Heart of the Bog

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OOC: Tags to nephero! Being as his temple was ransacked, I'm going to presume the cult after Eve might have taken some of the relics he was in protection of~  That way we can tie them together ^_^
But yeah, I got an idea and am running with it, so just let me know if it works for you or if something might need changed~

Also, since Eve's other thread is still going on, we'll say she's about 18 years old when this thread takes place~

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It was cold and wet when she awoke, the world confining and pinning her down. And it was impossible to breath, she felt as if she were suffocating but when she twisted, trying to move she felt the heavy restricting vines looped around her limbs, keeping her down, keeping her within. She struggled some more, feeling the slick ooze of something all around her, and the froth and itchiness of something else. Fear set in, and she began to struggle even more, and the vines grew tighter, angrier and she could feel them, hear them; as if they were laughing at her, or scolding her, or perhaps, both? It was hard to say what they wanted, or why the world felt so heavy upon her, and she, so smothered, but when she opened her eyes, the murky, foamed sludge of the bog stung at her eyes and she called out, taking in the swampy waters within her throat and choking on them.

To her insides, to her out, her body writhed sharply. It was only at her second cry did the vines begin to yield, something else coming into play, something there, but not quite. Something other worldly. And then it beat again, sending out a signal that spooked off the crows hanging around in the skeletal trees that jutted out from the bog like thorns, and made the weeping willow branches shudder. Even a nearby coyote's tail drooped as he rushed off into the brush.

The world that once sought to bind her was loosening it's grip, but only doing so with one strong beat of this unseen power at a time until finally, she felt one of the pieces snap and her limb was free, and her small hand was groping through the swampy waters, pawing at whatever she could. And then finding herself desperately pulling and yanking at the other threads that held her back, until one leg's confines broke away, and she was twisting. And then the other broke free and she was kicking to the surface, just as her finger nails tore into the vines about her wrist and arm, and in one final calling plea from within, the vines finally conceded and Eve broke away, resurfacing to the world with red hair suctioned to her body in a rippling mess of muddy curls. ANd the rest of her was slicked brown as well, the mud from the bog coating her well as she broke out from the swampy lands and gasped for air, and found herself surprised when a series of insects choked out from her throat.

There was an eerieness to those black bugs she didn't like that sent a chill through her as she shivered and watched the escape into the yellow skies of the setting sun. And she shivered again, sitting there amongst the bog, cold, frightened, naked and slicked with wet, gooping boggy mud.

[nephero]

OOC: Awww yeee let's do this~

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Almost as soon as the thrum of the Otherworldly came, it passed. What had once been dead silence-- save for Eve's gasping breaths and the drip drip dripping of muddy water from her hair-- soon returned to the lively chorus that made up the marshes in the evening. Frogs resumed their croaking, chirping as loud as they could in order to be heard above all others and attract a mate.

Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted loudly, as if in reprimand for the unnatural silence that had previously befallen its swampy home. All in all, the bog seemed returned to normal.

And then something splashed, not more than ten yards away from where Eve sat. Almost immediately, the bog was silent again-- the frogs all flew back into the water, their chorus interrupted for the second time, and even the mosquitos that swarmed around this fresh, warm body suddenly flew away from her.

For a long moment, it was painfully silent. Clouds drifted over the moon, rendering the bog a shadow of itself, close and dark and unyielding. Then came another, smaller splash, like that of a rock carefully plopped into water in order to create only the tiniest ripple possible. That same ripple lapped at Eve's knees now, at her half-submerged arms and the fanning tips of mudstained hair. And instead of dissipating, as any single ripple would, it just seemed to get stronger and stronger.

The moon was covered fully now-- not a single beam remained to reflect off the water's surface, leaving anything without nocturnal vision lost in inky blackness. And as usually happened when one was robbed of a sense, the others became hyper acute, fighting to give one a chance at understanding a world so rapidly changed. Another ripple hit her, and another, and just beneath it there was the smallest sound of the water in motion as something slid closer and closer.

Then, the dark was suddenly shattered. Bright, vibrant green the color of pondscum erupted behind her, bathing the area in a ghostly glow. A man-- for lack of a better word for the equally muddy creature-- moved from his perch on a half-submerged branch with a loud hiss, splashing into the water beside Eve and thoroughly startling the large lizard that had been eyeing her up for a meal. Rendered partially blind by the sudden light and spooked clean out of its pebbly skin, the lizard splashed off into the waters as fast as it could, leaving the two hominids to their devices and probably mentally cursing the pair in whatever way a lizard might curse someone.

Almost as soon as the water settled again, the clouds broke, and the moon returned with all its pale glory. The frogs continued to chirp, satisfied that nothing was going to harm them (or worse, interrupt them), and again, there was the indignant screech from that same owl. Really, did no one know how rude it was to disrupt the whole bog like that?

The man kneeled down into the water without seemingly a care for getting wet, and peered at Eve with narrowed eyes (or as far as she could tell, that same glow in his irises making it hard to really see minute details like that). At first, he seemed confused, tilting his head back and forth as if to get a better look at her. Slowly, he extended a hand, palm facing up and muddied fingers splayed.

"Harshtal?"

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As the bog came back to life, Eve peered curiously all around her, regarding the bare trees and the soggy foliage that dotted the lands. Tall grasses and spongy mosses clung heavily in the swamp lands around her, and she wasn't sure just where this soggy land ended, and the bottom of the swamp had been. Floating about, she peered around slowly, not realizing a large predatory animal was stalking her beneath the surface of the water. It had sensed her heat, and reveled in the fear it could smell. Though once something else stirred, the lizard had all but vanished, just in time since Eve had caught sight of it, but then turned away to observe, with much confusion, the rippling of the waters and the sudden explosion of light.

Sludgy water lapped lightly at her mud soaked body, as Eve remained there, mouth ajar and staring, utterly terrified at the swamp thing approaching her. For he, like she, was covered in the repulsive, sludgy froth that made the bog well what it was. And when he made a motion, gestured out and spoke, Eve made a noise and reared back instinctively, green eyes wide with fear as she cowered covered, lips trembling, heart racing and pounding clean up into her ears.

What the hell was he!? A monster!? She could have screamed, but even her fear took that away, and any ability she might have had in her limbs to run.

[nephero]

Again, the muddy man seemed confused. He withdrew for a moment, before inching forward again, this time with both his hands up in a non-threatening manner. Or what he hoped was non-threatening, it had been such a long time since he'd dealt with anything that wasn't a rabbit, or an owl, or...

Well, suffice to say he was used to threatening humans. But there was something odd here, something unseen, something that tasted of old woods and the deep earth. It wasn't very strong, or at least it wasn't strong now, but oh, he had felt it when the young woman first emerged, like the feeling of pure sound vibrating down to one's very core. It's what had pulled him away in the first place, away from his shifting at the edges of the swamp in an effort to figure out how to leave it.

"Harshtal, neen lekt, neen herm." He attempted his best soothing voice, though the years of disuse only served to make it gravelly and cracked. Which was apparently not helping because now the girl looked like she was going to faint, or strike him. Or a sequence of both. He had to do something, and he was struggling to think of what.

It was right about then that he noticed that it was only mud covering her. It hadn't really been on his list of prioritized observations, what with that old forest song dancing in what had once been his veins. Nor was it something that he immediately realized might be a problem-- half the time he forgot he even wore clothes himself, or that a strange man standing over a frightened, naked woman had enough threatening implications to warrant a complete lack of response.

He stood back then, if only to give himself room to maneuver, pulling off straps and belts to free his overcoat from his shoulders. The soggy, threadbare article was then extended to the girl, with another placating gesture and half-soothing coos. The same sound worked on the blackbirds, after all. It was worth a try.

"Hiir."

[visualspice]

Ooc: posting from muh phone so sorry this might be brief :T


When the bog man spoke, not only were his words strange and croaky, but to see glimpses of his sharp teeth had her gasping and flinching away. But when he gave her a look, then moved to remove then offer his over coat, only then did she realize she was naked and with a splash, her arms moved forward, crossing over her chest to cover herself as she continued to cower away from him.

[nephero]

OOC: is all good. 8D

Well, this was all going to hell. He frowned at her reaction to his words, trying to remember back to a time when he used language more frequently. Had the language changed since then? Did he accidentally insinuate that her father regularly fornicated with farm animals, or something?

Almost as soon as he had attempted to grant her some clothing, it seemed she noticed the problem as well, and he had to give a kind of grimacing smile at her attempts to cover herself. Really, it was all just so frustrating, with his attempts at communicating failing miserably time after time.

But maybe he was going about it all the wrong way. While most animals knew he wasn't a threat and so tended to allow more familiar approaches, this girl most certainly did not. Very, very clearly did not. He took a step back, his hands still visible and held as non-threateningly as an alleged bog-monster could. The murky water swirled around his knees, leaving heavy ripples in the floating algae, and he moved instead to the side where a low hanging branch just barely skirted the surface of the water.

On this he placed the coat, letting it hang there while he continued his retreat, until finally there was a good three meters of distance between them, with the coat hanging far closer to the girl than to its former owner.

Still holding his hands up, he lowered himself down onto a partially submerged log, and sat there, ignoring the curiousity of a nearby salamander as it skittered across his lap.

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Eve's eyes never once left the man's figure. She knew not what to make of this.. this pointy teethed person, or why he too, seemed to have come out from the swamps. Though why she had come out was a mystery as well, that was. And her gaze remained glued upon him, that was until she felt something odd touch her hand, and peering down, she noticed something jutting out from her chest.

Lightly, her fingers grazed ontop of a mud slicked pendant. She wore no jewelry before, none that she could recall, and blinked and let her face scrunch in mild confusion before her gaze, once again lifted to him and she noticed him move away from her, which made her cower away a second time, the bog waters sloshing about her with an uncomfortable, sloshy chill. And thenshe watched as he hung his jacket upon a tree and moved away, to find a seat upon a log.

Still keeping herself covered, she pouted at the sight of him, green eyes clearly still full of worry and uncertainty over what he was and where this place could be. She couldn't recall a thing...
It was like that time she awoke upon the ship...
She had been naked then as well. And just as clueless.

Perhaps her memories would come back to her, but for now, she was full of too muhc doubt and growing fear.....
It was fear that had her shiver lightly, still trembling as she looked at the man for a while, then over towards the jacket. She wasn't keen on the idea of moving over there, but being nude and covered in gross mud was also hardly appropriate. But fear cemented her into place. Where as any normal girl in her predicament might have rushed over to the clothing, Eve was far too uncertain in these swampy surroundings that the idea of moving from where she stood also scared her. And what if the bog man attacked her? Or something else...

And the idea of being trapped between two obvious solutions- one being to take the jacket, the other to just simply try to run, made her feel too dizzy and overwhelmed.

So instead, she felt her knees buckle a little as she turned away from the bog man and began to cry.

[nephero]

Whatever Tristan had been expecting, it certainly wasn't this. He was struck with a sudden pang of sympathy for the poor girl, and it took every ounce of his willpower to keep himself seated on his log. Any sudden movement now would only serve to spook her further, and considering just how terribly lost and frightened she already was, that was something that he preferred to avoid.

Still, he had to do something to comfort her, or to at least demonstrate that she wasn't in any immediate danger. He looked around the swamp, his glowing eyes searching until they fell on the nearby branches of a heavily leaning willow. He spotted movement, faint as it was, and he extended a hand, chittering in mimicry of a small rodent.

As if on cue, a little squirrel poked his head out of his nest, blinking blearily in the dark at whatever was calling to him. Despite the late hour, the little creature climbed along an extended branch, and jumped into the bog man's open palm. Still sleepy, he was all too happy to curl up in Tristan's hand, muddy or not, and was treated to gentle rubs over his tiny furry head.

Slowly, Tristan got to his feet, careful to keep from disturbing both the squirrel and the girl in the water, and he sloshed his way back over to the redheaded stranger to the bog. He held out his hands, still gently cupping the animal, and did his best to smile without showing his teeth as he gestured for her to pet the rodent as well.

"Vist, neen herm. Ij vrin do nakhas, je?" Tentatively, slowly, he shifted the squirrel to one hand, and reached out with his newly freed one, and for lack of any idea what else to do, patted her on the head in much the same way as he did the squirrel.

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Her emotions were over whelming, her body wracked with sobs as salty tears streamed down her cheeks through the mud that caked her. For the briefest moment, it did not matter there was some strange man before her, or she was in some strange world again, because memories were flooding back to her-
And the realization she was alone again, and not by choice, had her over whelmed. So at first she hadn't realized when the bog man had approached, but when the sloshing of waters came nearer to her, she gasped and backed away, eyes twinkling with the freshness of her tears.

But then she saw the chittering creature he held and she found her breath hitching in between breaths of sobs, and she soon found herself blinking, trying to make heads or tails of the wild animal that seemed so attached to his arm. Blinking again, she looked from animal to the bog man, then back to the creature again. But she didn't move, rather, she stayed in place, hesitating, green eyes remaining on the curious squirrel who was sniffing about towards her.

[nephero]

Tristan gave a warm chuckle, mostly in delighted relief that the girl was no longer crying as much as she had been. It left him feeling... more correct, and he took that as a clear sign to remain knee deep in muddy waters. He shifted to crouch down, and extended his hand to the girl, allowing the squirrel a better look.

"Vrund." Tristan hummed, though this time the word was aimed at the squirrel, who took it as a sign it was safe to lean forward and sniff, and even reach out a tiny hand in an attempt to climb over onto her instead. However, finding no holds in plain view, the animal retreated back into Tristan's bark-rough hand, and curled up there. Still, tiny beady eyes watched her in curiousity, partially closing when Tristan resumed petting his head.

"Vrund. Ij bich vrund."

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Eve watched in wonder how the squirrel came forward, curious of her as it observed her with a few little sniffs. He was close enough she could see his whiskers twitching about, and it reminded her of the puppy she and Zavimaat had following them when they were in town. Thinking about the puppy, and of her friend, Zavimaat, made her eyes sparkle with fresh tears, for they had all but halted but now, a few more slid down her cheeks.

She had no idea what had become of him, or any of the people she had met along the way- or even how she ended up here of all places. And she drew back again, still uncertain as she looked from squirrel to man and back again.

It was only then she recalled how strange his voice was. But perhaps it was not his voice, but his words. Curiously, she peered at him, not understanding anything he was saying, but simply looking, observing while remaining tense, hands still covering her mud-slicked bare chest.

[nephero]

The bog man continued to crouch in the waters with her, eventually shifting to sit down completely. He didn't seem to care that he was now ribs deep in mud; in fact, he seemed all the calmer for it, like someone curling up with a favourite quilt.

The squirrel didn't appreciate getting closer to the water, but he seemed to trust the man, and so did little more than chirp in concern. This was abated by a hushing sound, and a few more easy pats.

Tristan turned his gaze back onto the girl, giving a jerk of his head towards the still hanging coat. But that was the last insistence he made, instead focusing on obeying a little chittered command to rub the squirrel's belly.

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A few more tears fell, but observing Tristan and seeing him calm, eventually did calm her as well. She watched as he treated the squirrel with kindness and in kind, eventually her own eyes were lead towards the hanging coat he had offered. Still uncertain,a nd feeling very out of place, she eventually took one step towards the coat and paused, flinching at the sloshy sounds of the waters around her before stumbling a few steps more and clumsily lifting the coat from where it hung.

She was rather small, and had to lean up on the balls of her feet to reach it, but once it was retrieved, she quickly wrapped it around herself like a cape, wearing it over her shoulders and hugging it tightly around herself before curiously, peering over her shoulders at the strange man.

[nephero]

Tristan barely moved, only letting his eyes lift up to watch the girl when he heard the faint rustle of the tree branch. Seeing her wrapped up made him smile again, and with that bit of business done, he got to his feet. He moved slowly, both to avoid startling the girl as well as to avoid making too much splashing noise, and he returned the squirrel to his original nest in the trees. The rodent chattered at him for a moment, before hopping up into the taller branches and disappearing from view.

Left alone, the bog man turned to regard Eve, and pointed into the distance, far beyond the field of vision allotted by the light of the moon.

"Daind em sadet, fie due kils." He gestured into the distance again, and held his other hand out towards Eve in a beckoning motion. "Kom."

[visualspice]

Eve still wasn't so sure to trust this man... whatever he was as she gripped onto the jacket a little tighter and peered at him curiously. His words sounded all garbled to her, and she wasn't sure if it was her nervousness that made her unable to comprehend what he wanted, or was he speaking some other language?

She continued to stare at Tristan, and watched as he gestured elsewhere. Did he wish for her to follow? He said come. But did it mean the same in his language as it did for hers?

[nephero]

Really, Tristan honestly didn't know why he continued to try and speak. None of what he was saying seemed to be getting through to her, but for some reason, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Nothing had made him more nervous, back when he was young and mortal and facing down something like his present self, than the silent stare he had gotten from his predecessors. He supposed, even now, that old feeling remained, and he was determined not to terrify what every bit of his being told him was someone important.

Not that he understood that, either. She was far unlike anything his former masters had ever been, even if it had been years since he'd last seen one of them. By all accounts, she should just be another intruder, another interloper or worse, a thief, but none of his usual instincts for such persons was kicking in. It was all just odd.

Still, he tried to be patient. There were many things he didn't understand, and that was simply his place. He was a guardian, a sentinel, and it was merely his job to protect. Again, he beckoned at the girl, while gesturing into the distance. Slowly, he began moving in that same direction, trying to get the girl to follow him through the safer bits of the marsh.

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The man gestured again, this time, keeping silent, and the only noises shared between them were the light sloshing in the waters when he moved. The crickets hummed and the dragon flies flittered by, one making Eve rear back when she was finally brave enough to step forward. But feeling foolish, when it was merely just an insect, she peered over at Tristan cautiously before she took another small step his way again.

[nephero]

Tristan did his best not the laugh at Eve flinching away from an insect, though it was clear he was somewhat amused by the whole thing. He coughed a bit to hide the chuckle that wanted to escape him, and continued to slosh through the waters. He periodically stopped to look back at her, and beckon her forward, slowly coaxing her through the marshes.

It was long work, but he was patient, and really, it beat dreaming beneath the peat for years at a time, any day. He still didn't know how long it had been. Had that tree been a sapling before?

[visualspice]

Each step was small and uncertain, but eventually she began to near the man, and much like herself, she noted he was covered in the mud from the bog. But there was something else about him, something strange, and inhuman , even as be appeared to have human like qualities. She recalled his teeth, but then the sounds, the words he spoke... And the squirrel. The usual skittish creature had no qualms perching on his shoulder earlier. So when Tristan looked away, to gesture and to guide her, Eve gave a timidly curious gaze his way. What was he? And where was she? And why?

[nephero]

There we go. Tristan was quite pleased the closer Eve got, though he was careful to keep his motions slow for fear of startling her straight back into mistrust. It was much like handling an injured animal, and that much he could understand. The only frustration, really, was that none of his words seemed to be going through, but if it really had been as long as he thought it was, that was hardly a surprise.

If he noticed her staring, he didn't show it, the soft glow from his irises reflecting off the bog as he kept watch for would-be predators, or anything else. It would be easier once they got where they were going, he was sure of it.

That 'where' became apparent when distant lights began to break through the scattered trees, and Tristan hopped up onto thankfully solid ground. He held his hand out to help Eve up onto it, the grasses soft if muddy beneath their feet. From there the lights only grew brighter, until they were just a dozen meters away from what seemed to be a tiny old cottage set in the middle of nowhere.

Tristan actually seemed relieved, then, and for good reason. For a small time he worried that the cottage would have been gone by this point, or worse, but it seemed like everything here was as it was, still.

He looked over his shoulder to make sure Eve was still following, even as he picked up the pace to get to the front door, and whatever amazing smell that was coming out of the tiny chimney.