Shadowmere
09-07-2025, 11:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-15-2025, 11:13 AM by Shadowmere.)
I’ve bled for less, for sure, then best…
The air was still on the pine lined moorland territory, the morning quiet aside for the distant caw of ravens in the forest. The dark mare slinks out of her pine needle blanketed space that was tucked inside a thick cluster of pines to find water. She was exhausted, weary, but her heart felt a little lighter than it had in years. She followed the frozen river through the misty forest and into the snowy clearing, her mind blank. She snorted with annoyance as she trudged through the snow, her dark gaze eyeing the thickly iced over surface of the water. She couldn’t remember a winter as harsh as this one, she would have thought she was back in that damned ice box Tundra. She never liked her imprisonment there, and was beyond relieved to get the hell out of there once she was released from the bachelor’s hold. She knew it had been a bad idea to go to the Valley, she had only been there a few days before the bachelor kingdom stole her away. She should have just stayed in the Chamber…but that was over a half a century ago, and the Tundra was no more. Her thin coated body shook uncontrollably, luckily it was not windy nor pelting down frozen rain today, but she was going to start shivering more once she found a thin spot in the ice on the edge of the river. She struck her hoof to the glassy surface and shattered a hole in the ice just large enough for her muzzle to fit through. Lowering her head she drew in a large mouthful of water and savored the icy sensation that seared down her throat. Raising her elegant scarred face, she took in her surroundings, not remembering Havelock was here. She had grown used to the days of solitude in the now silent Chamber that the large horned wolf that stood with his head cocked to one side taking in the sight of the charred tree had her on alert. Noticing the pelt of the large canine was that of brown hues and powder blue, the memories of the past day flooded her. No longer furious with him, she was more so interested in his presence.
Other than Havelock, it seemed as if she and the shifter were truly the only souls wandering the pine laden territory. Days on end went by and still she had not come across another. It both angered and saddened her that the once glorious and powerful dark kingdom she had known was now so quiet and seemingly void of life. This place used to be bustling with bodies, dark souls that breathed life into the forest and filled her youthful self with ambition and anticipation. Were they truly the only souls here? She wondered if this place would ever see that kind of life again, and wished to breathe that life back into it again, with Havelock beside her for support. Was this finally her time to taste power and feel the weight of a crown upon her brown? She may be a twisted creature, misguided and malicious, but her ambitions were always a driving force in her soul and maybe that was just the kind of leader the Chamber needed. She wanted power, always…so much so she abused her children and manipulated them to try to grasp at some semblance of power. She knew rebuilding the Chamber to its former glory could prove difficult and she wasn’t sure where she would even start, but her mind reeled with possibilities and Havelock’s return seemed to jumpstart that old spark. She needed a purpose, she was not meant to disappear into the shadows to wither away in her own mind for eternity. She was ready for this, she wanted to be remembered and to be worth something for once in her life. Shadowmere strode toward the charred tree, dipping her head to Havelock as she came up beside him. She could feel that thrum of dark, ancient magic that radiated from within, and it set her dark soul alight. She dipped her head between her knees and slit the skin at her fetlock open with a sharp twisted horn. Blood streamed down her hoof and into the bare soil at the base of the tree and her voice dripped from her maw with absolute devotion.
”Hear me….see me…know me…I pledged my loyalty to this land over a century ago, and I come back to you now to pledge myself once again. This land is my home, it is a part of me…and I now sacrifice my very own blood for this land. Grant me your blessing…and I will vow to serve this land for eternity.”
She swore she could feel a pulse of energy before a black shimmering mist began to seem from the roots of the tree, swirling and coiling all around her until she was engulfed in it. The coiling mist settled around her like a cloak of night and her lips pulled back in a gnarled, satisfied grin. She turned her back to the tree and called out, a shrill whinny that cut through the still air for anyone to answer, to dispute her claim to a crown. She would bring glory back to the Chamber, even if it meant spilling blood to earn her crown. Her call hung in the air, awaiting a response for challenge, or a vow of support.
Other than Havelock, it seemed as if she and the shifter were truly the only souls wandering the pine laden territory. Days on end went by and still she had not come across another. It both angered and saddened her that the once glorious and powerful dark kingdom she had known was now so quiet and seemingly void of life. This place used to be bustling with bodies, dark souls that breathed life into the forest and filled her youthful self with ambition and anticipation. Were they truly the only souls here? She wondered if this place would ever see that kind of life again, and wished to breathe that life back into it again, with Havelock beside her for support. Was this finally her time to taste power and feel the weight of a crown upon her brown? She may be a twisted creature, misguided and malicious, but her ambitions were always a driving force in her soul and maybe that was just the kind of leader the Chamber needed. She wanted power, always…so much so she abused her children and manipulated them to try to grasp at some semblance of power. She knew rebuilding the Chamber to its former glory could prove difficult and she wasn’t sure where she would even start, but her mind reeled with possibilities and Havelock’s return seemed to jumpstart that old spark. She needed a purpose, she was not meant to disappear into the shadows to wither away in her own mind for eternity. She was ready for this, she wanted to be remembered and to be worth something for once in her life. Shadowmere strode toward the charred tree, dipping her head to Havelock as she came up beside him. She could feel that thrum of dark, ancient magic that radiated from within, and it set her dark soul alight. She dipped her head between her knees and slit the skin at her fetlock open with a sharp twisted horn. Blood streamed down her hoof and into the bare soil at the base of the tree and her voice dripped from her maw with absolute devotion.
”Hear me….see me…know me…I pledged my loyalty to this land over a century ago, and I come back to you now to pledge myself once again. This land is my home, it is a part of me…and I now sacrifice my very own blood for this land. Grant me your blessing…and I will vow to serve this land for eternity.”
She swore she could feel a pulse of energy before a black shimmering mist began to seem from the roots of the tree, swirling and coiling all around her until she was engulfed in it. The coiling mist settled around her like a cloak of night and her lips pulled back in a gnarled, satisfied grin. She turned her back to the tree and called out, a shrill whinny that cut through the still air for anyone to answer, to dispute her claim to a crown. She would bring glory back to the Chamber, even if it meant spilling blood to earn her crown. Her call hung in the air, awaiting a response for challenge, or a vow of support.
~ s h a d o w m e r e
Shadowmere stakes a claim of the Chamber's crown
Required Post Count of 5, plus 1
Two in the Chamber - Link
One in the Chamber - Link
One in the Chamber - Link
One in the Meadow - Link
One in the Forest - Link
She also made her blood sacrifice to the tree for a black glittering mist, essentially a night aura