Haunted by Shadows [open]

[Anonymous]

[center:d92v84ps]
Thin figure crouched high up in the branches, eyes watching close the lone figure that trudged through the mountain passage closely. A small, mischevious chuckle left his throat as a rather wicked idea crept on the edges of his thoughts. He brought his hands before him, curling his thumbs around each other. His fingers spread out, the long, spindly digits making a terrible shadow beneath him. Mahogany eyes closed, thin lips reciting in an almost long forgotten language. Slowly, dark purple mist formed from his back, slowly moving away from his body. And from the mist rose bones, pale as death himself. The bones formed structures of wings, 5 meters in span each. Slowly, black flesh crept up the bones, forming the muscles needed to hold the wings taunt when gliding. And last came the skin, as white as dove's wings, covering the newly made limbs.

When the forming was finished, his eyes opened and hands seperated as an evil smirk flittered over his face. Dark purple glowed eerily from the 12 cirlces drawn beneath his left eye, casting its light upon the orb above them. Opening his jaws, a blood curdling shriek left his vocals as he plunged down into the night heading straight for the unfortunate creature. He was in a feeding frenzy, feasting upon flesh of the unsuspecting. With a thud of impact, he bowled over the figure, fangs showing as he grinned insanely at the face hidden by the hood. One slim hand grasped the hood, jerking it back to reveal a mirror of of himself. His eyes widened in horror before he pushed backwards with his legs, wings beating furiously to propel him away from the very demon he had been running from.

Too late however. Red energy danced about the demon's fingers before shooting out towards him, capturing him in its beam. A scream of agony clawed its way into the open as the energy burned and seered his flesh. "Master.... Have mercy" he pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion. The demon sneered, his hand balling into a fist. Yet another scream left his throat as he hover above the snowed covered ground. "You were always pathetic, ZaCharias" the demon said, voice much lower than one thought possible for someone of his build. "I have grown strong since you escaped my clutches. But fear not" he said, smirking. "You won't escape my grasp again." A deep throated laugh echoed from his chest, his eyes blazing crimson red, filling his shadow's vision...

He sat upright, body shivering violently as a cold sweat covered it. Deep breaths wracked his frame as it shook, bringing no doubt that he had been screaming in his sleep. Clutching his cross pendant, Zae breathed "Oh God, what have I done?" Swallowing, he looked about the cave he had occupied for some time. Stolen goods littered the cave, a stripped carcass lying in the corner. So he had really been on a feeding frenzy. A hand hesitantly reached up to his lips, feeling something sticky there. He pulled his fingers away, finding blood on them. Eyes moved to the cave mouth, revealing that it was still dark and snowing this high up in the peaks of the mountains.

Throwing the fur blanket aside, Zae got to his feet, stretching out the kinks in his joints. His tongue snaked out to clean up what he hadn't before, shuddering at the metallic taste. He decided that he would find out what else he had done and if the dream had been real or not. Picking up the large, fluffy coat he had stolen a few weeks ago, Zae headed out in the windy snow, searching for the old tree at the bend in the mountain path that he passed so many times.[/center:d92v84ps]

[Anonymous]

[Hi, can I join in? ^^
Tell me if not, and I'll just delete the post ;)]

Awaken by the cold wind that blew snow in his face, Raoul raised himself up and looked around him, stretching his limbs slightly. This was the kind of weather he liked. Occasional blue patches in the sky, snow, and crisp air. His eyes scanned the surroundings below him, but there was nobody to be noticed. Good. Raoul didn't feel like talking today. Leaning back against the stem with his hands behind his head a little longer, he closed his eyes again and pictured the landscape around him in his mind. Mountains consisting of rocks, peeks painted white by the snow, an old mountain path meandering in between and an old oak tree alongside it, the very tree where he was sitting in right now.

The branch beneath Raoul's body creeked as he wobbled around a bit, attempting to find a more comfortable position. The garou groaned. He was so gonna kill the tree when the branch broke. That would be something that always happened to him. Others in trees? Never did they fall out. Him in a tree? The branch broke. Of course it would. It was only a matter of time. I'm already surprised it didn't break while I was sleeping, he thought sarcastically.

Something rumbled, and it took a while before Raoul realised it was his stomach. Eyes narrowed, he sat up straight and reached for his pack. If all was well he still had some dried meat in there. The movement caused the branch to shake even more, and the leather bag fell off in the snow below him.

'Cursed little...' Raoul started, but the rest of the words did not reach their freedom. Down, standing in the snow, Raoul's backpack at his feet, was a young man, a boy still. Raoul raised an eyebrow and eyed the guy. How did he come here?

[Anonymous]

[center:5liowagh][[You're more than welcome to join in ^^ I'm surprised somebody actually wanted to reply >>]]

The wind blew, swirling small, crystal flakes of snow at and around him. Pulling the furry coat around himself more, he continued to trudge through the snow. "I really hope Siarahcaz just a memory in that dream" he muttered, his hike bringing closer to the old tree. A shudder ran up and down his spine as he caught sight of the tree, and it wasn't from the cold. Although vision wasn't as good in the snowy air, he could see well enough to identify movement in the branches of the deadwood that sprouted like streaking figures into the pale, crisp morning.

Drawing ever closer, his hands were tense, ready to form a rapid series of hand gestures should he need to flee. It was not the first time he had feared for his freedom and he would fight to keep it if need be. He came closer, beneath a rather large branch when something suddenly dropped in front of him with a soft 'thud'. He flinched, his hands moving rapidly until he saw it was only a leather bag. He looked up, hearing the voice from above. It looked like... a human.

"Good lord, may I ask, why art thou perchest high upon thy tree?" he asked, using formal english. This man looked fairly high in rank despite his hood and cloak. Slowly, he lowered his body to the ground by use of his knees, picking up the leather bag. It felt as if there were more than one thing within it's embrace. A hand brushed away the snow that clung to it, releaving it of the harsh, frozen flakes. Looking up again, Zae decided that he may just give back the bag, with a small tax fee.

Moving over to the trunk, he gripped onto the bark, his nails slowly darkening as the tips became pointed. It was basic transformation magic, used for nearly every climbing adventure he did. Scrambling up the tree, he stopped when he came to the base of the branch. He placed the bag down slowly, watching this stranger as he did. One never knew who was hostile and who was not.[/center:5liowagh]

[Anonymous]

Raoul's one eyebrow lifted even higher when the odd boy adressed him in the royal-court-kind of english. Irritation flared inside him. Not another one of those high-ranked arrogant, could-be royalty boys that thought they could command everyone around without consequences. But this faded when the boy climbed up the tree with Raoul's bag in his hands and placed it on the base of the branch he was sitting on, studying him on his guard. Raoul's second eyebrow joined the first in height. Hm. Perhaps then he is one of those high-ranked, arrogant, could-be royalty boys that do not think they can command everyone around without consequences.

Raoul pulled his bag towards him and threw it over his shoulder, after which he let himself drop out of the tree, landing on both of his feet and raising himself up to full height. He looked up at the boy in the tree.

'Why, I thank you for bringing my bag up in the tree for me, but as you can see I am quite capable of coming down to get it myself. What are you still doing up in there, anyway? Searching for birds? Bark-eater? Insect-extinguisher?!'

Raoul was sometimes sickened by his own sarcasm, but just couldn't help it. Right now, he didn't mind. This kid was odd, there was something strange about him, something... mysterious perhaps. Raould did not under any circumstances trust mystery.

'You want a coin for it, boy? Is that what you're waiting for? In that case, I must disappoint you.'

Raoul folded his arms over his chest and stared up the tree from under his hood. It concealed his face almost completely, which was exactly what his aim was. He felt no need to expose himself to strangers these times, and certainly not in the Kilanthro Mountains. Treacherous they were, as well as its inhabitants.

[OOC: Why would nobody want to join ... ? You wrote it well, didn't you?]

[Anonymous]

[center:2vqx7ccq][[I like to think so. However, people have been leaving me hanging recently. Maybe my writing style is beginning to change....?]]

Zae's expression remained passive as the man began to shoot off words about still being in the tree. "Indeed you are, Sir. I meerly sort to do a good deed." He was almost amazed at how the man hadn't commented on the length of his face, for it was longer than a human's would possibley be. And it seemed almost a good reason to call him an ant-eater.

"I assure you not, Sir, that I seek not a coin. But perhaps this would satisfy my needs" he said, holding up a a piece of dried meat between his fore and middle finger. While he had scrambled up the trunk of the tree, he had shaken loose some belongings in the bag which in turn had dropped, landing into a quick hand while still managing to appear as if he were meerly climbing.

With a small twist of his body, Zae forced himself away from the trunk to land in the snow. He landed in a crouching position, keeping it while his hands supported him on the ground as well. Mahogany eyes looked up at Raoul, a long ear twitching as he considered the threat he posed. Lips curled back into a mischevious grin, revealing a set of long canines jutting from his mandible and skull.

"Tis a shame though. A thief like me stealing from a man like you... I almost feel sorry for you, despite your words. Bark-eater and insect-extinguisher? Insults I have never heard before. Mayhaps you truly haven't looked at me, but I'm not built for eating such things..." he said, deliberately running his tongue over his upper canines.[/center:2vqx7ccq]

[Anonymous]

Raoul was unimpressed. Odd figure. He sighed when the boy showed off his canines, his first sarcastic thought being 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi?'. Peut-être un autre temps.

'Boy, you could have stolen nothing from me that caused me inconveniance. I have lost all what was valuable to me a long time ago, and by my own hand. Can you imagine that anything stolen by someone - or should I say something - else means insignificantly little to me?'

His dark eyes penetrated those of the strange boy crouched on the snow. Raoul could not decide whether this figure imposed a threat on him, although he strongly doubted it. For a garou he was unusually strong and large, but very quick nonetheless. Even so, Raoul was strongly aware of the large sword hanging down his left thigh, prepared to kill if need be.

Also, Raoul was annoyed by the naive comments the boy made. 'Can I ask about your education? Have you ever truly been in society? Does the word 'sarcasm' mean anything to you?'

Some little kids just didn't know about sarcasm. It was a fact that Raoul would have to start to accept that. Apparently children didn't understand that. Hard to imagine when you've been an enormous sarcast all your life.

[Well, I'm not the leaving type, Ramok. If I start something I finish it. ^^]

[Anonymous]

[center:j76jqywh][[This makes me happy lol. This is Zae btw ]]

A slight frown covered his face. "Sarcasm? If it makes you happy to hear that I do, then yes. If not, then no, I have no idea what sarcasm is. Does it mean anything to you that I've been an independant being for only 3 years? My existance before that was that of a shadow, a meer being that followed behind and under that of my other self. Bound by his movements, I never had time to learn anything other than speech, his own magic and sleight of hand." His words were spoken out of naive truth more than anything else. Zae's mind was still that of a child, despite his body's maturity of 17 years.

A slight shift of his legs due to cramping caused his cross pendant to fall out of the top of his tunic, dangling from its titanium chain. The plain silver shone in the pale morning light as the sun began to peak into the sky. The grin left his face, returning to its passive default expression.

Standing, he moved to circle around Raoul, eying the man. "And let me guess. Your family is dead, lives taken by your hand. Your life from then has been hard and lonely, depression your best friend. You became apathetic, retreating back into your cold shell, pushing everyone away in fear of being hurt again, no? Do correct me if I'm wrong" he said, coming to stop in front of the man.[/center:j76jqywh]

[Anonymous]

[Ooh Dang! I forgot Raoul was my first-person-character!! RAWR!! I had started a thread earlier (which got stuck, unfortunately, I loved that thread. Perhaps it's useful to read the first few posts if you want to know more about Raoul's life, it's the Life goes on thread in Sirantil Valley) which I wrote completely in first person, and I kind of liked that but now I forgot!! RAWR!! (yes, again RAWR.) Sorry.]

Raoul's expression remained cool on the outside, but on the inside he was reaching boiling point. How dare this infant say anything like this about his family. How dare he assume to know everything there was to know about his life. In one rapid movement he drew his sword and set in on the throat of the boy.

'Don't you dare imply anything about my life or my family,' he said in a dangerously low whisper. 'They are my concern and my concern only, you have nothing to do with it and now right to think otherwise. Don't think you know everything about me, because you don't.'

He let his sword down again and stared at the stranger with a dangerous look in his eyes, which had turned red now, indicating the presence of his werewolf state was closeby, but this was invisible to the person opposite him. His nostrils twitched, heavy breathing through his nose moved them, his mouth set in a single straight line. Be careful, boy, he thought angrily. Be careful.

[Anonymous]

[center:p1numr4f][[Lol, so Zae was partially right, no? That was a wild guess]]

He eyed the mundane weapon, finding its shape particularly odd. A long, inquizitive finger came up, the tip running along the edge. He pulled it back, finding that it had cut into his skin, causing the light blue colored blood to ooze and drip to the ground. His eyes settled on the face of the man, the temptation to use shadow vision to see his face rising. However, he restrained himself as he spoke.

"Oh dear, I think you have a listening problem. Said that I know everything about you, I did not. I merely made a guess upon your behavior and the way you attempt to use shadows to hide your face." Dropping his voice with an unamused expression, he said "A shadow, once was I. Not even shadows could hide you from the shadow of a demon."

He backed away a few paces from the man, holding his bleeding finger so that it was pointing forward, his closed fingers facing up. Uttering a single word, the circles beneath his left eye blared to life, dark purple glowing errily from them. A few more words and all colors and details were covered by a black fire that covered him from head to toe. It pulsed for a moment before melting away, leaving Zae sillouetted. He was now a shadow, melting into the shadow of the tree.[/center:p1numr4f]

[Anonymous]

[Sorry for the inconvenience, but I really want to write in first person when rp'ing with Raoul, so I'm gonna transfer to that now. And indeed, Zae was kind of right ^^]

My interest was only awoken when the boy spoke words that captured me, a truth impossible of denying and a sad story reflected in the way he said it. A shadow, once was I. Not even shadows could hide you from the shadow of a demon. I knew the boy probably meant this literally, but I found some recognition in it, I could fit my story in his words.

I watched carefully as slowly, the boy faded to a shadow that was not distinguishable anymore due to the shadow of the tree that he had melted in with. I was fascinated. Never before had I witnessed such a scene, and impressed I brought my hand up to my head, pulling back my hood to show my face. My eyes were still focused on the spot where the boy had vanished, although I guessed he was already someplace else.

I couldn't prohibit a hint of a smile crossing my face as I decided to release my guarded behaviour and to try a more friendly approach. It seemed like I spoke to no one in particular as the words flooded out of my mouth again.

'My friend, I apologize for my listening problem, it occurs when people talk about my family which is a touchy subject for me. I must confess I am rather impressed by your qualities, and I suggest that we sit down and eat the things you stole from me.'

I withdrew my sword and fished a bottle of wine out of my bag, which had miraculously not broken when it fell.

'However, if I were you, next time I'd go for the wine instead of the meat. Much more satisfaction.'

[Anonymous]

[center:17mxd38i][[Lol, it's ok, I don't mind ^^]]

It felt parculiar to be a shadow, spread out upon the flat ground with no mass. It felt like being everywhere yet nowhere all at the same time. Your senses no longer worked they way they normally would but instead, you felt cold. Shadows, to plainly speak, are a lack of light. Tingles spread all over his form, no longer defined into the shape of a body.

A rather amusing thing, Zae found, was the man removing his hood. He wasn't ugly, to say the least. Literally pulling himself together, he returned to his normal self. However delightful the feeling of being in his true form, he often got tired of it. Slowly, the darkness faded away, leaving no trace that it was ever there.

"Impressed? I see no reason to be. It is no difficulty to me and wasn't earned through blood and sweat. But it is only a thing of my former life" he said, tilting his head to the side slightly. He never really did understand why mortals found such things 'impressive'. He stepped forward into the light again, having his moment of shadowy doubt. The light, now growing in intensitiy, caused his eyes to narrow, his pupils sensitive to the source of energy.

He looked questioningly at the wine bottle. "I find the liquid rather odd tasting. I often wonder why people drink the juices of fruit that has been left to turn..." he remarked, still eying the bottle. He didn't have much of a taste for wine. He much rathered meed, as it was sweet. Sweets were a favorite of his.[/center:17mxd38i]

[Anonymous]

I had to think about his comment for a moment. Perhaps he was right.

'Perhaps you are right,' I said, 'and perhaps 'impressed' isn't the right word. In that case, let me put it this way. Because I personally have no knowledge of how you do what you do, because you have a talent I don't and one I would like to have, I admire the fact that you can do something I can not.'

I paused for a moment and smiled. 'Perhaps this is better phrased.'

Meed I found a drink for barbarians, to be honest, a pirate slash bandit liquid. I did not say this whatsoever, I merely commented that I was sorry but that I could not provide him with meed.

'I do, however, have a bottle of water left. Perhaps you find that a better idea than wine.'

With a gesture, I walked to a large, flat boulder not far away from me and with some effort managed to overturn it, so that the side that did not have snow on it was now the one that faced upwards.

'Come, sit,' I said, patting the free space next to me as I sat down on the rock with the bottle of wine in my hand. This was an interesting young fellow I would not mind getting to know more about, and he was not, as I had worried about before, screwing up my day. Well, at least not yet.

[Anonymous]

[center:14x4q8mf]Zae grinned sheepishly at this. "Perhaps I could teach you? Maybe then your shadow would not seem so eager to move" he answered, looking down at the seemingly lifeless lack of light. That had been him once upon a time, not so long ago. However, this shadow seemed reluctant to leave, as if emotionally tied to the man.

"Water would be nice. Melting snow gets to be tendious after some time" Zae said, remembering the numerous weeks he had spent melting snow next to a fire. He had found the fire frightening at first, as fire was one of Siarahcaz's favorite forms of torture, However, in order to survive, he had adapted to the idea and lived off it.

He watched, admiring the man's strength as he overturned the rock. He would not be able to do that without some assistance. Had he of tried, he probably would have pulled something or become frustrated with it. Such was the pains of having a small frame.

When invited, Zae came to sit next to Raoul, pulling one knee up as the heel rested next to his other leg. He held one hand out to him, introducing himself. "ZaCharias Ramachandra. But you can call Zae" he said in his soft, not yet broken voice. The first person he had come into contact with in a matter or months that he did not plan to steal from after having a casual conversation.[/center:14x4q8mf]

[Anonymous]

I watched as the boy sat next to me and pulled one knee up to his chest and set it on the boulder to support himself. I opened my bag again and retrieved the bottle of water, but before I could give it to him, he offered me his hand and introduced himself as Zacharias Ramachandra, a name I later would not recall anymore. Therefore, I was grateful that he mentioned I could call him Zae.
I accepted his outstretched hand and pressed it firmly while nodding curtly at him.

'Pleased to meet you. Raoul Landruiis. You may call me Raoul,' I added, grinning. I saw a chance to hand him the bottle of water when he released my hand, and, after drinking some sips of wine myself, I asked him if he would mind dividing the meat between the two of us.

'What are you doing here anyway, if I may ask? This place does not seem suitable to me to stay a long while, and certainly not for - forgive me - someone with your build.'

While I took another sip of my wine I recalled three apples still in my bag, and after searching for a moment I found two of them and handed Zae one while I waited for his answer.

[Ooc: Sorry for tha shortneeesss... ]

[Anonymous]

[center:3qxdvgq8][['Tis ok. I've posted much shorter posts before .___.]]

"Raoul... I knew someone called that once... though he didn't have a last name" Zae said idly, taking the bottle of water from him. He removed the cork, taking a sip of the water. It tasted different from the water he had drank while running from Siarahcaz. That had been littered with brimstone. But this water tasted sweet almost, if you could imagine such a thing.

Zae shook his head at the question. He didn't mind sharing at all. It was, after all, Raoul's. He shrugged at the question, taking no offence at the mention of his build. "I'm a thief. There is a cave nearby in which I stash my things. But also, I was born in the tundra and had no choice but to go south. As you have seen, I practice dark or 'black' magic. I found that venturing further than these ranges causes me to loose use of my magic, which is frightening as I cannot fight without it. So, this is the place where I take shelter. I may move soon, though I will try to skirt around to the west."

During this explanation, Zae had taken one of the apples, rubbing it against his coat as he spoke. He took a bite, savoring the sweet, fruity taste. "How about you? Why would a man with such a, excuse me, 'fiery' nature be in such a cold place? I would have expected you to be fighting a werewolf or something" he said, taking another bite as he was naively unaware of this man's bloodlines.[/center:3qxdvgq8]

[Anonymous]

I gave a casual nod at his answer that he was a thief. There were so many around these parts, and this was not the first time I encountered one. However, most of those encounters did not end in the thief and the one that has been stolen from sharing the bounty together. This thought caused a faint hint of a smile to cross my face, as well as Zae's use of words. 'Fiery'. My heart, for as far as I had one, stopped for a moment, however, when he said that he'd be expecting me to 'fight a werewolf or something'.

In a flash, all the images from my dead family, murdered by my own hands, spilled their horrible memories over my mind and the screams of agony rang my ears once more. I could not prohibit a shiver running down my spine and I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, the green apple in my left hand seemed utterly otherworldy and unreal, and I wished it was poisoned as I furiously rubbed it over my robes.

'Believe me, I fight a werewolf without cease,' I said, and was aware from the grim and dark expression on my face. I was silent for a moment then, asking myself if I had been too blunt in my frustration there. I decided that at the moment, I didn't give a damn. The image of my sister, staring up at me with empty eyes and but expression that still showed ultimate terror was burned on my vision and I could not get it out of my head as I took a bite of the apple. In my mind, it transformed in my sister's face the moment I put my teeth in it. Suddenly I longed to know when they had been discovered in the house and if they had had a proper burial. Firmly I kept on eating my sister's face until I had finished it and could throw the core down the rocky mountain slope with force.

[Anonymous]

[center:25085nwr]Zae chewed on the sweet, juicy flesh of the apple, side-glancing at Raoul. He suddenly seemed deep into thought. "You do?" he asked, not really understanding what he meant by that. He didn't see any werewolf around here, or further down the pass. With a rather loud chomp, he bit off the core from the base of the apple, chewing briefly before swallowing.

His eyes followed Raoul's core down the slope, rolling and bouncing from ledge to ledge. If he didn't know any better (which he didn't), he'd say that Raoul was upset by the comment he had made. "Are you alright?" he asked, leaning his arm on his upraised knee, apple still in hand. He may have only been an independant being for 3 years, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

Ears twitched slightly as the echoing thud of snow falling bounced among the peaks. His head turned slightly, catching the sight of a hare bouncing from outcrop to ledge. It reminded of a deer bounding among grass paddocks down in the lands to the south.

[Bleh][/center:25085nwr]

[Anonymous]

I didn't answer his first question, but I got my thoughts back together again at his second. I straightened my back again and tried to magically charm a smile to my face, knowing that it would only succeed half.

'Of course I am,' I answered curtly. I took a sip of the wine and allowed the smooth liquid to warm the cold places of my heart a little, flowing through my veins and for a moment I closed my eyes. A sigh escaped my lips and I turned back to the boy.

'And what about you? What are you doing here?'

[Sorry about the incredible shortness but I really couldn't come up with anything else. Kill me >.<]

[Anonymous]

[center:3v58eub3]"Me? I came here... to see if..." Zae said, trying to think of a way to explain it. "If my master was here" he muttered. "I was dreaming and I dreamed that I was in a feeding fenzy, up in that very tree" he said, pointing to the old oak.

"And I saw a cloaked figure truding through the snow over there" he said, pointing a fair ways from the tree. "I was hungry for blood so I turned into a HellBat. Jumping off of the tree, I flew at the figure, knocking them down. When I pulled the hood away... it was my master" he said, looking down at the apple in his hands.

"I tried to get away from him, but I was too slow. He caught me in his 'Crimson Beam'. It was the most painful thing I have ever felt." His face twitched in and out of a sneer. "I begged for mercy, but the bastard only made it more painful. He said, and I quote" Zae said, coughing to get his voice low enough. ""You were always pathetic, ZaCharias. I have grown strong since you escaped my clutches. But fear not..." Then he paused. "You won't escape my grasp again"." Zae shuddered. "And then his eyes blared with red light, filling everything" the small demon's shadow said, spreading his hands and moving them away from his body in an exploding motion.

"Then I woke up" he shrugged. "I came out here to see if there was any proof of it. So far, I have found that I was in a feeding frenzy, but there's no proof that Sairahcaz was ever here."[/center:3v58eub3]