birds listening to him. Nightshade didn't enjoy the thought of overly thick foliage herself. She wasn't good at running, as she relied on her ability to fly for almost everything. Something she was beginning to think needed rectification. But it was hard to run her feet considered. She nodded to him quietly and smiled. "I know my birds," she said in an very bitter sounding tone. There was obviously a story there but now was not the time for it.

"Right, okay," she said moving towards him slowly as the birds seemed like they were going to swoop again. A couple of birds had made and attempt. But singular birds were a heck of a lot easier to deal with than the larger group. Now that her body's fight response was gone her flight response was kicking in so to speak. And oh how she wanted to fly away. But she knew that wasn't really the best of ideas at the moment. She watched him lie down, and she realized just how much that could make a person feel like lesser. It was to treat them like a dog almost. The least she could say was that she was grateful.

She slipped onto his back gracefully, far lighter than other things he could have been carrying. To fly one much have hollow bones. It was one thing she had learned about birds during her schooling before birds were ruined for her forever. Avriel seemed to count in that category so it stood to reason a half breed that could fly would to. The most weight the creature seemed to carry came from her armor, and even that was a light leather. She was very careful sat atop his back. She didn't try to dig her claws into his fur in order to get a better grip. Instead she lowered herself against his back and wrapped her arms around him. "Sorry if this is uncomfortable, but I really don't want to claw you," she said in a quiet voice. She didn't want to be yelling now that she was as close to his ears as she was. Something she actually had to remind herself of before speaking.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye the birds started to converge together once more. A horrible noise came from them as they looked like they were getting ready to dive bomb the pair once more. "Now would be a good time to start to run," she said a trill of fear in her voice as she felt like this attack was going to be the worst yet.

She cringed slightly and mumbled under her breath, "Fuck these Shadows."