name: Jae
gender: Female
gender for breeding: Female
prompt: (997/1000 words)
- The light of dawn eased in, seeping like honey through the cracks between the broad leaves which clung to the great trees towering overhead. Mist from the night rail floated above the ground, swirling like watercolor paints, and a lone bird sang a trill note to welcome the rising sun.
Her steps were soft on the ground, slowly pressing the fallen leaves into the soil with each careful placement of her paw. Her eyes remained wide open, peering through the misty shadows of the forest, searching between the broad tree trunks for a different life form. She walked hunched, small and low to the ground in an effort to keep herself as hidden as possible, though the occasional rise of her head countered that notion. In time, her eyes rested on the target, and her body relaxed and lifted as she rushed towards him.
Perun - a strong, young male with a smile to melt glacial caps - turned sharply to face the sudden movement, then grinned as she approached him. The two stood a tails-length distance apart, smiling stupidly before speaking a small and nervous “hello” in sync. A moment later, both were laughing, shaking off the anxiety and nerves as they came closer together and sat beside each other, hands resting a mere centimeter apart.
Small talk was initiated: questions about the others day and their plans for the week. Replies were short, but not limited. Questions came quickly to both of them, and they often spoke at the same time or accidentally cut each other off, causing both to laugh soon after. The tension of the trip through the forest was gone, replaced by a light, warm-hearted aura between two who should not be: the son of a conqueror and a soldier fighting against them.
The day came and went, fading quickly over the heads of the two. As night fell, they remained oblivious, their heads wrapped in that thick mist called love. Their conversations grew deeper, straying from small talk and drifting into dreams and aspirations, fears and hopes, and even family. Jokes were sputtered along the way and laughter rang bright in both of their chests. In the bliss of his company, Jae failed to see the clear signs: a light brighter than that of the fireflies around them, a soft whisper louder than the wind, and a tumbling rock on flat ground.
When they rushed the two, both were caught off guard. Six soldiers surrounded them, spears and swords angled at Perun, the son of their enemy. Bliss was torn by fear as the two darted up and stared at the angry and confused faces of those who encircled them.
“Jae… Just, tell them you didn’t know who he was! They’ll forgive you! They want to, they just…”
She remained silent, her forehead pressed firmly against the stonewall of her cell. Dex - a medical student with a heart too big for her life - pleaded with her friend through the bars, rambling out methods to free Jae of the accusation over her head, but the words fell upon empty ears. As the time of visiting passed, Dex was escorted out to care for her patients, and Jae was left alone.
Slowly, she sunk to the ground, turning as she descended to press her back against the cold stone, her eyes falling upon the faint moonlight which reached in through a small window above her head, straining for her.
Her mouth was still as her mind kicked up, finding its words as it paced within her skull, rambling on and on.
All she had to do, was forget him. Put everything her heart yearned for to the side and stand as a soldier once more. It was what she was born to do, what she had no problem with accepting… until now.
She closed her eyes tightly as her mind spiraled. He would have forgotten her in time, their lives would have carried on and the magic of the mist would have faded. To pretend she never knew him was better for the both of them. It was better to let him go now before more pain is caused. It was that easy.
Yet, even as those thoughts settled, his smiling face drifted into her thoughts, swirling and singing with the beauty of morning. His chiming laugh, his awkward and nervous smile, and his genuine concern all caused her heart to tremble in her chest in a great sob.
Slowly, she curled up, holding her knees to her stomach and clenching her eyes shut. He was everything she wanted, everything she never knew she needed. She could give it all up now, live one of those tragic Romeo-Juliet tales and die for him happily - But. . .
Their faces became clear, pushing his to the back of a crowd of great soldiers, smiling at her like she were their sister. Accepting her without question, raising her as their own, and becoming her only family. Now they stood on shaking legs, beaten and worn by the war his father had initiated.
She had to chose. Him, or them. The man she loved, or those who were near-blood. She curled tighter, clutching her legs and drawing blood as her decision slowly rested on her heart, the weight of what it would mean hanging dark over her head.
It was three days later when she was sent, as a soldier once more, to retrieve him. She walked tall and entered his cell with little hesitation. She took a moment, gazing at his slumped and tired figure, processing how weak he looked. Slowly, the weight bored down on her once more as her decision shimmered through the veils of dark mist. She knelt beside him and cut him from his bonds, her heart and mind dropping heavy at the sound of the snip the rope made when it broke in half. The sound which would hammer the wedge between her and her family. Permanently.
extras! (1185/1200 words) [ up to three pieces ]
- They had gotten separated in their flight six months ago. Soldiers heard Perun fall and came to investigate. Jae stayed behind to fight her family and give him a chance to flee, a chance he took promptly. Once she knew he was gone, she followed suit and fled her home, flinching at the enraged voices of those she loved, knowing that returning would only mean death now. She’d made her choice clear: to love an enemy before her family. Now, she was paying the price.
Perun had vanished after the event, and each day, as she traveled in search of him, her feet grew heavier. She felt alone, hollowed by a rusty blade, all she has ever loved gone away from her.
In days, she collapsed, the absence of food and water driving her body to the ground, though her mind continued to wander. It was a miracle that saved her - a perfect rain storm at the perfect time, and even a bushel of berries hand delivered by some guardian angel, no doubt. She accepted them with little thought, regaining her strength and pressing on, searching for him endlessly.
The walk was eternal, driving down a pitch black road with no light in sight and no sign that you are even moving or making progress. Hope dwindled - a flame smothered by sand - and her drive to press on faded and faded with the sun each dusk. Her light was gone, vanished after she had chosen it, and she was left in darkness.
Then, the light returned.
She saw him, standing in the distance over a small pool of water, strong and healthy again, his eyes gleaming. Any energy lost was sucked from the universe back into her soul as her muscles threw what little effort they had left into running to him as her voice and heart called his name.
He noticed her quickly, yet he remained still as she approached. Her injured smile was met by his still face, as they stood a tails-length apart.
“Hey.” Though she felt stupid, it was all she could think to say. He didn’t respond, and slowly the quiet laugh that escaped her faded into an awkward and confused release of air. “Perun?”
“Jae. . . You’re alive?”
She blinked, then smiled at him. “Well, of course. I’m here, aren’t I?”
He took in a deep breath, turning his gaze away from her as he ran a hand through his mane. His hand paused on the back of his neck and his eyes slowly drifted back towards her. “Jae. . . Thank you for what you did. To you, I owe my life.” He spoke quickly, not giving her a chance to reply. “However. Jae, we ought to return to our homes.”
Slowly, the happiness within her melted into a thick, boiling pool of confusion and fear. She could think of no words to say.
“Jae, I- Being in that cell gave me time to think. I was a fool to turn my back on my family, and it is time that the balance of the world is restored.” She stared at him, eyes wide and shocked, burning with pain. “I’m sure your comrades miss you. Return home, and I will too. In the end, it’s better we forget each other.”
Jae swallowed slowly, her brows furrowing together as she fought back the burning in her eyes which threatened tears. She studied his face, searching for some hint of it being all a joke, or even a hint of regret. Yet… He remained as calm-faced as ever, and her heart dropped to the pit of the seas.
“Perun…” It was a pathetic whisper, cracking halfway through as her throat tightened.
“Sorry, Jae. I hope you’ll have a good life, though.” He stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder in a gesture with little more meaning than a half-nod to an old coworker, then he walked away.
She turned to watch him, eyes wide and pleading, but he did not look back. As his figure grew lighter and smaller, fading into the horizon, her knees grew weak and gave out, dropping her to the ground. As her hands hit the dirt, the sobs came, racking her body as agony ripped through her chest, reaching and shredding her heart.
Those she loved were gone, rejecting her firmly with rage and honesty in their eyes. Love had failed and misled her, catching her heart on its sweet lies and promises, only to drop her when she had surrendered everything for it. Alone in that barren, lifeless land, she crouched, sobbing and pitiful, a lost child once more.
Many years ago, Jae was born of two great viscets, warriors who fought alongside the first guardian against the collusol beasts which dragged fingers of ruin through the wounded East. With their help, Allaster brought down each and every one of them, giving the East its first push to becoming inhabitable once more.
The legacy of her parents grow and flourished, and in time, she was born - a viscling with eyes which reflected the hope of a nation. She grew strong under their care and looked up to them, aspiring to be like them each day. When her father left for a mission in the vast oceans, a piece of her left with him, and sadly, neither returned.
Growing up with just a mother was challenging, but to Jae any challenge was a chance for growth! School breezed by, and each day she grew stronger, working hard to gain the ability to stand upright and proud like her mother.
When the announcement was made that the tyrant, Libra, had set his sights on claiming the East, Jae and her mother knew what was to come. Her mother left Jae in the trusted hands of a friend - or so she thought. Fearful of losing another and not wanting to be apart from her, Jae followed her mother to the battlefield.
In the end, as the medical team rushed in, a young student found a viscling, curled up and sobbing her heart onto the ash and blood soaked grass. With little thought, she knelt beside and gently pulled the viscling into a hug, supporting her as she sobbed.
Her eyelids cracked open and the sting of dust and burning light whipped across the bare tissue. She blinked rapidly, processing her environment in flashes like frames of a film. Her mouth was sore and dry and her eyes burned. Her feathers were heavy and her skin felt worn - though the flickers of the sandstorm she laid in the center of revealed why.
A few steady breaths through the nose, a slow blink, then a determined jaw clench. She rolled herself over slowly, feeling her joints pop as the stiffness shot from them. She stopped halfway, standing on all fours once more as she adjusted her paws, loose sand sliding from her back with each movement. She took in a deep breath, then pushed upward, slowly rising in the wake of the sand storm to stand on her own hind legs.
