Username;; howlingtothestars
Name;; Jackdaw
Gender (For Breeding Purposes);; female
Why does it carry the Egg;; (992/1000)
“They say you are a monster,
And perhaps they are right.
You have painted quite the fearsome image of yourself.
You shroud yourself in deceit,
And hidden within your lies.
You enjoy it, don’t you?
The fear in their eyes when you pass by.
I can see it, even known.
You are expecting me to tremble before you.
I know I should be afraid…
But fear will not stop me.”
There is a gold palace which rests upon towering wall of bone walls. Inside thrives a tempest which rules all and gives one powerful command.
Be afraid.
Obey.
And bow to the deity of blood.
Life has been peaceful in this small town, at least for the most part. So long as you lay low and keep your gaze to the ground, you will pass onward unnoticed. That is how things are, here. Stay indoors unless you need to leave, and when you do be hasty with your business as to not attract unwanted attention. It had been that way ever since He came.
We don’t know his true name anymore. It had been lost beneath the tales which surfaced after his appearance. We call him by what he proclaimed himself when he first arrived: the deity of blood. It is a strange name and many of us snorted with laughter at the title, but in the first month he showed why he would be called that. An army of 10,000 was mowed down with ease by only a few hundred soldiers which he had sent out. It was done for two reasons: to protect the people he now ruled over, and to show that he was no minor threat. It worked.
Fear began to contaminate our hearts and grew as he sent guards and look outs among us. They took over the shops and began to stand in the roads, just watching us and reporting back. There were a few times when they took action. One desperate viscet had tried to steal an apple and in revenge had his arm severed. A viscet which is missing a vital limb like that never makes it very long… He was our dictator, our ruler, and the one to fear. What he said was law, and that is how things were.
After his third month ruling over us, he decided that our fear was not enough. He demanded that every month we would travel to his castle and give him offerings. If the offering greatly pleased him, we would be free to travel to another city for a month. If it displeased him, we would be killed on cite. The rest of us would simply live life as we usually did. With the offering season coming up the next day, I decided that it was time to get my gift to our cold-blooded deity.
“Be careful, Jack… Don’t be seen.” I smiled softly at my friend, Raven. He had taken me in after my parents lost their lives to the deity and has raised me as a younger sister since.
“I’ll be fine, Raven. No one will notice me.” I gave him a pat on his cheek and quickly slipped out of the back door he had made in case of an ambush. I crouched and crept to a barrel which marked the start of a road and took a quick glance around. No guards. I rushed forward again and sped to the wall which kept us held within. I had been working on a small hole for months now and knew that I would be able to slip through it with ease. As I approached, I lowered myself and dove at the right distance. I got stuck for only a moment, but wiggled beneath the wall and took off in a mad dash to the forest. I had made it, and that was just the easiest step.
I slipped beneath the gate, moving slower as exhaustion caught up with me. I pulled my prize under the gate after me and stood up. The shimmering blue egg was cradled in the cloth I held in my mouth and showed no signs of being dirtied or damaged. Perfect. I walked slowly towards Raven’s house. At night, security was off the charts and running would only draw suspicion. As I walked, I couldn’t help but feel watched. Perhaps it was just the egg, or maybe because my fur was matted and dirty. I quickened my pace, but only slightly. I didn’t like the feeling I was getting. I was close to his house now, and felt relieved, but it didn’t last.
A guard swept out in front of me and I stopped just short of running into him. He gazed sternly at me and called out in a strange language to another. Before I knew it, several were around me, and were pushing me. I tried to talk to them, but the cloth I held in my mouth made the sounds slur and jumble. Finally, a guard spoke up to explain.
“Jackdaw, by request of the Deity of Blood, you are to be taken to his presence immediately. Is that egg your offering for tomorrow?” I nodded, still confused. “Good. You’ll need it.”
I followed the guards, the egg now held in my paws and the cloth wrapped around my neck like a bandana. I was sweating. The egg wasn’t nearly ready to hatch, and if he were to smash it or smell it right now… surely he would have me killed… I fiddled my paws against the hard shell. The egg of a Wyvern as a gift… a risky thing, but perhaps… if my plan truly worked, then this tiny Wyvern could be our savior. I tightened my grip on the egg and turned my gaze upward as we climbed the wall. This was a blessing. Tonight, I will deliver my gift to the deity of blood, and everything will change.
At least, I hope…
Extras;; (487/500 words and 1 art piece)
The first thing I noticed were his eyes. Dark, deadly, and brilliant. They watched me intently as I entered the dark center room of the castle and made me feel greatly uneasy. I clutched the egg a little tighter and walked towards him, to what I could only hope was the middle of the room. I squinted through the darkness as I walked, trying to figure out where the place I needed to stop at was, but there was no sign. I was nervous now. If I took one step too far, then-
“Stop there.”
His voice was harsh and cruel, but I didn’t flinch. Slowly, I turned my gaze to him. He is just a viscet, and nothing more. A power obsessed viscet. When my gaze met his, anger shot through his eyes, but quickly faded into interest. “Hello, I am Jackdaw. You summoned for me?”
He remained quiet for a moment, and I began to grow nervous. “The egg in your paws. It is a Wyvern, is it not?” My blood froze. “You intended to give me a Wyvern egg? Why? If it is an attempt to kill me, it is pathetic. The beast would have been far too weak as a child, and I would only raise it to be in my army. Perhaps even feed you to it.”
“Your death was not my intention.”
“Then what were you planning, Jackdaw?”
I hesitated for a moment. “Love. I was hoping you would learn love…”
An amused grin stretched across his face. “Love?” He spoke it as though it were a joke. “Well, how about this.” He stretched out a paw. “I’ll take you as my mate, and you can help to teach me love.” My entire body stiffened. “What’s with the terror? You should be honored! The mate of a dei-“
“No!”
The voice threw us both off. It was a males and was faded, as though from a distance, but there.
“No! Jackdaw don’t do it! Run! Raven, where’s Raven?!” I looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Suddenly, the world around me began to flicker and spin until it was gradually replaced by a planet with a few tall flowers and a sun and starless sky. The voice was louder now. “Huh? Wait, what happened?! No, where did she go?! Is she okay?!”
“Hello?”
My voice seemed to freeze everything. A tiny gasp to my left caught my attention and I slowly turned to face it. Before me, a dark viscet stood over a flower, staring at me with huge eyes. Without question, a name came to my mind, though I had never seen this viscet before.
Crow.What happened next is a story for another time. However, the instant that I met Crow, me entire world was flipped on its head in an instant, and I would never again live the same quiet and nervous life I endured before.
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