Post by Shari'Adune Forestsong on Jul 29, 2018 21:22:36 GMT -5
She was exhausted. Every part of her body ached, the smell of smoke clung to her like a desperate child, and the agonized faces of the fallen- both Alliance and Horde - were etched deeply into her mind.
Dropping her staff gingerly upon the bank of the pond she began wearily peeling off her soiled armor like a snake shedding its skin. Only, unlike a snake, sloughing off the old to leave something new and pristine in its place, as the armor fell it only revealed her dirty, bruised, cut and bleeding flesh.
After hours of doing her best to help repel the Horde from pushing closer into her homeland, she was spent. Too tired even to mend her own wounds.
Her small form looked childlike, crumpled up with her face hidden behind curtains of teal colored hair which had also been covered in soot and debris. Mingled with the screams and cries she had had to endure this day, there were also the ghostly whispers of the past which were like white-hot daggers to her heart.
Tiny hands curled into the mossy shore as her naked body began to shake, tears spilling from her eyes now leaving clean trails in their wake as they licked their way down to her chin.
"i... i cannot.. save them..." her words were choked, wrenched from her core.
"Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow..." The deep, comforting voice resonated in the air, the same moment a large warm hand was placed on her shoulder.
An alarmed squeak sprang from Shari's lips as she looked up to see the hulking form of A'rion, her late mate's brother. To her, he was the size of a mountain, and near as old as one. His deep blue skin was mapped with wrinkles and countless scars. The male's hair was more a nest of dread locks that trailed down his backside and over his sloped shoulders, the color of the night sky.
She was only mildly surprised to note he was wearing only a leather loin cloth that was in poor shape and did little to hide anything. His clothing likely dumped somewhere not far away- or maybe far away... he was a druid with little modesty finding such a thing foolish. All Elune's children were wild things after all.
"But the sunshine is lost behind the clouds, Shan'do..." she whispered mournfully dropping her chin again.
"What is that sound," he mused, the hand on her shoulder remaining steady, as the other swept to gently press under her chin to make her turn her face and look into his eyes- something he had only ever done once in her life, "sure not the voice of Krae'Sharel's little bird... For that little bird has strong wings, and would swim in the clouds as swiftly as she swam in the ocean... If ever the clouds got too thick to see, she would simply rise above them."
His eyes glowed softly like precious amber, the depths swirling with a storm of affection and strength that Shari could not bare to look upon for fear she would be swept up.
As her lashes broke the eye contact he rumbled a growl within his chest and continued, "And if she found herself too deep in the ocean, where the sun could not reach her..." Without warning he swept her up into his arms and tossed her into the pond.
Seconds after disappearing beneath the waters surface she poked up her head gasping and spluttering to see the large male staring down at her with his hands upon his hips, broad chest puffed out seemingly quite proud of himself and the point he has made. A smile however, did not crack his hard visage, "She would fight to the surface to meet the sun once again." Inclining his head she rose a brow at her, tone unchanged from before, "Do not talk back to me like that, Little One. Your training seems to be lacking."
A hot blush sprang to her freckled cheeks then, reaching to the tips of her ears. Before she could speak, A'rion was wading into the water- where he gathered her against him as easily as if she had been a mere child. With care, he sat within the water and pulled her sitting before him- facing away. The water level rose to between her navel and small chest.
"W-Why are you here Shan'do?" Shari ventured after a few minutes had passed where he had begun to scoop water up in his massive hands to pour down over the top of her head.
"The Horde are on the Offensive, or had you not noticed?"
Her blush intensified.
Plucking a twig from her hair he continued, "Surely you did not think i would remain in Moonglade, during such a time as this? i am a war hardened Veteran Captain. From what i have seen, they can use my heavy bear hide down there."
Through the rivulets of water that spilled over her head she peeked up and watched his hands, catching sight of the blood red circular thorn tattoo on the underside of his left wrist. The sight of it humbled her greatly. Here he was, a male so high up in the Order that trained her, bathing her.
She wanted to beg with him to return to the Glade, to take her with him - so they could remain there safe together. Hide away from everything bad going on. Yet she dare not say such a thing.
Once her long hair had been sufficiently soaked and freed of soot and debris he began to scoop up handfuls of water to dump over her shoulders, occasionally allowing some to sprinkle out over his fingertips.
"i couldn't save them then... i cannot save anyone now..."
The shower paused. She could hear a deep intake of breath, visualizing it filling his broad chest. “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. If you allow your feet to be caught in the mud of the past, how will you ever be able to stride forward into the future?" His hands swallowed up her bony shoulders, and his voice whispered in her ear, so close she almost felt his lips brush against her earlobe causing her to shiver, “If you say you can or you cannot, you are right either way.”
"Shan'do-"
"Ssh." He sat up again and held her out slightly as to have room to rub his hand over her tiny back. "You will not speak, unless it rings with positivity." She felt his warning hand press against her back- the span of it reached almost from one side to the other, "Furthermore, should you find yourself thinking any negative thoughts about the past, you will stop yourself, and remember the beauty that came from such a dark time."
It would not have mattered that he wore a red circle of thorns, the fact such a command came from him made her naturally want to obey. "Yes Sir."
He pet her head, once, twice. The second touch lingering through his words, "Good girl."
Her heart glowed then. Two simple words, and they held such power.
A'rion finished bathing her, and then he picked her up and began to carry her toward the din of the city. She squirmed a bit- it was one thing to be naked and not care when you were alone along the borders, but to be parading out into the main city in such a state- "Be still." He said. And she was.
She wasn't awake by the time he reached a place for her to rest. She didn't see how he tucked her in with such tenderness, brushing a lock of hair from her face. Her eyes were not open to witness how the old druid stopped before ducking to leave to look back at her one more time.
That night, she slept soundly.
((*note: A'rion is a NPC who has been part of this chars life since forever.))
Dropping her staff gingerly upon the bank of the pond she began wearily peeling off her soiled armor like a snake shedding its skin. Only, unlike a snake, sloughing off the old to leave something new and pristine in its place, as the armor fell it only revealed her dirty, bruised, cut and bleeding flesh.
After hours of doing her best to help repel the Horde from pushing closer into her homeland, she was spent. Too tired even to mend her own wounds.
Her small form looked childlike, crumpled up with her face hidden behind curtains of teal colored hair which had also been covered in soot and debris. Mingled with the screams and cries she had had to endure this day, there were also the ghostly whispers of the past which were like white-hot daggers to her heart.
Tiny hands curled into the mossy shore as her naked body began to shake, tears spilling from her eyes now leaving clean trails in their wake as they licked their way down to her chin.
"i... i cannot.. save them..." her words were choked, wrenched from her core.
"Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow..." The deep, comforting voice resonated in the air, the same moment a large warm hand was placed on her shoulder.
An alarmed squeak sprang from Shari's lips as she looked up to see the hulking form of A'rion, her late mate's brother. To her, he was the size of a mountain, and near as old as one. His deep blue skin was mapped with wrinkles and countless scars. The male's hair was more a nest of dread locks that trailed down his backside and over his sloped shoulders, the color of the night sky.
She was only mildly surprised to note he was wearing only a leather loin cloth that was in poor shape and did little to hide anything. His clothing likely dumped somewhere not far away- or maybe far away... he was a druid with little modesty finding such a thing foolish. All Elune's children were wild things after all.
"But the sunshine is lost behind the clouds, Shan'do..." she whispered mournfully dropping her chin again.
"What is that sound," he mused, the hand on her shoulder remaining steady, as the other swept to gently press under her chin to make her turn her face and look into his eyes- something he had only ever done once in her life, "sure not the voice of Krae'Sharel's little bird... For that little bird has strong wings, and would swim in the clouds as swiftly as she swam in the ocean... If ever the clouds got too thick to see, she would simply rise above them."
His eyes glowed softly like precious amber, the depths swirling with a storm of affection and strength that Shari could not bare to look upon for fear she would be swept up.
As her lashes broke the eye contact he rumbled a growl within his chest and continued, "And if she found herself too deep in the ocean, where the sun could not reach her..." Without warning he swept her up into his arms and tossed her into the pond.
Seconds after disappearing beneath the waters surface she poked up her head gasping and spluttering to see the large male staring down at her with his hands upon his hips, broad chest puffed out seemingly quite proud of himself and the point he has made. A smile however, did not crack his hard visage, "She would fight to the surface to meet the sun once again." Inclining his head she rose a brow at her, tone unchanged from before, "Do not talk back to me like that, Little One. Your training seems to be lacking."
A hot blush sprang to her freckled cheeks then, reaching to the tips of her ears. Before she could speak, A'rion was wading into the water- where he gathered her against him as easily as if she had been a mere child. With care, he sat within the water and pulled her sitting before him- facing away. The water level rose to between her navel and small chest.
"W-Why are you here Shan'do?" Shari ventured after a few minutes had passed where he had begun to scoop water up in his massive hands to pour down over the top of her head.
"The Horde are on the Offensive, or had you not noticed?"
Her blush intensified.
Plucking a twig from her hair he continued, "Surely you did not think i would remain in Moonglade, during such a time as this? i am a war hardened Veteran Captain. From what i have seen, they can use my heavy bear hide down there."
Through the rivulets of water that spilled over her head she peeked up and watched his hands, catching sight of the blood red circular thorn tattoo on the underside of his left wrist. The sight of it humbled her greatly. Here he was, a male so high up in the Order that trained her, bathing her.
She wanted to beg with him to return to the Glade, to take her with him - so they could remain there safe together. Hide away from everything bad going on. Yet she dare not say such a thing.
Once her long hair had been sufficiently soaked and freed of soot and debris he began to scoop up handfuls of water to dump over her shoulders, occasionally allowing some to sprinkle out over his fingertips.
"i couldn't save them then... i cannot save anyone now..."
The shower paused. She could hear a deep intake of breath, visualizing it filling his broad chest. “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. If you allow your feet to be caught in the mud of the past, how will you ever be able to stride forward into the future?" His hands swallowed up her bony shoulders, and his voice whispered in her ear, so close she almost felt his lips brush against her earlobe causing her to shiver, “If you say you can or you cannot, you are right either way.”
"Shan'do-"
"Ssh." He sat up again and held her out slightly as to have room to rub his hand over her tiny back. "You will not speak, unless it rings with positivity." She felt his warning hand press against her back- the span of it reached almost from one side to the other, "Furthermore, should you find yourself thinking any negative thoughts about the past, you will stop yourself, and remember the beauty that came from such a dark time."
It would not have mattered that he wore a red circle of thorns, the fact such a command came from him made her naturally want to obey. "Yes Sir."
He pet her head, once, twice. The second touch lingering through his words, "Good girl."
Her heart glowed then. Two simple words, and they held such power.
A'rion finished bathing her, and then he picked her up and began to carry her toward the din of the city. She squirmed a bit- it was one thing to be naked and not care when you were alone along the borders, but to be parading out into the main city in such a state- "Be still." He said. And she was.
She wasn't awake by the time he reached a place for her to rest. She didn't see how he tucked her in with such tenderness, brushing a lock of hair from her face. Her eyes were not open to witness how the old druid stopped before ducking to leave to look back at her one more time.
That night, she slept soundly.
((*note: A'rion is a NPC who has been part of this chars life since forever.))
Founded April 26, 2005