05-04-2020, 10:25 PM
GHAUL
i can take you there, but baby, you won't make it back
He watches her stiffen and his head tilts curiously, nearly bird-like as he observes her for a while. Her reply is not at all what ha expected. Ghaul steps closer and reaches out, placing his nose where he thinks her cheek should be. But he passes right through her and it feels like silk – like the memory of silk. The scent of her grows thick in his nostrils and he pulls back from the strange sensation. He concludes that she is both here, and she is not. It makes no sense, but little else does in this life.
“What do you think the rest of you is doing? Sleeping?” he muses aloud. He keeps his head lowered to her head as he considers he predicament with a growing smile. She reminds him of his brood and their infinite disappointment that they cannot produce a flame that burns as bright as their parents’ just yet. “You will grow stronger, but only if you continue trying. It won’t be long before your enemies quake with fear at the sight of you.”
These words are inspiring to him, but he forgets that not everyone wants to be so ugly and terrifying. The heart of his words remains true, at least. He nods slowly when she gives her name along with her reason for venturing to the Cove all by herself. Magic. He does not understand it, but he has been told some dark magic is what twisted and bent him into the shape he is. Ghaul wonders if hers is just as dark or if it will shape things some other way entirely.
“I live both in the Cove and in Pangea,” he begins, until he turns his head to gesture at the nest where his offspring nap lazily with bellies full of meat. “My children are still quite small and require constant care, though, so I will return to Pangea when they grow independent.”
Part of him looks forward to being among the canyons and other monsters. The other part of him wants the hatchlings to stay small and safe right here with him, where the world can never harm them. But they already beg for adventure and try to stalk the smallest prey animals of the Cove. Their instincts will drive them from the nest and onto their own campaigns for glory. He brings his gaze back to her at last. He rather enjoys children, he thinks, as they remind him that all his work will be worth it in the end.
“What do you think the rest of you is doing? Sleeping?” he muses aloud. He keeps his head lowered to her head as he considers he predicament with a growing smile. She reminds him of his brood and their infinite disappointment that they cannot produce a flame that burns as bright as their parents’ just yet. “You will grow stronger, but only if you continue trying. It won’t be long before your enemies quake with fear at the sight of you.”
These words are inspiring to him, but he forgets that not everyone wants to be so ugly and terrifying. The heart of his words remains true, at least. He nods slowly when she gives her name along with her reason for venturing to the Cove all by herself. Magic. He does not understand it, but he has been told some dark magic is what twisted and bent him into the shape he is. Ghaul wonders if hers is just as dark or if it will shape things some other way entirely.
“I live both in the Cove and in Pangea,” he begins, until he turns his head to gesture at the nest where his offspring nap lazily with bellies full of meat. “My children are still quite small and require constant care, though, so I will return to Pangea when they grow independent.”
Part of him looks forward to being among the canyons and other monsters. The other part of him wants the hatchlings to stay small and safe right here with him, where the world can never harm them. But they already beg for adventure and try to stalk the smallest prey animals of the Cove. Their instincts will drive them from the nest and onto their own campaigns for glory. He brings his gaze back to her at last. He rather enjoys children, he thinks, as they remind him that all his work will be worth it in the end.