•|•|•"The stories are real Dula. The nightmares father used to tell. The beasts are coming. The villages have disappeared. There is darkness in the air. Do you not feel it?"•|•|•[KAYOS] The human girl trembles before us. Her hair is thin, long, and stringy, a fade-off from the color of the earth. Her scent is strong, a musk of sea and land, salt and dirt. Her sunken eyes remain glued to the stoned floor she kneels on, eyes darting all over the place. Her heart is a hard pound within her. I know what she feels. It is a pain that calls out to my very being. Releasing a hunger in my wolf. She is in a foreign land amongst beasts that could rip her to threads in a breath. Perhaps that is why she fails to breathe normally as one would. Instead, it is a harsh wind against her dry torn lips, her hands shivering in her tattered lap."She can speak," I state, head tilting slightly, taking in the human."She has not spoken a word." Vaeln counters, starting at the small creature. "She w
•|•|• "The Monster is the Wolf." •|•|•[Shade Shadows]"He is simply- insufferable.." I whined, stacking up more books, "Does he truly not know how to say goodbye?" I huffed, my gaze landing on Diane.The beady-eyed bird only tilted its head, watching me intently, as I sighed, stacking away, "he will have to learn. I will have to teach him," I huffed, making sure the spines of each book aligned, "truly insufferable."Diane cawed at this, ruffling her feathers.I glanced at her for a moment, before pausing, "I guess he is busy. I can not expect more from him, he has given me enough. A friendship with a keffer..." the words trail off and a small smile appears against my lips, a warm feeling drawing within me, "he is the first you know-" I huff, gaze trailing back to the bird, "outside of AMA and Vale-"Diane caws loudly and I chuckle-"And of course, you, my pretty little diamond," I gleamed,
•|•|•"There will be no fraternizing with the Guards. You are slaves. Do not forget."•|•|•[Shade Shadows]The slave quarters are filled with whispers and rumors. Everybody is talking about the horn, the visitors that arrived. I walk in quietly, and no one pays much attention to me as they gossip away. My body is tired and all I wish to do is sleep. There will be more to do tomorrow and so I curl up on my mat and shut my eyes. I wish to drift off immediately but my ears remain open, listening to the words of the slaves around me.They talk of the visitors and the cage that came with them in their midst. Some say they heard growls and hisses coming from beneath its dark covers and a shiver crossed my spine.I can not deny I am also curious about these new visitors. I know there is some sort of ceremony taking place in a few weeks, that is why the tribunal has been called, and that is why there will soon be a h
•|•|•"Amidst fleeting moments, her memory wanes like a delicate sunset, yet the cherished years we've woven remain etched, timeless, within my soul's embrace."-Xiirian•|•|• [KAYOS]The world is nothing but a graveyard of water around me. The water is cold, ice cold, but I revel in the numbness of it all.I do not feel the cold. The cold is home. The numbness is solitude. And the blurry vision of the space above me is dreamlike. Perhaps if I stay here long enough reality would fade or simply cease to exist. I stare upwards for minutes beneath the waves but the vision above me remains. Finally sitting up, the water sloshes around me as I take breaths of air in replacing what I missed, my hands pushing my wet locks from my face, breathing harshly until I settle back in the bath, the dimness of the room around me leaving a hollow feeling within me.The shadows move across my walls and I lazily tu
[ SHADE SHADOWS]I am ready for the day. I am ready for the day.I repeat the same words relentlessly even as I march after Madam Catherine towards the red door. This time she does not leave me by the door, she freezes as if caught by time a few feet away and stops.I stop behind her, confused, glancing at the red door. She turns sharply, clearing her throat, "Hurry now, the master awaits."My eyebrows arch together, as she walks passed me with a nod, leaving me alone in the hallway.That is rather strange. Master. Not masters. My fingers went cold, and my heart thudded from within me as I turned round to the space she had disappeared from gaze batting the length.What if she knew? Could she? About the Master and I? I shook my head. How could she? She never entered the library, not even once- I paused to think this through-Not even once.My gaze shot back to the red door, remembering the words of the guards that night. Why were they afraid to enter it? Madam says it is the m
[Kayos]It's been years since I walked these underground halls buried beneath the court. I am alone with a singular lamp to light my way. It is not needed, I can see quite well in utter darkness and yet, light is the best company.Alchest screeches above my shoulder and I roll my eyes. It is as if the shadow is connected to my emotions.I tread the secret passages and stop before the large wooden door. It is barred with numerous locks and chains of which I have no key.When I was younger my father brought me here. I pause the memory. It is the few I remember of him.He opened it as I am now. My gaze travels to Alchest and he moves as a shadow blended into the darkness around, with ease into the smallest crack in the door. I hear the locks click open the chains fall and the door swings open before me. I see Alchest scamper in the shadows inside the dust-covered room.Once again I am taken back in time to memories. My father is by my side. I was not more than 7 summers old. He had liv
•|•|•For we wolves covet but one thing, and without it, we become undone.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]I stare at the black covers of the journal, my fingers trace the edges. I know that I am alone, but I still look around as if to ensure I am, before lifting one of the loose boards of the shelves, slipping the journal under the hollow wood on a shelf I am sure to remember.I cannot walk around with the journal of an old King, but neither can I continue to read those prized pages within the walls of the library. The possibilities of a master catching me in the act were too far great to risk. In truth, catching me reading any book may warrant a master's wrath, as I am meant to clean and only clean.Still, even after understanding all these things, my heart remains greedy and stubborn. I wish to read more. For how can he, Xiirian Adonis Prime, the 8th Night Wolf share a loneliness so similar to mine, if he is a king and I am slave and a Keffer?I had to read more. I must. It was as if th
•|•|•If you are to speak of a matter so delicate in his presence, do so with care. Lest you spark the darkness in him and return the world into it's most wicked of year's.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]I FOLLOW after him, and I realize he is waiting for me in an aisle and soon we're treading rows side by side.Glancing at the stack in his hands, I realize his load is many times heavier than mine and yet there is no strain in his grip, and if anything, he looks lost in thought rather than minding too much about how heavy the books were."Shade," He begins.A shiver crosses my spine at this and I raise an eyebrow at the sudden mention of my name. I am already looking at him, but his gaze is forward."Yes?" I always prefer, my name to my title. I know that I like hearing people say my name, but something about the master saying it makes me feel seen. I acknowledge it is progress. Ever since that talk, he has been careful to say my name. I like it. I like it a lot.He seems to be lost in tho