Burning on, just like a match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know.
And what's the worst you take from every heart you break? And like
the blade you stain, well, I've been holding on tonight.
Michaelis has had the vague thought that perhaps those fairies from long ago had known that this eclipse would be occurring in the future.
He had been reshaped and molded and gifted (cursed?) his ability without too much fuss from his end – he always landed on his feet after all. But his relationship to the shadows and his adaptations for living amongst the darkness had suddenly given him a huge advantage now that the whole of Beqanna had been plunged into a never-ending night. He possessed both enhanced hearing and sight which helped him easily cut through the shadows and navigate the familiar terrain of the meadow. The shadow child, of course, continued to have his tendrils gleefully accompany him through this unnatural night for their tangibility did not have to lesson when sunrise approached. Their writhing presence only further served to diminish the roaning of his coat and seamlessly blend his compact frame into the unnatural darkness.
The eclipse had been startling at first, an oddity to be observed through a surprised gaze. The sky had become muddled, with but a tiny sliver of light barely piercing through the thick cloud cover to guide the residents through the cloaking darkness that had menacingly settled upon the land. By now the shadow child had lived through many of the unnatural and magical disasters that occurred throughout this wild and untamed land. He has seen kingdoms rise and fall, whole sections of earth disappear overnight, ever-changing landscapes, and wars waged.
Although he had observed and experienced these things – he had always been a bystander.
He preferred to stay out of the limelight when it came to these dramas and tragedies that often played out. But Michaelis certainly enjoyed observing the key actors to these scenes. They possessed power in many different ways and he liked to see how they would wield it.
It was invigorating.
It was thrilling.
It was seductive.
Especially if he had had a hand in it.
Michaelis was a collector of sorts; he wanted to hoard and possess and protect those that caught his interest. He was a raven - in search of shiny trinkets and smooth stones and bits of wildflowers and feathers to put in his comfy nest and attentively polish and shine until they became the envy of others. These treasures would shine independently, while he carefully wiled away in the background and gave them a firm foundation and support from beneath.
The meadow seemed almost deserted whilst the shadow child calmly strolled through the small copses of trees that stood alongside the clearing. Tall grasses brushed the underside of his belly while his shadow tendrils fondly brushed about his neck and sides. They had settled away from his face for the time being, giving him the opportunity to observe his surroundings with sharp mismatched eyes.
Michaelis
( The Shadow Child )
Such is life, such is death
l i v i n i a
such is life, such is death.
Livinia knew what it was to live as a bystander.
She felt she had lived much of her life on the sidelines.
A deep resentment burned within her as a result. She craved to live in the spotlight, but it was not to be. Not yet, at least. No, those moments were meant for her mother, her brother, her friends. And while she tried to be the dutiful, supportive creature she was meant to be. But she was finding this to be more and more difficult. Because the want consumed her. She knew that jealousy was toxic and would eat her alive, but that did not stop the thorns from sinking deep.
But Livinia also found that she liked to watch. There was so much to be learned from the outside looking in. And that knowledge could be invaluable. But Livinia burned with wants that she did not know how to sate and is left in this state of flux. But she is determined to find her place in this world – more so now than when she was a child pleading with the mountain to help her.
So when darkness fell upon Beqanna, Livinia did not seek sanctuary. Even with the rumors that there was something otherworldly roaming Beqanna.
But what did that matter to the girl with monsters in her family tree?
What did it matter to the girl who had never truly lived and who never would?
The meadow was quiet. Surprisingly so, but perhaps not given the circumstances. Livinia found herself missing her lioness’ eyesight, but the faeries had long since reclaimed her once-predator body. But she was undaunted by the darkness, having been raised in a family that all but worshiped it. Crimson eyes take stock of her surroundings – but drift to one stranger in particular. She is immediately curious about this stranger due to the way the shadows twine around him. She’s seen shadows like this before – since the moment she was born. But this stranger was not family – of that she was certain. She inclines her head before moving towards him – undaunted by the shadows. She smells vaguely of smoke, as she always does, and draws to a halt before him.
“They say there are monsters in the dark,” the undead girl says, looking from him to the trees and back again.
“Seen anything?”
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Drawing Credit
@[michaelis]
Burning on, just like a match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know.
And what's the worst you take from every heart you break? And like
the blade you stain, well, I've been holding on tonight.
His focused gaze watched as a stranger picked her way across the meadow, her dark colored body almost indistinguishable amongst the heavy darkness. Perhaps it should have been surprising that there was another who had decided to also brave a visit to the meadow. The openness of the land could both be dangerous and helpful in the same breath. It didn’t provide much cover for both predator and prey, after all. But these unknown monsters had the advantage of easily blending into the unnatural darkness which only made it all the more dangerous to venture out of the cover of the dense forest. On the other hand, the meadow allowed that tiny sliver of light to shine at its strongest, unhindered by thick foliage or towering trees.
Outsmarting and surviving these shadow-monsters was going to be a game of chance.
The shadows that had lazily twirled alongside his frame thickly drew together and bigger as the mare draws to a halt before him. They were always so quick to defend first and then decide afterwards if one was actually a threat to the shadow child or not. He didn’t mind their enthusiasm for they weren’t actually a real danger to others and they only wished to protect him as best they could.
The stranger seemed to barely pay the shadows any mind – something that greatly intrigued Michaelis. He had quickly learned that the shadow tendrils that always seemed to be flickering about his body was something that almost unwillingly drew others to him. But she barely gave them a glance before asking if he’s seen any of the shadow-monsters lurking about.
His mismatched eyes of yellow and brown hadn’t seen a shadow-monster outright. Instead, the most he has seen have been flashes of moving shadows from the corner of his eyes accompanied with rumbling growls and loud rustling within the forest where Michaelis usually lurked. But they seemed to be keeping their distance from the shadow child for now. Perhaps the presence of his shadow tendrils was confusing them into thinking he was also one of their own or perhaps they couldn’t decide if his shadows meant that he was already marked as prey and was slowly being devoured alive by one of them.
But instead of sharing these silly thoughts of his, he tilted his head inquiringly and a smile curled the corners of his mouth in slight amusement.
“Do you plan on hunting them all down?”
Michaelis
( The Shadow Child )
@[Livinia]
Such is life, such is death
l i v i n i a
such is life, such is death.
“Now that’s an idea,” she said with a wicked looking smile that didn’t quiet reach her eyes…but did show a glint of fangs hidden between blunt equine teeth. “I do quite enjoy hunting.”
She hadn’t always. It had taken her some time to determine what it was that her body required for nourishment, and longer still how to get her strange body what it wanted. Hunting only became activity that she enjoyed – that she craved – after her trip to the mountain as a youngster. The faeries had taken her equine form and given her a lioness’ body to live in as she learned what it was to be a predator.
And the costs that came with such a lifestyle.
It was during this task that Livinia learned of bloodlust and of the danger it posed. She still struggled, occasionally, with the need to hunt and draw blood even when her body was sated. The very mention of the hunt stirred something inside her, but it was easily quieted by her intrigue for this stranger who the shadows sang so sweetly to.
She did wonder, for more than a fleeting moment, what she would do if they were confronted by these monsters. Perhaps she would be more concerned if she knew what they were capable of – what they had done to her mother’s favorite pets. But her ignorance of the true threat that lurked in the shadow was enough to keep her attention entirely on the stranger.
”And what about you? Are you a hunter or are you…” Her voice drifts off as she observes him more closely – her crimson eyes again drawn to the shadows she knows so well. Because he certainly isn’t prey.
”Something else?” is what she finally settles on. Somewhere in her mind it registers that she should probably introduce herself, or go through the normal formalities expected when meeting someone. But she quite likes this game, and is rather attached to the more interesting direction this conversation has already taken.
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Drawing Credit
@[michaelis]
@[The Monsters] hello, me again since this is fun. do you wanna play with her new cracked appearance.
@[Livinia] your cracked appearance has mutated into cryogenic preservation. you're welcome.
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