Post by ShadaAntoinette on Jan 21, 2011 17:36:22 GMT -5
"I'm going to kill Iykarea when I get home." Shada snarled, dragging her aching body over the next range of mountains, exhaustion clouding her. "This place suuuccckkkkssss." She snarled to herself. "Idiot! Never do any favors for a person that you don't actually know! HE FUCKING SENT ME OUT HERE TO DIE!" She yelled to the sky, angry with herself.
She was nearing the summerlands, as Iykarea had explained, which was belonged to a triad of Kingdoms; the Amaliam, Cinder and De Tral Empires. Each was run by a female, twin sisters and a Teyan woman known as Nora Zombardi. Shada didn't know much about this place, but she was willing to bet that it would be war if she fucked up in either of the three lands. Luckily for her, she only had to be in De Tral long enough to grab a few dragon eggs and Trace home. Wouldn't be that hard, would it? She sure as Hell hoped not.
The lands became greener and more lush as she walked along, which gave Shada her first look at De Tral. It was rich and green, as if stuck in perpetual summer like it was rumored to be. Shada liked this place already.
A howl off to her left startled her, mostly because she was in awe of the scene around her, and not really paying attention to anything else, like the strong Lycan scent around her.
"What are you doing here, wench?" A rich male voice snarled at her.
"I mean no harm, I have come to see the Gemstone Dragons." She replied, glancing around at the sea of crazed Lycan faces.
"Is that so?" The male voice mocked, approaching her on four legs, his form almost as tall as she was this way. He sniffed her for a moment before his hackles rose.
"It is." She fired back, her chin jutting defiantly. She stared at him, he stared back. Show no fear.... show no fear.... She thought to herself. Lycans were fierce, and were known to attack without reason. Shada didn't know if she could defeat one, and didn't really want to find out. So instead, she stood there and waited for the Alpha to get done sniffing her. The towering male pulled away from her again.
"I see." He seemed to relax this time. "We will be watching you."
"I expected nothing less." Shada replied. She backed away slowly, before turning fully and heading away from the pack. She already didn't want to be there, what difference did it make if she was being followed? Not a damned one. But what bothered her about all of this, finally, was the that Nyjel...well... Dominick Eleyk, as he was actually know, had been used to trick her into doing this shit. She promised to punish the both of them for this when she returned as well...
After walking a steep hill, she spotted the Gemstone Dragons easily enough. Most of them were massive in size, especially the Topaz ones, though what she noticed right off was the set of three lakes that they had nested beside. The Syren Lakes of De Tral, they were called, and they were a beautiful sight. She could see why the Dragons would pick this place.
With a sigh, she started down the hill slowly, as not to tumble down them, edging toward the Dragons cautiously so she wouldn't spook them...or worse, end up burnt to a crisp. She wasn't looking forward to that.
"MAJESTY!" Shada froze, knowing that rich timbre anywhere.
"Will you shut up? What the hell are you trying to do, get me killed?" She hissed, rage making her eyes black. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you couldn't come here?" Dominick grinned sheepishly as he came to a stop beside her.
"Well.... I got worried so I left. Master was the one who said I should come anyway. This is your first gather, after all." Her lips curled in a snarl.
"Look, I don't have time for this. Just shut up and let me do this or you can die where you stand, all right?"
"Is that any way to treat your pet?" He gave her a cute puppy look, which made her want to punch him in the face.
"You aren't my pet." She snapped, turning on her heel. He followed behind her, chuckling. "Dominick. You have about a minute to back away from me before you find out what happens when you piss me off. I suggest you take this time to do so." She didn't have to look at him to know that he had backed off a little bit. Smirking to herself, she returned to the task at hand.
After another few minutes, she made to the bottom of the hill with only a minor slip. Dominick had laughed at her and she'd promptly gave him the finger and got up. Growling to herself, she walked slowly across the grass, approaching the biggest green dragon she had ever seen. It turned towards her and sniffed the air, it's massive nostrils flaring slightly. Taking in her scent, it raised it's head and fixed her with a shining yellow eye.
"A hellborn, in these parts? That is... unusual." The voice sounded like gravel, so very unlike Gamma's voice, which she had grown used to.
"Forgive me, I don't mean to impede on your breeding grounds." She approached the creature slowly, keeping her paws outstretched for the Dragon to sniff.
"You have come here for a reason, yes?"
"Indeed I have." She began, nodding. "I wish to raise a few of your eggs at my castle." The Dragons stretched it's neck down to look at her, studying her for a moment.
"And what makes your castle better than this place? We are of a dying Race and do not have the resources available to keep each breed alive." The Dragon replied.
"I am truly sorry that this is happening to you, and it is my wish to see that all of the Gemstones thrive." Shada replied jovially. "I only wish to breed them, but if it's a problem, I will be on my way." The Dragon turned it's massive head toward the others for a long moment, it's sides heaving as it breathed. Shada waited for it to turn again patiently, wondering what was going on. Soon it turned to her again and lowered it's head to the ground.
"It is all right, little one. You may take two eggs from each Gemstone. We have agreed to allow you to do so." Shada bowed graciously.
"I thank you for allowing me this, Brother." She smiled. "I shall not let your breed die."
"See that you don't." The massive Emerald Dragon closed its eyes and took a deep breath, which signalled that she was to go, which she did. She had eggs to gather.
"See? I told you it was no big deal." Dominick called out to her. She gnashed her teeth at him and walked over to the pygmy Diamond Dragons, of whom's eggs were half the size of her paws. One of the cute little guys fluttered over to her, a paw in it's mouth, and pale blue eyes glistening as it watched.
"Will you take care of them?" A small, female voice came from the little thing. Shada smiled and nodded.
"Of course I will. I want to bring the Gemstones back from extinction." Seeming satisfied, the little Diamond female flitted away from her, pale scales shimmering in the sun light. She watched her go, awe in her eyes. Oh... but she was beautiful......
"Don't even think about it, Shada." Liir growled at her. "Just get this done so we can go home. I don't like it here."
"All right, all right." Shada grumbled, picking up the eggs gingerly and slipping them into her pocket. Next were the Sapphires, that were water based Dragons. Problem was, they had laid eggs out under one of the waterfalls. She could see them where she was standing; the sun glittered across the faceted eggs beautifully. She sighed. "Well, looks like I get to take a swim."
She turned and walked a short distance away from the edge of the lake, took a running start and dove into the middle of the pond, her powerful strokes making it easier to cut through the strong currents of the Dragons below her.
Before she could reach the waterfall, she felt something beneath her, pushing her into the air. Frightened, she scrambled for grip, her claws digging in.
"Ouch! Let go, Little one, I don't plan to hurt you." Another male voice. She calmed down immediately, relaxing her claws from what turned out to be the huge Dragon's snout. It was more massive than the Emerald Dragon!
"U-Um.... All right." She swallowed hard and gazed into the opalescent eyes of the Sapphire Dragon.
"You are the one gathering our eggs, are you not?"
"Aye, I am." She nodded.
"Ah good. Then I will help you. If you had been one of those unseemly Dragon tamers, I would have had to drown you." She gave a shaky laugh.
"Then I'm glad I was given permission to do this." Oh, boy was she! But now she knew why Iykarea and Dominick weren't allowed to come here...they were seen as proverbial cradle robbers. She, on the other hand, for having asked to be able to breed them, was looked at differently.
"As am I, Hellborn." The Dragon replied, pushing her closer toward the waterfall, where the blue eggs had laid.
Soon she was back on dry land, and off to gather the rest of the eggs she had been missing. Several times she had had to Trace and come back to this place--some of the eggs were massive in size and while she could pick them up, she couldn't necessarily carry them as well as others. Thus several trips later, she was back in the castle gardens, staring at the huge mass of Gemstone eggs that surrounded her. From the massive Topaz eggs to the smallest of the Diamond eggs, she had an entire flock of Dragons to take care of. Right after she punished Iykarea and Dominick. She cracked her knuckles and started for the castle door, her full lips set in a grim line.
It was quiet, too quiet, as Shada walked through the castle. Unusual... she didn't like it. Her frown increased as she turned down the hallway where she remembered Iykarea's room had been. The silence was starting to get on her nerves.
Not as much as the mess she found as she approached the door, which was standing wide open. She growled low in her throat, stepping lightly into the room so that she broke nothing.....Well, anything else. The room was pretty much destroyed anyway.
"Hello? Anyone here?" No answer. She frowned. "Iykarea? Dominick? Anybody?" More silence. "Okay... what the Hell?" She grouched to herself. A ragged groan came from one of the closets in the room, which made her freeze in her place, sniffing the air. "Mm. Blood." Her eyes glazed for a moment, but she shook her head to clear it. It seemed that someone had beaten her to the punch, which kind of peeved her. Really? Someone ELSE was watching her? What the Hell? She bared her fangs in anger, punching the nearest wall. What had happened in here and where were Dominick and Iykarea? She didn't know, though Iykarea's scent was light, as if he hadn't been in the room in a while. Dominick's, on the other hand were fairly fresh and filled with anger. Which was strange.... so maybe the Lycan had caused this? She didn't know.
Seeing as how her revenge wasn't going to happen, Shada decided to tend to other matters around the castle, restoring Hellfire to it's former glory. And OH.... She had a lot to do. She just wondered if she would be able to get everything done before she decided to go back to see her friends... if she had any left after the way she'd left. She bit her lip, a blush heating her face beneath her fur as she thought of the one person she missed more than the rest. Embarrassing though it was... she could admit things to herself she didn't have the courage to admit to anyone else. And that was all that mattered in the end, right?
She'd spent a large chunk of time looking for Iykarea and Dominick, only to find that the latter was dead, killed by the former. She could still remember the grisly scene as it unfolded around her. There was only one reason that it still bothered her so much... Dominick had been a Lycan, and the way that Iykarea had killed him... and skinned him... made her wonder what he could have done to her, had he a mind to. Sure, she was a lot stronger than an average Lycan, but that didn't excuse the fact that she was still a wolf. Still... with all that had been going on around her lately, it was a small wonder that the nightmares getting worse. The week before, she had gotten news that a rogue band of Lycans was crossing her territory, heading north toward the De Tral border. Immediately that had made her fly into a fit of rage. The Lycans knew better than to enter her domain! Throwing the parchment on her desk, she departed the room, rushed down the hall and out the back entrance that led to the back gardens.
As soon as her paws met the grass, she was off in a dead run, her Immortal speed overtaking her. She was over the eight foot wall nimbly, landing with barely a thud in the grass. Oh... she was going to make them pay! Their leader must have grown comfortable with her not being around to have the gall to enter her lands. She caught the scent of their filthy bodies in the wind, gagging raggedly as she did so. It was as if none of them had ever heard of soap!
But even as disgusting as their scent was, it was easy to track them, and within forty-five minutes, she was upon them.
"VUYLCAN!" She snarled, skidding to a stop behind them. The entire Pack turned to her, hatred shining in each pair of crazed ice blue eyes. They were all on the warpath, which was not a good sign. "Why have you entered these lands?" She demanded, placing both fists on her hips. The biggest one of the group, Vuylcan himself, shoved aside his brethren to face her squarely, speaking in a gravelly voice.
"You have returned, Nightshade? A pity, I was just about ready to raze your pitiful kingdom to make more for my army!" She growled at him, her hackles rising.
"You would break our covenant?"
"Our covenant was broken with your disappearance. You do not control the Vykor Pack." He snarled back. Her ears lowered to her skull and fire entered her eyes, which were rapidly turning back.
"Is that what you think, you bloody scumbag? You think you stand a chance against one such as me?"
"Wench, you are by yourself, while I have my entire pack with me. Do the math." He smirked at her, his muzzle stretching as he did so. She opened her mouth and roared at him, fire exploding from her open jaws.
"Then do your worst, you bastard. I can take all of you at once!" In reality, she wasn't so sure, but she knew that when dealing with Vuylcan and his merry band of idiots, it was easier to show no fear. Which was what she was doing. Instead of backing down, the huge Lycan male charged her, tackling her to the ground in a flurry of fangs, claws and fur. She fought him off as best she could, but before she could land a killing blow to him, the rest of the pack had joined in. Eighteen Lycans piled on top of her, and while she did her best to fight them off, she could tell she was losing.
Delirious with bloodloss, she made a desperate move. She let the fire inside her consume her, blowing all of them away from her as she did so. The smell of burning refuse clung to the air like a sickly perfume, threatening to choke her. Vuylcan was the first to move, coming at her while she was still on fire. She raked her claws across his face, gouging both eyes in the process and leaving a trail of fire. He yelped and threw himself away from her. As he did so, the fire burned down, leaving a scorched patch of earth around her. She crouched low to the ground before leaping at the nearest Lycan, disemboweling the being with a brutal shriek. Another a few feet away exploded, leaving only a few more left standing.
Four of them jumped her, knocking her to the ground for what would be the final time. She severed one's head before the remaining three beat her until she was almost unconscious. Just before she passed out, she heard Vuylcan's voice.
"That's enough. With her injuries, she won't survive the day, and when she's finally dead, we will take over her kingdom and take all of her pathetic subjects." She wanted to rise, to call him out again, but she was too weak to move, or even to speak. Instead, her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.
When Shada awoke, she found that it was just after noon, and she was laying in the shallow end of a pond. With a groan, she threw an arm over her face to block out most of the sun, which seemed to be shining directly into her eyes.
"Awake already?" A femal voice startled her, and she immediately dropped her arm from her face, sitting up rather rapidly.
"Who's there?" She growled.
"Funny, I should ask you the same question." The woman's tone changed then, which grated Shada's nerves a little.
"I asked you first." The woman sighed.
"If you insist." She moved so Shada could see her. Standing before her was a seven foot tall, dark complected woman with bright teal stripes on her body. She had long, curly black hair, bright blue green eyes, a small nose that turned up slightly at the end She had long elven ears that seemed to stand about a foot away from her head at the tips. Her lips were full and painted a deep scarlet, which seemed bright against her darker skin tone. From the knee down, she had black wolf legs, and a long black tail, also striped at the end with teal. She was dressed in slave leather, complete with all eleven cuffs, starting with the collar around her neck, and ending with the cuffs that circled her long tail, once at the base of her tail and once toward the tip. "My name is Nora Kasdeya Zombardi, and you," Shada watched her brace her weight on one hip. "Are trespassing."
"No, I'm....How the bloody Hell am I trespassing?" Shada snapped in return. "I'm in Hellshadow lands. If anything, YOU are the one trespassing!" Nora's eyes turned cold and she lifted a lip to show the other woman her fangs.
"Excuse me? This is De Tral land. The Hellshadow Kingdom doesn't exist anymore."
"Oh really? Why's that?"
"Their Queen disappeared some time ago and has not returned." Nora replied with a sniff. "I hear she was killed by raiding Lycans."
"Well you heard wrong. I am their Queen." Shada said.
"Is that so?"
"Aye, I am Nightshade Antoinette Angheliiratiaa Kavihaa De Embrell." Nora did not look convinced, but she was rubbing her collarbone with a pained look on her face. "What, do you understand what kind of trouble you're in now?"
"Heh. Far from it. One, you look nothing like the woman everyone speaks of when referring to her, and Two, you are still far too weak to move, much less fight me."
"Oh, aren't we clever!" Shada barked. "And I am indeed who I claim to be!" She started to focus her energy into changing into her more human form, but nothing happened.
"You realize that you look like you have to use the restroom when you that, right?" Nora smirked at her, earning another growl from Shada.
"Shut it, whelpling. I have no need to deal with your ramblings right now." Nora said something under her breath then. "What was that?"
"None of your business." Nora growled, turning away. Even in daylight, Shada saw a bright flash of light erupt from Nora's chest and was clearly was a curse.
"As if you could hide that from me. What is it you have there?" No answer from the woman. Shada looked around on the ground, finding a pebble to throw at the woman. It struck the back of her head, making her jump. Triumphant, Shada settled back against her rock, a smug look on her face.
"Do you...know what I am?" Nora's voice was broken, lost sounding.
"Aye, you're female... I hope. I mean, you are, aren't you?" Shada goaded her. Nora turned to her slowly, a strange look in her eyes.
"No. Do you know what my Race is?"
"Not a clue, but I'm sure you're going to tell me, is that right?" Shada watched a muscle tick in Nora's jaw.
"Let's put it this way. I'm a Teyan. My mother was a Teyan, but my father.... He was a Lunariae Naa." The Lunariae.... it immediately took her back to Viktor and what happened, which made sorrow fill her completely.
"Okay, so now you've upset me. Will you please get to the point?" Nora looked down at her wolfen feet for a long moment before she spoke.
"M.....My point is......"
"Well....?"
"You're kinda, sorta... My Mate."
"I'M YOUR WHAT?!?!" Shada shrieked, scrambling up from the water as fast as she could, tripping over the rock she had been leaning on.
"Yea, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, but my Lunariae Jewel glowed for you.... so that makes you my Mate." The look on Shada's face was priceless. She looked like she wanted to hurl things at the woman standing in front of her, and yet, there was something else hidden in her usually golden green eyes.
"You...Are you going to try to Mark me?" Nora looked like she contemplated that for a moment before answering.
"No. I won't unless you want me to."
"Good, because I don't want it!" Shada growled, backing away from her. After the last few times she had been around people, especially Azazel, she had not wanted to be ANYONE'S Mate, much less another female, though the thought had crossed her mind a couple of times. Still, she could not bring herself to do it. Nora's face fell, which Shada saw from the corner of her eye. Interesting. Why would it matter if Nora Marked her or not? They'd never met before today!
"You'll run, won't you?" Nora asked, something a kin to disappointment on her face.
"Run? From you? Heh." Shada snorted. "I don't plan to run from you, I just don't plan to acknowledge your existence. You have your Empire and I have my Kingdom. We won't be allies, and we sure as Hell won't be anything more." Shada turned to go, only to hear Nora's soft footsteps behind her. "Stop it. You aren't going to like what I do if you continue to follow me." Nora gave a soft growl in response but stopped in her tracks, watching Shada, who bared her fangs at her.
Shada turned and Traced away from the place. She had things to do and a little time to do it. And this just was just a snag in the road. She just hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite her later.
Around a twelve years later, she finally got Hellfire back to where it needed to be. Things were back to some semblance of normal, and she was content in leaving her home again without the possibility of some intruder taking over in her absence.
She stole off as dusk began to set over Hellfire castle and headed back toward the forest, where she knew she would be able to Trace away without being seen. Even for as big as she was, she was incredibly stealthy, which she was incredibly thankful for. Without that, she would have been a terrible, terrible huntress.
"Who goes there?" A female voice, and then the clack of what sounded like hooves. Great, a sentinel on horseback. She grit her teeth and looked around, spotting a female close by, holding a notched arrow, ready to shoot her down. The strange part was, the woman really wasn't a female at all. As Shada watched, the buxom, centaurian woman stalked toward her, her beautiful cinnamon red flanks had a strange dappling mark on them-- a double heart.
"I am Nightshade De Embrell." Shada replied, opening her hands to show that she was currently physically unarmed. "And you are?"
"The name's LaFauna Grace." The woman replied, not lowering her bow and arrow even a little bit.
"You mean you're the Centaur Princess?" Shada was surprised to see her so far this way, since her own lands were so very far from their current location.
"You've...heard of me?" She sounded confused and a little bit surprised to hear that.
"I have, yes. Not much of what happens within the Sects of Lore beings escapes me. I must congradulate you on your recent capture, Princess. I must say, even an old Wolf like me was impressed by your cunning." Again, the Princess looked confused and a little bit surprised.
"I didn't think news traveled as fast out this way." She stammered a bit, which Shada merely smiled at.
"Of course. I have connections within most of the Races here. You and yours are no different."
"Who are you, exactly?"
"Why, I told you, I'm Nightshade De Embrell." Lafauna waited, as if expecting a title, which Shada was almost reluctant to provide. "....Queen of the Hellshadowens."
"Ah! Now this all makes sense!" The centaurian woman lowered her weapon and clasped Shada's forearm. "It's nice to meet you, Queen Nightshade!"
"T-The same to you!" Shada waited as the larger woman just about threw her to the ground with her gesture of friendship. "What are you doing so far from home, Princess?"
"Oh, poo! Please, call me Fauna!" The beauty said with a grin. Said grin wilted a second later, when the question sank in. "Oh... that.... Well, I was excommunicated from the Grace Family for..." She trailed off, the rest of her words a little more than a mumble that Shada wasn't able to catch.
"For, what? I can assure you, I would never judge you. Especially not with the track record I'VE had." She raked a paw through her hair and chuckled despite herself. That seemed to make Fauna feel better, since she smiled and and began to stomp her hooved feet, all four of them.
"Well, I suppose it can't hurt to tell you. I'm really not ashamed of it, to be honest." She took a deep breath and tugged on her braids, which hung all the way down to where her human torso met her equine body. "I kinda, sort.... fell in love with an elf halfing called Zeric. Mum and Dad weren't at all thrilled, and I, like the love sick girl I had been, had to be with him. Now that I look back at it, I'm ashamed at my behaviour. I should have listened to what they said to me."
"You two didn't last?"
"Sort of." Fauna said. She started to mess with the beaten leather that made up the tunic she wore. "Well, after a number of years, I realized that I was the one in love and he was just using me, so I left his sorry ass tied to the tree the raiders had tied him to and took off. I wanted love, not a Master, or a rider. I may be half horse, but that does NOT give anyone the right to ride me!" She looked adamant enough to trample someone to death, and Shada took a huge step back, so that she wouldn't be in the way.
"I'm sorry for the way you were treated, Fauna." Shada said, laying a paw on the woman's shoulder. "Would you mind if I asked you to watch over Hellfire Castle for me? I have to go away for a while, and since I know you wouldn't destroy anything, I would be honored to have you stay in my home." The centaur seemed to consider this for a moment.
"Is there plenty of places to run about?"
"Hunnie, do I look like the type to walk?"
"Ha-hah! Fair enough! I would be more than happy to watch over your home for you!" Grinning broadly, Shada patted the woman on the shoulder. She shied a little, and at Shada's confused look, Fauna explained.
"I'm sorry, you're a wolf and I'm a horse. It's my instinct to run from you."
"Oh.. I didn't realize I had... I'm so sorry, Fauna." Shada apologized, understanding a little bit of Fauna's concern was. "Forgive me."
"It's all right. You didn't get dental with me, so everything is fine."
The two women talked for a while longer before Shada sent Fauna on to Hellfire Castle with one of her rings that would allow her entrance to the castle.She hoped the place was in one piece when she returned....if she returned. As midnight fell, Shada turned and Traced to the portal and stepped through, unsure of what she would find when she crossed to the other side.
She was nearing the summerlands, as Iykarea had explained, which was belonged to a triad of Kingdoms; the Amaliam, Cinder and De Tral Empires. Each was run by a female, twin sisters and a Teyan woman known as Nora Zombardi. Shada didn't know much about this place, but she was willing to bet that it would be war if she fucked up in either of the three lands. Luckily for her, she only had to be in De Tral long enough to grab a few dragon eggs and Trace home. Wouldn't be that hard, would it? She sure as Hell hoped not.
The lands became greener and more lush as she walked along, which gave Shada her first look at De Tral. It was rich and green, as if stuck in perpetual summer like it was rumored to be. Shada liked this place already.
A howl off to her left startled her, mostly because she was in awe of the scene around her, and not really paying attention to anything else, like the strong Lycan scent around her.
"What are you doing here, wench?" A rich male voice snarled at her.
"I mean no harm, I have come to see the Gemstone Dragons." She replied, glancing around at the sea of crazed Lycan faces.
"Is that so?" The male voice mocked, approaching her on four legs, his form almost as tall as she was this way. He sniffed her for a moment before his hackles rose.
"It is." She fired back, her chin jutting defiantly. She stared at him, he stared back. Show no fear.... show no fear.... She thought to herself. Lycans were fierce, and were known to attack without reason. Shada didn't know if she could defeat one, and didn't really want to find out. So instead, she stood there and waited for the Alpha to get done sniffing her. The towering male pulled away from her again.
"I see." He seemed to relax this time. "We will be watching you."
"I expected nothing less." Shada replied. She backed away slowly, before turning fully and heading away from the pack. She already didn't want to be there, what difference did it make if she was being followed? Not a damned one. But what bothered her about all of this, finally, was the that Nyjel...well... Dominick Eleyk, as he was actually know, had been used to trick her into doing this shit. She promised to punish the both of them for this when she returned as well...
After walking a steep hill, she spotted the Gemstone Dragons easily enough. Most of them were massive in size, especially the Topaz ones, though what she noticed right off was the set of three lakes that they had nested beside. The Syren Lakes of De Tral, they were called, and they were a beautiful sight. She could see why the Dragons would pick this place.
With a sigh, she started down the hill slowly, as not to tumble down them, edging toward the Dragons cautiously so she wouldn't spook them...or worse, end up burnt to a crisp. She wasn't looking forward to that.
"MAJESTY!" Shada froze, knowing that rich timbre anywhere.
"Will you shut up? What the hell are you trying to do, get me killed?" She hissed, rage making her eyes black. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you couldn't come here?" Dominick grinned sheepishly as he came to a stop beside her.
"Well.... I got worried so I left. Master was the one who said I should come anyway. This is your first gather, after all." Her lips curled in a snarl.
"Look, I don't have time for this. Just shut up and let me do this or you can die where you stand, all right?"
"Is that any way to treat your pet?" He gave her a cute puppy look, which made her want to punch him in the face.
"You aren't my pet." She snapped, turning on her heel. He followed behind her, chuckling. "Dominick. You have about a minute to back away from me before you find out what happens when you piss me off. I suggest you take this time to do so." She didn't have to look at him to know that he had backed off a little bit. Smirking to herself, she returned to the task at hand.
After another few minutes, she made to the bottom of the hill with only a minor slip. Dominick had laughed at her and she'd promptly gave him the finger and got up. Growling to herself, she walked slowly across the grass, approaching the biggest green dragon she had ever seen. It turned towards her and sniffed the air, it's massive nostrils flaring slightly. Taking in her scent, it raised it's head and fixed her with a shining yellow eye.
"A hellborn, in these parts? That is... unusual." The voice sounded like gravel, so very unlike Gamma's voice, which she had grown used to.
"Forgive me, I don't mean to impede on your breeding grounds." She approached the creature slowly, keeping her paws outstretched for the Dragon to sniff.
"You have come here for a reason, yes?"
"Indeed I have." She began, nodding. "I wish to raise a few of your eggs at my castle." The Dragons stretched it's neck down to look at her, studying her for a moment.
"And what makes your castle better than this place? We are of a dying Race and do not have the resources available to keep each breed alive." The Dragon replied.
"I am truly sorry that this is happening to you, and it is my wish to see that all of the Gemstones thrive." Shada replied jovially. "I only wish to breed them, but if it's a problem, I will be on my way." The Dragon turned it's massive head toward the others for a long moment, it's sides heaving as it breathed. Shada waited for it to turn again patiently, wondering what was going on. Soon it turned to her again and lowered it's head to the ground.
"It is all right, little one. You may take two eggs from each Gemstone. We have agreed to allow you to do so." Shada bowed graciously.
"I thank you for allowing me this, Brother." She smiled. "I shall not let your breed die."
"See that you don't." The massive Emerald Dragon closed its eyes and took a deep breath, which signalled that she was to go, which she did. She had eggs to gather.
"See? I told you it was no big deal." Dominick called out to her. She gnashed her teeth at him and walked over to the pygmy Diamond Dragons, of whom's eggs were half the size of her paws. One of the cute little guys fluttered over to her, a paw in it's mouth, and pale blue eyes glistening as it watched.
"Will you take care of them?" A small, female voice came from the little thing. Shada smiled and nodded.
"Of course I will. I want to bring the Gemstones back from extinction." Seeming satisfied, the little Diamond female flitted away from her, pale scales shimmering in the sun light. She watched her go, awe in her eyes. Oh... but she was beautiful......
"Don't even think about it, Shada." Liir growled at her. "Just get this done so we can go home. I don't like it here."
"All right, all right." Shada grumbled, picking up the eggs gingerly and slipping them into her pocket. Next were the Sapphires, that were water based Dragons. Problem was, they had laid eggs out under one of the waterfalls. She could see them where she was standing; the sun glittered across the faceted eggs beautifully. She sighed. "Well, looks like I get to take a swim."
She turned and walked a short distance away from the edge of the lake, took a running start and dove into the middle of the pond, her powerful strokes making it easier to cut through the strong currents of the Dragons below her.
Before she could reach the waterfall, she felt something beneath her, pushing her into the air. Frightened, she scrambled for grip, her claws digging in.
"Ouch! Let go, Little one, I don't plan to hurt you." Another male voice. She calmed down immediately, relaxing her claws from what turned out to be the huge Dragon's snout. It was more massive than the Emerald Dragon!
"U-Um.... All right." She swallowed hard and gazed into the opalescent eyes of the Sapphire Dragon.
"You are the one gathering our eggs, are you not?"
"Aye, I am." She nodded.
"Ah good. Then I will help you. If you had been one of those unseemly Dragon tamers, I would have had to drown you." She gave a shaky laugh.
"Then I'm glad I was given permission to do this." Oh, boy was she! But now she knew why Iykarea and Dominick weren't allowed to come here...they were seen as proverbial cradle robbers. She, on the other hand, for having asked to be able to breed them, was looked at differently.
"As am I, Hellborn." The Dragon replied, pushing her closer toward the waterfall, where the blue eggs had laid.
Soon she was back on dry land, and off to gather the rest of the eggs she had been missing. Several times she had had to Trace and come back to this place--some of the eggs were massive in size and while she could pick them up, she couldn't necessarily carry them as well as others. Thus several trips later, she was back in the castle gardens, staring at the huge mass of Gemstone eggs that surrounded her. From the massive Topaz eggs to the smallest of the Diamond eggs, she had an entire flock of Dragons to take care of. Right after she punished Iykarea and Dominick. She cracked her knuckles and started for the castle door, her full lips set in a grim line.
It was quiet, too quiet, as Shada walked through the castle. Unusual... she didn't like it. Her frown increased as she turned down the hallway where she remembered Iykarea's room had been. The silence was starting to get on her nerves.
Not as much as the mess she found as she approached the door, which was standing wide open. She growled low in her throat, stepping lightly into the room so that she broke nothing.....Well, anything else. The room was pretty much destroyed anyway.
"Hello? Anyone here?" No answer. She frowned. "Iykarea? Dominick? Anybody?" More silence. "Okay... what the Hell?" She grouched to herself. A ragged groan came from one of the closets in the room, which made her freeze in her place, sniffing the air. "Mm. Blood." Her eyes glazed for a moment, but she shook her head to clear it. It seemed that someone had beaten her to the punch, which kind of peeved her. Really? Someone ELSE was watching her? What the Hell? She bared her fangs in anger, punching the nearest wall. What had happened in here and where were Dominick and Iykarea? She didn't know, though Iykarea's scent was light, as if he hadn't been in the room in a while. Dominick's, on the other hand were fairly fresh and filled with anger. Which was strange.... so maybe the Lycan had caused this? She didn't know.
Seeing as how her revenge wasn't going to happen, Shada decided to tend to other matters around the castle, restoring Hellfire to it's former glory. And OH.... She had a lot to do. She just wondered if she would be able to get everything done before she decided to go back to see her friends... if she had any left after the way she'd left. She bit her lip, a blush heating her face beneath her fur as she thought of the one person she missed more than the rest. Embarrassing though it was... she could admit things to herself she didn't have the courage to admit to anyone else. And that was all that mattered in the end, right?
She'd spent a large chunk of time looking for Iykarea and Dominick, only to find that the latter was dead, killed by the former. She could still remember the grisly scene as it unfolded around her. There was only one reason that it still bothered her so much... Dominick had been a Lycan, and the way that Iykarea had killed him... and skinned him... made her wonder what he could have done to her, had he a mind to. Sure, she was a lot stronger than an average Lycan, but that didn't excuse the fact that she was still a wolf. Still... with all that had been going on around her lately, it was a small wonder that the nightmares getting worse. The week before, she had gotten news that a rogue band of Lycans was crossing her territory, heading north toward the De Tral border. Immediately that had made her fly into a fit of rage. The Lycans knew better than to enter her domain! Throwing the parchment on her desk, she departed the room, rushed down the hall and out the back entrance that led to the back gardens.
As soon as her paws met the grass, she was off in a dead run, her Immortal speed overtaking her. She was over the eight foot wall nimbly, landing with barely a thud in the grass. Oh... she was going to make them pay! Their leader must have grown comfortable with her not being around to have the gall to enter her lands. She caught the scent of their filthy bodies in the wind, gagging raggedly as she did so. It was as if none of them had ever heard of soap!
But even as disgusting as their scent was, it was easy to track them, and within forty-five minutes, she was upon them.
"VUYLCAN!" She snarled, skidding to a stop behind them. The entire Pack turned to her, hatred shining in each pair of crazed ice blue eyes. They were all on the warpath, which was not a good sign. "Why have you entered these lands?" She demanded, placing both fists on her hips. The biggest one of the group, Vuylcan himself, shoved aside his brethren to face her squarely, speaking in a gravelly voice.
"You have returned, Nightshade? A pity, I was just about ready to raze your pitiful kingdom to make more for my army!" She growled at him, her hackles rising.
"You would break our covenant?"
"Our covenant was broken with your disappearance. You do not control the Vykor Pack." He snarled back. Her ears lowered to her skull and fire entered her eyes, which were rapidly turning back.
"Is that what you think, you bloody scumbag? You think you stand a chance against one such as me?"
"Wench, you are by yourself, while I have my entire pack with me. Do the math." He smirked at her, his muzzle stretching as he did so. She opened her mouth and roared at him, fire exploding from her open jaws.
"Then do your worst, you bastard. I can take all of you at once!" In reality, she wasn't so sure, but she knew that when dealing with Vuylcan and his merry band of idiots, it was easier to show no fear. Which was what she was doing. Instead of backing down, the huge Lycan male charged her, tackling her to the ground in a flurry of fangs, claws and fur. She fought him off as best she could, but before she could land a killing blow to him, the rest of the pack had joined in. Eighteen Lycans piled on top of her, and while she did her best to fight them off, she could tell she was losing.
Delirious with bloodloss, she made a desperate move. She let the fire inside her consume her, blowing all of them away from her as she did so. The smell of burning refuse clung to the air like a sickly perfume, threatening to choke her. Vuylcan was the first to move, coming at her while she was still on fire. She raked her claws across his face, gouging both eyes in the process and leaving a trail of fire. He yelped and threw himself away from her. As he did so, the fire burned down, leaving a scorched patch of earth around her. She crouched low to the ground before leaping at the nearest Lycan, disemboweling the being with a brutal shriek. Another a few feet away exploded, leaving only a few more left standing.
Four of them jumped her, knocking her to the ground for what would be the final time. She severed one's head before the remaining three beat her until she was almost unconscious. Just before she passed out, she heard Vuylcan's voice.
"That's enough. With her injuries, she won't survive the day, and when she's finally dead, we will take over her kingdom and take all of her pathetic subjects." She wanted to rise, to call him out again, but she was too weak to move, or even to speak. Instead, her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.
When Shada awoke, she found that it was just after noon, and she was laying in the shallow end of a pond. With a groan, she threw an arm over her face to block out most of the sun, which seemed to be shining directly into her eyes.
"Awake already?" A femal voice startled her, and she immediately dropped her arm from her face, sitting up rather rapidly.
"Who's there?" She growled.
"Funny, I should ask you the same question." The woman's tone changed then, which grated Shada's nerves a little.
"I asked you first." The woman sighed.
"If you insist." She moved so Shada could see her. Standing before her was a seven foot tall, dark complected woman with bright teal stripes on her body. She had long, curly black hair, bright blue green eyes, a small nose that turned up slightly at the end She had long elven ears that seemed to stand about a foot away from her head at the tips. Her lips were full and painted a deep scarlet, which seemed bright against her darker skin tone. From the knee down, she had black wolf legs, and a long black tail, also striped at the end with teal. She was dressed in slave leather, complete with all eleven cuffs, starting with the collar around her neck, and ending with the cuffs that circled her long tail, once at the base of her tail and once toward the tip. "My name is Nora Kasdeya Zombardi, and you," Shada watched her brace her weight on one hip. "Are trespassing."
"No, I'm....How the bloody Hell am I trespassing?" Shada snapped in return. "I'm in Hellshadow lands. If anything, YOU are the one trespassing!" Nora's eyes turned cold and she lifted a lip to show the other woman her fangs.
"Excuse me? This is De Tral land. The Hellshadow Kingdom doesn't exist anymore."
"Oh really? Why's that?"
"Their Queen disappeared some time ago and has not returned." Nora replied with a sniff. "I hear she was killed by raiding Lycans."
"Well you heard wrong. I am their Queen." Shada said.
"Is that so?"
"Aye, I am Nightshade Antoinette Angheliiratiaa Kavihaa De Embrell." Nora did not look convinced, but she was rubbing her collarbone with a pained look on her face. "What, do you understand what kind of trouble you're in now?"
"Heh. Far from it. One, you look nothing like the woman everyone speaks of when referring to her, and Two, you are still far too weak to move, much less fight me."
"Oh, aren't we clever!" Shada barked. "And I am indeed who I claim to be!" She started to focus her energy into changing into her more human form, but nothing happened.
"You realize that you look like you have to use the restroom when you that, right?" Nora smirked at her, earning another growl from Shada.
"Shut it, whelpling. I have no need to deal with your ramblings right now." Nora said something under her breath then. "What was that?"
"None of your business." Nora growled, turning away. Even in daylight, Shada saw a bright flash of light erupt from Nora's chest and was clearly was a curse.
"As if you could hide that from me. What is it you have there?" No answer from the woman. Shada looked around on the ground, finding a pebble to throw at the woman. It struck the back of her head, making her jump. Triumphant, Shada settled back against her rock, a smug look on her face.
"Do you...know what I am?" Nora's voice was broken, lost sounding.
"Aye, you're female... I hope. I mean, you are, aren't you?" Shada goaded her. Nora turned to her slowly, a strange look in her eyes.
"No. Do you know what my Race is?"
"Not a clue, but I'm sure you're going to tell me, is that right?" Shada watched a muscle tick in Nora's jaw.
"Let's put it this way. I'm a Teyan. My mother was a Teyan, but my father.... He was a Lunariae Naa." The Lunariae.... it immediately took her back to Viktor and what happened, which made sorrow fill her completely.
"Okay, so now you've upset me. Will you please get to the point?" Nora looked down at her wolfen feet for a long moment before she spoke.
"M.....My point is......"
"Well....?"
"You're kinda, sorta... My Mate."
"I'M YOUR WHAT?!?!" Shada shrieked, scrambling up from the water as fast as she could, tripping over the rock she had been leaning on.
"Yea, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, but my Lunariae Jewel glowed for you.... so that makes you my Mate." The look on Shada's face was priceless. She looked like she wanted to hurl things at the woman standing in front of her, and yet, there was something else hidden in her usually golden green eyes.
"You...Are you going to try to Mark me?" Nora looked like she contemplated that for a moment before answering.
"No. I won't unless you want me to."
"Good, because I don't want it!" Shada growled, backing away from her. After the last few times she had been around people, especially Azazel, she had not wanted to be ANYONE'S Mate, much less another female, though the thought had crossed her mind a couple of times. Still, she could not bring herself to do it. Nora's face fell, which Shada saw from the corner of her eye. Interesting. Why would it matter if Nora Marked her or not? They'd never met before today!
"You'll run, won't you?" Nora asked, something a kin to disappointment on her face.
"Run? From you? Heh." Shada snorted. "I don't plan to run from you, I just don't plan to acknowledge your existence. You have your Empire and I have my Kingdom. We won't be allies, and we sure as Hell won't be anything more." Shada turned to go, only to hear Nora's soft footsteps behind her. "Stop it. You aren't going to like what I do if you continue to follow me." Nora gave a soft growl in response but stopped in her tracks, watching Shada, who bared her fangs at her.
Shada turned and Traced away from the place. She had things to do and a little time to do it. And this just was just a snag in the road. She just hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite her later.
Around a twelve years later, she finally got Hellfire back to where it needed to be. Things were back to some semblance of normal, and she was content in leaving her home again without the possibility of some intruder taking over in her absence.
She stole off as dusk began to set over Hellfire castle and headed back toward the forest, where she knew she would be able to Trace away without being seen. Even for as big as she was, she was incredibly stealthy, which she was incredibly thankful for. Without that, she would have been a terrible, terrible huntress.
"Who goes there?" A female voice, and then the clack of what sounded like hooves. Great, a sentinel on horseback. She grit her teeth and looked around, spotting a female close by, holding a notched arrow, ready to shoot her down. The strange part was, the woman really wasn't a female at all. As Shada watched, the buxom, centaurian woman stalked toward her, her beautiful cinnamon red flanks had a strange dappling mark on them-- a double heart.
"I am Nightshade De Embrell." Shada replied, opening her hands to show that she was currently physically unarmed. "And you are?"
"The name's LaFauna Grace." The woman replied, not lowering her bow and arrow even a little bit.
"You mean you're the Centaur Princess?" Shada was surprised to see her so far this way, since her own lands were so very far from their current location.
"You've...heard of me?" She sounded confused and a little bit surprised to hear that.
"I have, yes. Not much of what happens within the Sects of Lore beings escapes me. I must congradulate you on your recent capture, Princess. I must say, even an old Wolf like me was impressed by your cunning." Again, the Princess looked confused and a little bit surprised.
"I didn't think news traveled as fast out this way." She stammered a bit, which Shada merely smiled at.
"Of course. I have connections within most of the Races here. You and yours are no different."
"Who are you, exactly?"
"Why, I told you, I'm Nightshade De Embrell." Lafauna waited, as if expecting a title, which Shada was almost reluctant to provide. "....Queen of the Hellshadowens."
"Ah! Now this all makes sense!" The centaurian woman lowered her weapon and clasped Shada's forearm. "It's nice to meet you, Queen Nightshade!"
"T-The same to you!" Shada waited as the larger woman just about threw her to the ground with her gesture of friendship. "What are you doing so far from home, Princess?"
"Oh, poo! Please, call me Fauna!" The beauty said with a grin. Said grin wilted a second later, when the question sank in. "Oh... that.... Well, I was excommunicated from the Grace Family for..." She trailed off, the rest of her words a little more than a mumble that Shada wasn't able to catch.
"For, what? I can assure you, I would never judge you. Especially not with the track record I'VE had." She raked a paw through her hair and chuckled despite herself. That seemed to make Fauna feel better, since she smiled and and began to stomp her hooved feet, all four of them.
"Well, I suppose it can't hurt to tell you. I'm really not ashamed of it, to be honest." She took a deep breath and tugged on her braids, which hung all the way down to where her human torso met her equine body. "I kinda, sort.... fell in love with an elf halfing called Zeric. Mum and Dad weren't at all thrilled, and I, like the love sick girl I had been, had to be with him. Now that I look back at it, I'm ashamed at my behaviour. I should have listened to what they said to me."
"You two didn't last?"
"Sort of." Fauna said. She started to mess with the beaten leather that made up the tunic she wore. "Well, after a number of years, I realized that I was the one in love and he was just using me, so I left his sorry ass tied to the tree the raiders had tied him to and took off. I wanted love, not a Master, or a rider. I may be half horse, but that does NOT give anyone the right to ride me!" She looked adamant enough to trample someone to death, and Shada took a huge step back, so that she wouldn't be in the way.
"I'm sorry for the way you were treated, Fauna." Shada said, laying a paw on the woman's shoulder. "Would you mind if I asked you to watch over Hellfire Castle for me? I have to go away for a while, and since I know you wouldn't destroy anything, I would be honored to have you stay in my home." The centaur seemed to consider this for a moment.
"Is there plenty of places to run about?"
"Hunnie, do I look like the type to walk?"
"Ha-hah! Fair enough! I would be more than happy to watch over your home for you!" Grinning broadly, Shada patted the woman on the shoulder. She shied a little, and at Shada's confused look, Fauna explained.
"I'm sorry, you're a wolf and I'm a horse. It's my instinct to run from you."
"Oh.. I didn't realize I had... I'm so sorry, Fauna." Shada apologized, understanding a little bit of Fauna's concern was. "Forgive me."
"It's all right. You didn't get dental with me, so everything is fine."
The two women talked for a while longer before Shada sent Fauna on to Hellfire Castle with one of her rings that would allow her entrance to the castle.She hoped the place was in one piece when she returned....if she returned. As midnight fell, Shada turned and Traced to the portal and stepped through, unsure of what she would find when she crossed to the other side.