Open Chronicles From the Embers of the Lost

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

By Sebastian Wagner on Deviantart​

Somewhere south of the Drawa River in the Ixchel Wilds...

Elaine was convinced she was dead. Staring up at the shafts of warm sunlight filtering through the leaves, the pale duanann maiden shivered instinctively as a warm breeze flowed around her perch. Warmth. That was new, too. Where was the stone, the ice, the darkness? Did she finally go into the beyond they kept mocking her about?

But...no. She wasn't dead. She had been running for weeks- blind to her surroundings. Following a-

Safe. That word tugged faintly at her mind, and the sunlight-haired fae gingerly dropped from the branch she had been sitting on to the soft clover and grass covering the ground. Ragged clothes clung to her thin frame, large golden eyes taking in her surroundings and squinting slightly against the light- even as it sent a thrill through her body. She wanted more of it. And so, with tentative steps on blistered feet, she took it. Gingerly letting the warmth and light of the sun wash over her for the first time in centuries.

Right. She'd been following a wish. And it had led her here.

Safe. The whisper of a thought tugged Elaine forward again- following an invisible path through the forest. Guided by an instinct or power she had no conscious control over. Passing under dappled shadows and light, surrounded by the quiet rustling of leaves and grass, she lost herself all over again until she felt the soil grow bare, and slick- cool with mud.

Cold.

Startled, Elaine flinched back and in the blink of an eye the duanann flicked from maiden to bird- dull golden feathers bristling as she flapped her wings to push herself backward farther than a fae's pace could take her. Breast heaving, eyes wide, the golden pheasant jerked as she landed in a heap in a bush, and remained frozen for several moments. Caught. Trapped. Caged. Her ears strained for that cruel laugh. The inevitable jab of a sharp object.

Only the quiet rustling of the forest responded, and slowly the image of iron bars around her faded back into thin branches. Breath steadying, Elaine gingerly untangled her wings and feathers- a few leaves still caught in her down. Landing on spindly legs, the slender bird gingerly took a few steps forward again, properly scanning her surroundings.

Water. That's why it had been cold. She had come across a lake.

Her parched throat making itself known, Elaine gingerly made the last few steps forward and dipped her head to drink. Her stomach growled hollowly, and her gulps became more fervent- attempting to drown out the hunger with the first clean-tasting thing she'd had since before she could remember.

Delun (And anyone else looking to poke around!)

 

[Percy Slayer]

Percy curiously watched the maiden, who had golden eyes and ragged clothes, and immediately felt a tension in his body. How peculiar, for someone as pretty and delicate looking as this, to be treated in such a way. He approached like he would a wild scared animal, walking with care and making sure to approach her from the front, so she would be able to see him. Percy's ears twitched with hesitancy, instincts telling him to take more care. She was a sort of bird, he could tell that for a fact, and he was a rabbit.... now to determine whether or not she was hungry enough to have him for breakfast.

His small frame trembled, as fear was replaced by the will to help this poor person. Who knows why she was like this? What if she was dangerous?

No! He thought, I must help her!

He snapped out of it, and positioned his footing better, fuzzy rabbit feet dipped slightly in the cool waters. "Hello," he spoke softly, and held out a piece of bread from his satchel. "My name is Percy. Percy Slayer. I am a rabbit folk." He rambled, trying to get her more comfortable. If she wanted nothing to do with him, he felt stupid for babying her, as she was probably older than he was.

 

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

The pheasant was too occupied drinking to notice the soft splash of approaching footsteps on the shoreline at first. It was only after Percy had gotten within a few paces that she did- and immediately went stone still.

One large golden eye watched, pupil contracting as the rabbitfolk hesitated, then made the last few steps before greeting her and holding out the piece of bread. Then, the eye blinked, and she cautiously raised her head a little, turning it to look up at the boy. Elaine had never seen one of his kind before, and his small stature and features threw her off just enough to not immediately take flight.

However, as soon as her beak fully left the water, Percy came to notice a rather stark detail on the avian's features. The tip was not pointy like it should have been. It was round; with a rough texture at the end instead of smooth.

Unable to speak in her animal form, Elaine considered Percy for a few tense moments. However, her gaze slid down to the bread he offered. Something she recognized. Something she had eaten many times.

This was safe, right? The whisper was gone now. Maybe this was the place it wanted her to be?

Slowly, her body seemed to unlock from its stand-still, and the pheasant took a small step toward the boy. Perhaps a little quickly, her blunted beak went to snag the bread and she took two steps back, watching him for a moment. Then, unable to help herself when the taste of it hit her nares, the pheasant gulped down the bread.

Rustling her feathers a bit, a leaf drifting to the mud, Elaine cocked her head to one side slightly at him.

 

[Delun]

Even with traveling through the woods, the form of the large white dog did not disturb the fallen foliage around the shore. He'd dismissed the rather simple fishing implement to a pocket, then shifted into his dog form to escape the current troubles of dealing with paperwork.

His thin frame slid between the larges trees, branches rustling as his paws tread between the fallen twigs and brambles of brush along the forest floor.

Ambient sounds of animals going about their lives filtering through the air and reaching Delun's form. Their grazing of grass along with berries and whatever they so desired giving him a calm sense of belonging against the hustle and bustle of court life.

Their supping of water filling the wind with gentle sounds, his mind easing slowly into the comfort of the wilds.

Nature was a valued aspect of his life, his natural affinity for the earth demanding his connection be reaffirmed occasionally. He soaked in the general state of his surroundings, his nose rising to sniff the scents that wafted through the air.

The strange smirk across his muzzle shifting swiftly to a grimace.

There were others here. Nearby. Or at least near enough for him to scent out. Hopefully not upsetting the fish along the shore or else his entire trip this way would have been wasted.

The last outing bad been interrupted by a familiar face, whose company he hadn't wished away. But shadows and noise across a waters surface was a surefire way of ruining part of the calm he sought.

His white form picked through the undergrowth, his muzzle poking through the brush until he came across a view of two beings below him. His dog face content to observe for the moment, the interactions between this pheasant and rabbit kind.

Elaine Laure'Nar Percy Slayer

 

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

"E-...Elaine." The breeze stirred about her gently as the amber pheasant took another step back to get clear of the cold mud on the shoreline, the word passing through thin lips as the bird's form grew and shifted into a young duanann again.

"Elaine... Laure'Nar." While not a mute, it was painfully clear she had not used her voice very often, the words and sounds taking a moment to form, and having an odd pitch and timbre to them. There was no glamour over her. Not even to cover certain small blemishes or self-percieved imperfections as Fae so frequently did. Her posture hunched- slightly pitched forward to brace herself on one hand before she corrected herself, and slowly rose to her feet.

"Thank you... Though, where... Where exactly are we?" she asked the rabbit. She seemed to be coming out of that fathomless, instinct-driven daze finally. Though there was still a tension in her limbs. Frail as she might be, the woman had all the signs of one still ready to leap away at a moment's notice. And the flicker of motion at the peripheral of her vision did nothing to help assuage that.

Delun Percy Slayer

 

[Samara Khalid]

The large black dog lay on her stomach in the underbrush ripping apart chunks of a rabbit she had just killed. One paw held the limp, still-warm body as she felt the sinew snap. She was going to enjoy every bit of her kill. Delun was late, which was unusual, and she had been hungry so, of course, she had gotten a good meal in.

At least once a month, Delun went on his fishing trip and Samara went hunting. It was their time to get together away from the gossiping eyes and ears of the other hounds. They had been best friends for many years and had only missed a handful of these meetings. They both very much needed this time to decompress from the stresses of their daily life.

It wasn't more than ten minutes later that she stood from the carcass and stretched her long legs out in front of her, butt in the air. There was still no Delun and Samara was finally starting to worry about her friend. He was not one to be late. He kept meticulous calendars. He was always early.

The Hound stood from her stretch and sniffed the air around her. She knew Delun's scent and it was not around here like it should be by now. Her grey eyes narrowed as she sniffed and started to walk in the direction of home. She would find the man and sit on his skinny white furred ass for being late. Yes...that was what would happen.

Samara finally caught his scent and trotted in the direction of her friend. Unlike the cwn, the shuck was not nearly as quiet when she saw him. The horse-sized dog pounced on Delun and started to gnaw on his neck scruff playfully.

---

Elaine Laure'Nar Delun

 

[Delun]

Watching the interaction for what time he was allowed, his thoughts wandered away to the signs of anxiety about the former pheasant. The unease in her voice, the roving eyes of one intent on keeping their options for escape.

Not so unlike himself.

A regard that found him leaning towards regarding her with a different lens of his mind.

His curiosity of this new beings origins and their worries however were short lived. His muzzle shaking the bush violently when the sound of something came from behind him.

A sharp yip came from him in the most embarrassing of fashions that seldom few had been graced with.

His smaller form was pinned beneath the large black form of whatever had landed atop him. And then began to chew on his neck. Fear and anxiety twined as he tried to wrestle himself free from beneath the unknowingly playful pounce.

The first yip changing into a sharp series of distressed yowls.

Elaine Laure'Nar Samara Khalid

 

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

The girl froze as a nearby bush exploded into movement and sound on her left.

Ears pricked up slightly, her golden eyes snapped to the source of the yip and quickly took in the movement of tangled black and white fur. As soon as she recognized the light-consuming fur of the Black Shuck, however, her pupils contracted and a cold sensation settled in her gut. They must have found her. This must have all been part of their games!

As the yowling started, feathers began to grow, prickle, and stand up along her body, the maiden taking one step backward, then a second- before finally her adrenaline kicked in and she took off running along the grass to the right of the two hounds; her body flicking from fae to pheasant as her wings pumped wildly at the air, as if clawing to get off the ground.

She wouldn't let them take her!

Blind with panic, Elaine dove straight into a tangle of branches high in an oak tree and felt her tail feathers snag on something, yanking her backward. Thrashing, she struggled to get free, and then froze as she heard the snap of twigs and branches as the two hounds struggled in the brush several meters away. Her head swiveled left and right, trying to pinpoint their location as she dangled from the branch, heart pounding loud enough to rattle her chest. They hadn't moved yet. Maybe they were distracted by something? Could she get out of this fast enough they wouldn't notice? Tugging again, the pheasant let out a small chirp in pain. Too many feathers were snagged, and she couldn't reach behind her. She'd have to turn back in order to get free, but if she did she'd fall right into their jaws!

Trapped. Caged. Hide. Flee. Hide! Flee! HIDE-

Scrabbling at the branch beneath her with blunt claws, Elaine tried to tuck herself deeper into the tangle to mask her presence, her body forced into an awkward, almost upside down position. Breath ragged, half starved and terrified, the pheasant puffed up her trembling body and tried to prepare herself for the worst.

Delun Samara Khalid

 

[Sardok]

Steady now. Steady.

It was not often that the Orc attempted to wield a bow and arrow. For combat, he preferred the wicked Helmspliter upon his waist. For hunter? Spears and the like were his preference. In both cases, they brought the sage-skinned man closer to his prey. They were greater tests of his skill, at least he thought as much.

Yet, fate had other plans. As thanks for an odd job a few weeks back, the Orc had been compensated with a decent bow, quiver, and a few arrows. Additionally, the spears he typically carried had fallen into disrepair due to the length of this particular journey. To fill his belly without pushing his tools past the point of no return, he'd have to change up his approach.

Which led him to this day at this moment. He knelt within the brush beside a body of still waters, stalking the movement of a deer ahead. The creature, surprisingly enough, continued to lap from the water as conversation sounded nearby. Sardok's gaze briefly moved from his mark to the source of the noise - which happened to be...a woman and a rabbit? Huh. However, his focus immediately returned to the mark. The arrow was notched, the shot was lined up and...

Yip! Yowl!

A cacophony of canine noises reached his ears - and that of the deer. It immediately bounded away at top speed, leaving the Orc with a sour look on his face. "Fine. Frak it. I'm eating dog today." he muttered to himself, frustration alive in his tone. He turned to the direction of the noise and began to creep forward, intent on finding his next meal.

Elaine Laure'Nar | Delun | Samara Khalid | Percy Slayer​

 

[Samara Khalid]

Samara rolled her eyes as Delun started to yowl. It really killed the mood when the one getting pounced on became a crying pup. She let him struggle for a few moments longer before she finally rolled off Delun and licked his muzzle in greeting (and to irritate him). Before she shifted back into her fae form, her ears pricked forward at the noise that had interrupted the short silence.

The black shuck took a few steps towards the scared pheasant and by the time she was close enough to speak without yelling, she was bipedal again. She had not seen the woman before she had changed, and she had missed the change altogether so now she just stared at the terrified bird. There was something about it that told her this was not a natural animal.

“Delun…I think we have company today…”

---

Delun Elaine Laure'Nar

 

[Percy Slayer]

Percy yelped and let out a strange terrified honking noise before taking off into the brush of the forests. Peeking from his spot, he tightened his grip on his satchel before popping out before he could change his mind.

"Leave her alone!" He shouted, a classic line as if he was the hero of the storybooks he used to read as a small bun. "She didn't do anything!" He protested still, and stepped closer to the bird woman.

"Leave Elaine alone-" He said cutting himself off with a small intake of breath as his adrenaline slowly left him, leaving him alone and very much defenseless besides a small dagger he used for emergencies only. He readied himself for a fight, grimacing at the two people... fae?

"I'll fight you if I have to!" The bun-boy said foolishly, misunderstanding the situation.

 

[Delun]

The familiar scent of Samara made his yowling cease. Embarrassment now flooding his better senses in place of fear. He had meant to meet with his friend, and instead been sidetracked by some strange occurrence nearby.

He supposed in the end it made sense she would share with him a difficult time.

Her stepping away freed him of that great embarrassment however. Drawing his attention once more back to the duo that had initially garnered it. His white form shifting as he rose, his arching back now stained with dirt and grass.

The long robes slightly discolored from the clean cream color that had been gleaming and bright before the unexpected tussle.

Eyes set in a stern gaze as the form of one shifted and ran to hide. The other standing their ground with a blade presented.

Admirable. But not required.

"It would seem we do." The measured words calm and collected as his gaze fell to the knife wielding one.

"Apologies for the sudden arrival. I came to meet with my friend and overheard you speaking." His hands folding together inside the sleeves of his robes. The shaking of either now hidden beneath the cloth.

He did not enjoy new company. Too many unknown factors as to who, why, and other details that left little to base an interaction.

"Elaine. The pheasant I would guess. I am Delun as you likely heard, Cwn of the Winter and Autumn Court." He gave a small nod to the woman before him as he spoke. "Samara, my friend, a black shuck of the Autumn court. It is an honor to meet though I wish it were with better introduction." A smile that showed teeth was given, the formal greeting that made no promises of peace or friendship.

But lacked hostilities.

His time of pleasure at meeting new faces had long since passed, positioning himself in such a way that he only required a few others to gaze upon the library and his place of solitude and delight.

Now with these two presenting themselves in conflicting fashion, he found himself glancing about nervously. Trying to keep himself pleasantly distanced from what he supposed was an intent of violence.

"It would be a most splendid gesture of good will to put the dagger away." A final comment as he gripped his hands about his own hidden wrists to keep from trembling.

 

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

It took Elaine a few moments to try and collect her thoughts. Another minute to deflate her feathers. A creative mind might have likened her current state to be like some kind of festival decoration, trussed up as she was and dangling in the branches.

Cautiously glancing down to the ground, and then the two before her, as well as Percy, Elaine took a deep breath and finally turned back into her fae form again. Falling in a rush of color and leaves and barely managing to turn and land feet-down, the young woman's legs gave out for a moment due to the clumsy landing before she steadied herself and moved to stand. Bracing herself against the tree, she stayed a little behind the rabbitfolk.

Her ears pricked forward slightly, listening as the pale fae spoke.

"De-lun..." she tried the name, however as he mentioned the Winter Court a faint spark of recognition seemed to light up in her gaze. Cautiously, her wariness seemed to lower, and something else entirely began to come to her gaze. Disbelief.

Had she really gotten away?

"Where...are we?" She queried, her voice growing a bit steadier. A bit stronger, if still carrying that rasp. "I- I need to find the Autumn Court... I need to find the House of Laure'Nar."

A name the other two fae might recognize, for it was a House put to the torch with every soul within it less than four hundred years hence for fraternizing with the Night Court.

 

[Percy Slayer]

Percy wasn't convinced by the smile, but at the pheasant's voice he quickly put the dagger away and ran to her side.

"Do you... know these people?" He asked, cautiously judging the man and the shuck with his eyes. He could smell blood coming off of the black shuck, and the smell of another rabbit. Disgusting, he thought, and recoiled from her.

 

[Samara Khalid]

Samara paid no mind to the annoying little bunny man. She was no mood for his theatrics and the fact that he thought he even had a chance against the two fae was laughable. Luckily for her, Delun was ever the diplomat. She was good at killing shit, he was good at diplomacy…even though he hated everyone.

The others may have missed the nervousness that came over Delun but she didn’t. The silly Cwn feared everything, and she had to be the big bad wolf. Typical. He was lucky that she loved him.

Her gaze softened as she looked back at the woman standing in front of her. She was terrified and not of them. It was the words that felt like a punch to the gut though.

“This is the Autumn Court…” She replied slowly, feeling like she was going to throw up the rabbit that she had eaten earlier.

Samara closed her eyes to see the burning house. She heard the screams, and she smelled the death.

“There is no House of Laure’Nar anymore, Elaine,” she said slowly once more.

There was no House of Laure’Nar because Samara had lit the match that killed that family.

The rabbit man said something but Samara couldn’t take her eyes off of Elaine.

 

[Delun]

Delun kept his composure as best able, nerves alight as he watched the shift from pheasant to woman. The portion of fear changing as well. Possibly to hope, perhaps instead towards a glimmer of ease.

Quickly smothered by the mention of the House she sought.

"It does pain me to say, but the House no longer exists. And no, she most likely does not know of us. The events of that fateful night were before my time as record keeper. And if she does not know of-" He rubbed his temple, breaking the facade of calm as his free hand trembled.

"Then most likely she knows seldom few beings that make their home within the court." An exhausting amount of effort went into the words.

However much he wished to remedy the newly found beings worry, the issue that presented itself now was one of assurances rather than greeting.

"I can offer my condolences to learning this after what-" His eyes slid behind her to the shore before returning to both of the beings. "Was likely a harrowing escape given your current state. At the least, I can offer you a chance to get a warm night's sleep and, a decent meal if you would wish to."

A habit of invitation that had brought Fraeya into his care in much the same way. His free hand extended to her as he gave her a sorrowful smile.

 

[Elaine Laure'Nar]

It was gone. Her family was gone. For a moment, Elaine's eyes closed, as if stuck by a physical blow. She took a slow breath and held it, shaky hands moving to claps and rub against one another in a soothing gesture, before her eyes opened again, half-lidded and staring down at her pale fingers.

"So it is true then..." she murmured softly- almost so quietly it was hard to hear. But she had had centuries to worry about the potential of it happening. That the things she had tried to deny for so long were, in fact, more than a simple nightmare. It was her reality. For so many years, she had hoped beyond hope that they would come for her. But instead, they had betrayed her. "...it is as the Night Court said."

Delun continued to speak, mulling over his thoughts, hesitating, and then speaking again. Her gaze eventually broke from her hands to move to his. Her lips thinned. She did not know anyone within the Autumn Court. She did not have anyone, or anywhere to turn to. And yet he offered her sanctuary, however brief.

A moment of her own heasitation, and then the amber colored maiden dipped her head. "You are ...incredibly kind to offer such." Elaine's words were a bit clearer now, her thoughts sharpening a little with the water she drank earlier beginning to properly circulate and with the situation calming down. Record Keeper? She remembered very vaguely mention of something like that as a child that was of importance, but Elaine could only think of the times she heard mention of the keepers within the Night Court that took inventory of the various weapons and armories.

She was puzzled by that, but decided not to think too much of it. And in response to her accepting his gift, Elaine took a slow step out from behind Percy to instead stand beside him; a little more comfortable now.