{Ahzenai} New Thread! (Please Lock)

[.Coyote]

May I suggest questions go to chat? ^_^

[Nuclear_Angel]

I looked up in aww at Rusalka. Then said " I do! " As i tossed her my shiny rock. I inched a little closer, trying to get a better look at her, and i went on saying " I use to collect rocks among other things... if you like i could show them to you, i have all kinds.. from shiny, smooth, bumpy, and more. " I sat down on a rock below Rusalka and kicked a small rock out the ground. " Your vary beautiful.. any one will be luck to have you.." I gave a light smile and looked at the rock and got up and put it back in the hole in the ground where it belong. " So i am thinking you collect shiny things? That is a cool thing to collect.. " I sighed i wanted to know more about Rusalka. I tried to think about something to ask, then i remembered the long line behind me waiting their turn. " Well Rusalka, my time is up.. If you get the time i would love to show you my rock collection and love to see all the shiny things you have collected. " I smiled and waved bye as i headed to the cave opening and sat down waiting for Rusalka to chose. I forgot the shiny rock with Rusalka.

Wooing Item used - Shiny rock

[Sabatea]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

Designed and Written by Neara.

Judging will occur on the 20th.

I sighed, waiting for the new Ahzenai. I heard a few gasps and turned to see the vortex swirling with browns, greens and teals. Mist sat beside me, watching the vortex in awe. I smiled faintly at her as I returned my gazed to the vortex, where a faint outline could be seen of the animal being born. I watched as the beautiful Ahzenai leapt from the pit of the vortex and landed carefully on the rock below. I watched as the creature turned to look at Valcyon, as if knowing he would state her name for all to hear. Valcyon nodded to her as he called out, "Rulsaka!".

I watched as Rulsaka looked at all the humans and Ahzenai in the cave. When one human took a small step towards her she leapt onto a rock wall and crouched down on it, looking out over the cave filled with humans and animals alike. "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things." Rulsaka called out, looking around at her spectors. I watched as many humans began to shuffle through their bags, searching for the right instrument.

I smiled, "Mist, do we still have those two lids we found in the forest?" I asked my Ahzenai, turning to her. Mist thought for a moment before she nodded and raced over to my pack, searching through it for a few moments before she raced back to me holding what appeared to be two compass lids. I took the golden lids from Mist's jaws and wiped away a few specks of dirt that speckled the plates. "Well, we might aswell give it a try." I grinned, standing and walking towards the large group of people that had found something that might please the Ahzenai.

We walked into the throng, carefully holding the plates so they wouldn't shine yet. "Come on." I whispered to Mist, forcing myself past a few people that searched their bags desperately for something that Rulsaka would like. I grinned as I neared the Ahzenai, waiting for my turn to attempt to woo the animal. Mist eyed Rulsaka and murmured softly to me, "She has a very stunning pelt, does she not?" I nodded, eyeing her beautiful designs and her striking green eyes. I impatiently awaited my turn, shuffling my weight from one foot to the other.

After what seemed like an eternity I was finally the next one to attempt to woo Rulsaka and I couldn't help but grin as I walked forward towards the ledge. I carefully placed my lids on the ground so that they shined using the vortex's light. "I must say they aren't the most beautiful things in the world, but I've found that they can produce a nice light by reflecting it." I smiled as an idea came to my mind and I crouched down, holding one of the plates up so that it reflected the light onto the other plate, which shone down onto the ground. The light made a beautiful design, two cresents intertwined with a soft light in the middle. I smiled, glad it had worked the way I had wanted it to as I placed the plates back down o nthe ground. "I found that if you find something that reflects light and reflect it on another it can make a wonderful design on whatever you shine it on." I grinned. "I must say that you are very beautiful, Rulsaka. I hope you will join me on my next adventure." I smiled and grasped my plates, turning away and walking towards a ledge, Mist following me closely. "I think you did very well." Mist said, grinning at me.

[keeks]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

Designed and Written by Neara.

Judging will occur on the 20th.

I had been to the Ahzenai cave many times before today, making my way down the familiar beaten path. The air smelled musty and damp and earthy, a smell I had come to associate with this place. As I neared the inner chasm however the air was lightly graced with the faintest scents of various flowers, strange since I knew none could grow here without the sunlight. Only a few moments had passed as I stood trying to catch my breath before the vortex burst into life and colour again. The empty space radiated in highlights of teal green, bathing everything in the cave with an ethereal palette.

As the graceful creature stepped lithely from the vortex I heard the great bellow of the Ahzenai I had come to call 'The Guardian.' "Rusalka!" I heard him call and knew from my previous visits that this must be the name of the new beast. She was beautiful, that was obvious, however there was an air of playful trickery about her. I could see it in the way she approached her suitors and the Ahzenai, in the way she retreated to her perch and asked for her offering. One by one humans and Ahzenai came before her and made their case, dimly lit from the eerie glow of the now vacant vortex. She is lovely, I thought without a word, but I've no Ahzenai companion to tell her how I keep my menagerie. And I haven't the money for expensive materials, in fact the only jewelry I have were gifts. But maybe I could show her something that would please her. For a brief moment I dropped to my knees and opened my satchel, inside were a few items I had made for another species unknown to these cat-like beings.

I took the small objects in my hands and slowly got to my feet, awaiting an opportunity to present myself as the other suitors had done before me. As another stepped away I stepped carefully to the forefront below Rusalka's perch.

"H-Hello," I stuttered, as public speaking was never my strong point. "My name is Keeks, well not really but you can call me Keeks if you like." My mouth had gone dry and my hands were shaking slightly as I looked up into her delicate face. "I don't really have anything fancy or expensive, but I can craft trinkets." I held out my hands showing the delicate metal bands and glass tear shaped pendant on its thin glittering chain. The silver metal and yellow glass gleamed shiftily in the light of the vortex. "I made these for another creature but I could certainly make you something if you want. I use materials from the human world and from the natural world."

Her face was unreadable and I stood for a few brief moments before nervousness overtook me. With an awkward cough I set the trinkets on a rock below Rusalka, then a thought struck me. I rummaged unceremoniously in my bag again and took out a small hand mirror and placed it with the others. As I stepped back I lifted my face with a small smile.

"In case you'd like to see yourself in a shiny."

With a small nod I made my way back into the crowd to watch the other suitors present their gifts and await what would happen next.

[Koiley]

G'luck, Morry. <3
Good job on these stories they're so creative, everyone. c:

[Clowesia]

G'luck, Morry. <3
Good job on these stories they're so creative, everyone. c:

-Kiley- you have now been given a warning strike for spam.

[Lady Masquerade]

The traveler is back, and will soon write up stories to woo Ahzenai's. I decided to take a break, since I won Ohiel. Though lots of Ahzenai's have gotten homes since then, so I think I'm ready to make another woo. ^-^

[.Coyote]

Please edit your post with the form then, to cut down on spam ^_^

In fact, I'll do the same and edit this one with my submission.

NOTE: I have no idea if this woo is fake or not... I am actually responding as a human this time, so it is a possible woo, but it is going to be a bit of a sad story that I don't know if I'll have the heart to continue DX.

Time. It was a funny thing. Like all the numbers, it had no end. Perhaps there could be a beginning, the young girl did not know. But there was no end. It just went on and on, second by second, minute by minute, and hour by hour. It just kept going with no stopping point in sight. And yet time was limited. There was an abundance of it, millions of billions of years that awaited them all with still more of the infinity to come. And yet out of all of those billions of years, out of eternity, time only alotted a short period for each life. If Time were a human, he would be a greedy greedy old man, taking much more than he deserved, and giving only a little comfort to the rest of the living beings on Earth. But that was how it worked, and not many even questioned it at all. She did, though. Always the young girl sat alone with salty tears running down her face as she contemplated the concept of time. And the lack of it that each living being had to enjoy the world around them. They all went about their lives as if they would get more of it, as if they could just keep on resting with the dreams of actual action the next day or the next. But for many the next day would never come. And they kept holding onto that illusion of more and more time, even as the world died around them. But how? How could anyone just waste what little time they had?

She had never seen death, never watched its cold grip wring the life out of anyone. She was far too young to know the pain of losing anyone, to watch as they were ripped from this world. And yet it was death's cold grasp that clung to her mind always. She would look out the window and dream, forever dream of a time that stood still. It was some time before she even dared to walk out the steps of the old school yard, before she ever dared to join them in their play. But the play was bliss. The joy she felt in the chase, the capture, the games of catching balls or skipping rope; all if it served as a clear escape from her mind. To any other, she seemed a simple sky child, a wonderful little thoughtful girl that would get far in life. But she could not forget about death. No game was ever long enough to keep her mind off of the morbid subject. Because even the games, even her only escape was effected by the passage of time. Playing had an end, dictated by the turning of the clock, the slow swirl of the great Earth on her axis. Day became night, and the cheerful shouts and laughter of the children became silent and cold.

So the young girl would have to return home again, to be alone again in that great big dark house as the sounds of the grandfather clock beside the stairs haunted her sleep and causing extreme panic. Her parents weren't sure what to do with their daughter anymore. No one knew the answer, no one could say anything that could stop the cries of fear. They could find no cause that would bring such fear into the heart of so young and innocent a girl. She had witnessed no death, not even of a pet. Science had no answers, religion would not help. In the end it came down to holding her tightly and whispering of a God she wasn't sure even existed, and hoping that she would soon calm down and go to bed. Those words, their attempts to calm her fears were galiant, but never nearly enough. She would stop her crying, hug them good night, and return to the nightmare alone. Day after day, night after night. That fear that was much like time itself; no beginning or end in sight.

Until the day she found the watch.
Until the day she started living.

It was a clear summer day that found the girl walking along the old warn path with a carefully drawn crayon map in her small fingers. She had had no formal guide, no actual map to lead her way; only the legends that the kids would tell each other and the old warn book of mythical stories. She had done her very best and looked down at the paper with smiling green eyes. It would just have to do. She looked from the map up to the forest around her, and then onward along the path toward the graying landscape ahead. She hoped this was a good sign, as she remembered reading that the mythed portal was inside a massive rock. A cave, perhaps. She had never seen a cave before, so naturally her imagination ran off toward a dark house whose windows only looked out on thick walls of the gravel that had made up the road to her house. These massive rocks were not the piles and piles of gravel that she had imagined all stuck together with some unknown magic. No, they were just really big rocks. She had heard of the mountains, and had seen a few pictures of them covered in snow. Were there mountains here? The small girl held a hand to shield her face as she had often seen the other kids do when they went off adventuring in the woods, but this seemingly important act did not clear the trees out of her way. Perhaps she would search for the mountains next. Maybe they would be her next destination. But she was running out of food, and only had a few more coins to get by on. And it didn't seem like they had many stores out here.

But she would be fine, she knew that. The watch was still ticking as loud as ever would for now keep her sure of her constant survival; though it was the very sound that usually sent her into terrible shaking. While the sun was high in the sky and the air was sweet and warm, she would not fret. A light breeze played at her soft golden blonde waves, causing a smile to light on her sun reddened face. She pulled a small ribbon from her pocket and tied it as tightly as she could about her hair and pulled her hands down to grip the backpack's warn straps near where they were strongly sewn to the pack. She was ready. Boy was she ready. Of all the fantastic stories she had heard, the girl had always loved the mythical creatures the best. These animals or people of great magic and wonderful colors and patterns. Great noble creatures with their heads held high as they converged on big battles or new adventures with steadfast hearts. That was what she needed: someone to actually live with. Someone to stay with her beyond the daylight hours.

She walked to the end of the path, her small pink tennishoes making scuffing sounds against the hard stone ground that spread out before her. She pulled the crumpling map out of her pocket again and looked down at it for a moment, turning it around in her hands as if another angle would make it more accurate than the last. She huffed, dropping her arms and looking about a moment before stuffing the map back into her pocket and beginning to climb. She scratched her knee on a rock, left bare from the boy's shorts she had stolen for this journey. The young girl loved dresses, loved the laces and pretty colors. But travelling in one wasn't really all that fun, so she had opted for the atire of a boy from her class, whose playwear she had stolen from his bags before escaping from the school. A little blood welled up on her knee, causing her face to screw up a little as she tried not to cry. The pain was not too bad, but it saddened her anyway. She sat down on the smooth rock and blew on her knee a few times before pulling a bandage out of her bag and taping it to her knee. It was as she was sitting that she noticed the cave opening on the rock below her to her right. The opening was facing the oposite direction as her route had been, so she had only noticed it because someone had just walked through it. At first she had figured it for a mistake, that this man would also need a bandage after walking right into a big rock. But he just kept on walking, appearing like he had become a spectre and travelled right through the rock.

The girl quickly grabbed her things and scrambled down the rock, her eyes growing wide as she stared into the dark cool cave entrance. It was not at all like a house. She walked quietly along, her smile disappearing as she saw more and more people. This must have been the place, the place that she had often been made fun of for believing in. But here it was! And with so many people, how could she ever suppose the great mythilogical creature would choose her? She moved through the people slowly, often being pushed aside by accident as she tried to get through them. They did not mean it; she knew that. They just didn't see the girl, already looking off with their eyes raised. She almost screamed as a big cat thing walked by, his head standing about a half foot above hers. An Ahzenai, she just knew it. They were real. And really big. The smile returned as she reached out to touch him, but the cat was still moving on, following a human toward the direction that the crowd was still looking.

The young girl walked through them the best that she could, squeezing between their legs until she finally fell out of the crowd near the rear. There was no way she would ever get to see what they were looking at now. But what she saw instead caught her breath in her throat. A grand waterfall cascaded down from the ceiling, bright blue water flowing through the massive cave. The water sparkled from the wonderful swirling light of the vortex, like thin strings of light weaving around and around each other. She imagined it must be much like what the stars in the sky looked like up close. The girl leaned back against a rock that jutted high off the ground, looking up a moment to see if she could see the top. It clearly didn't go to the roof, but it was too high to see the top. The girl turned her head quickly as she heard one of the people talking loud and clear. They were across the rock bridge staring up at another one of the noble cats perched above them out of reach. The event had already began; she had missed the beginning completely. The girl dropped the bag down next to the big rock and pulled the backpack open again. She flipped through a few favorite coloring books and a pad of paper to the books in the back. Most were children's books about dragons and unicorns, but one rather heavy one was written in an older style with warn pages and a splitting spine. The other books were colorful and fun to read, but it was this book that she derived her great love of mythical creatures from. It was this book that she had found the information of the Ahzenai in, along with many many other magical creatures.

She flipped hastily through the book to a page near the back that outlined the species and what was known about them. She read the page carefully, unable to count the many times she had read it in the past three months. They often offered to become companions of a person, one that they would choose from the croud based on the what they said or did. But she had no idea what she was supposed to talk about, what she was supposed to do. She had missed the beginning completely, and everyone else looked so confident as they rummaged through their bags for items unknown to her. Had the Ahzenai asked for a pen or something? All she had were crayons... The small girl slumped to the ground, her back against the rock as she curled her arms around her knees and tried not to cry. She had come all this way to fail? How far away from home was she? Twenty three dollars and fifty two cents of cereal bars and uncountable hours of berry picking away, that was how far. She could go to the mountains next, she could search for the tropical unicorn deep in the Amazon next. But her maps did not lead her there, and she didn't know the way. But Brazil was in the oposite direction; it was to the south of her home, not in the crazy northern direction she had taken to get here. And the walk had been so long... "No." She whispered, standing to her feet. No, all that time would not be wasted. All of her precious time could not have been wasted for absolutely nothing. Their time was too short, it was just too short! And she had vowed that nothing she ever did again would be a waste of time, would leave her without joy.

The young girl picked up the heavy backpack again, pulling it over her shoulders and walking for the bridge, holding her head high as she wiped her eyes on the sleeves of the long boy's dress shirt. She started to climb up onto the rock bridge, finding it a little difficult as a few others climbed so effortlessly with their long adult legs. She pulled herself up to the top, huffing from the lack of air and needing to crawl across the bridge slowly to catch her breath. But she wouldn't stop moving, even for a pause to breathe. She was losing time. Soon she stood, running across the remainder of the bridge and almost plummeting right off the other end of it, falling to a lower rock in a daze. The girl refocused her eyes and climbed down much easier than she had the way up. She ran along toward another croud that had gathered around the platform the Ahzenai was perched on, one of them still speaking to the great creature when she finally arrived, needing to lean against the rock out of the way as she huffed for air again. Being a little kid traveller wasn't the best idea that she had ever had. Her bright green eyes darted about almost frantically as the others had grown silent at her approach. Well who wouldn't when a small child came running at them with a clanking backpack? She looked at the ground before the rock, a long string of piles of bright glistening objects layed out carefully before the cat's perch. What was this? They were... giving her gifts? But she could not see anything that wasn't glistening in the light of the vortex. There were no books, no offerings of grand foods or works of art. None of clothing other than the many jewelry pieces layed about. Just very shiny things. Was that what they had to offer? Did the Ahzenai ask for shiny things? But she had only one...

The bustle of noises had returned as she looked down, pulling the watch slowly from her pocket and staring down at it. The clear ticking caught her attention, a rythm matching her heart beat as it thumped against her chest. It was an old silver watch inlayed with a mountain scene of bright blue lapis lazuli. She traced the small intracate lines with her fingers as she often did when she would sit alone and listen to the ticking going on and on. Her watch was shiny, but not from polish. Her eyes were drawn back to the many sparkling metals and gems, then back down to the watch that was shiny only from use. Constant use had rubbed the watch clean of tarnish and polished it to a soft smooth shimmer. Constant nights of sitting there just rubbing and rubbing at the watch in continuous fearful shaking. A nervous habit had caused the watch to smooth from the almost black circle she had found it it. If she had never found that old pocket watch... Night after night in a paranoid state, just looking down at that simple circle like the devil was trying to break through it, that the tick-ticking of the watch was the pounding of firey demon fits at the gates of Hell. Of death.

But it was all she could offer to show her, the only thing amung her posessions with anything relatively close to a shine. The small girl stepped forward to the front of the rocks and looked up at the great cat, almost afraid to speak. She was a mix of different chocolates and vanillas, nothing like the shiny objects she searched for. The girl could barely see her, so high above her head on that rock. But what she could see reminded her of a strange deer-like animal's markings. She had seen it once in a book they had for a while in the school library.

"An Okapi." She said aloud, looking up at the cat with a smile. "Your lines are like an Okapi." She looked down at the watch again, fumbling at it about her fingers as she thought about her next words. She could not give the watch to this cat, even if she were to follow her. "I... I do not have many shiny things, only this watch." She said, her voice growing quieter, almost inaudible under the adult's conversations. "It is all I have, and I cannot give it to you. I would not wish this shiny thing, this curse on anyone." The water began to form in her eyes again and the girl rubbed her sleeves across her eyes again to clear them. "But it is shiny, a pretty silver and there is a neat blue mountain on it. I wish that I might go to that mountain. It might be nice there, better there. I cannot give you this watch, but I can show it to you." She held the object as high as she could, turning it over in her hand so that hopefully the cat might see it.

"It doesn't have the real time on it, but it isn't broken." She said, pulling the watch down again and looking at it, once more turning it over and over in her small hands. "It is special in that it has two faces. One side has hands for the years, months, weeks, and days. And the other for the usual hour, minute, and second. But it ticks... backwards. The hands turn to the left, not the right. It counts down from..." From the day she would die. And not just the day, but the very second of the minute of the hour of the day. Unlike all of those who wasted their lives thinking that they had more time, more and more time; this watch told her just how little time she had left. It was a nightmare that she could not forget, a burning pan that she could not let go of. Because the moment she handed it off to someone else a new time would bet set on the clock. A new timer would begin. "See, it is 3:40 pm now, but my watch says something completely different." The words were like needles to her throat, like a hot coal being forced back along her tongue. "Ten... Ten years. Three months. One week, four days, twenty-two hours, fifteen minutes, and nine seconds." Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, fourteen and fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-five- "I found it in the woods near my house. It was all black then, but a bit that was silver showing through. It had said my name, Tessa. I had thought that was so cool, so I picked it up." And I shouldn't have. She opened the watch wide and lifted it for the cat to see again, her arms beginning to shake badly as the ticking sound became a disturbance again: a nightmare.

Thirteen minutest and forty-five, forty-four, forty-three, forty-two, forty-one, forty, thirty-nine, thirty-eight...

[Dancing with Bears.]

[center]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

The excitement of the last ahzenai who had successfully been woo'ed had calmed down- and everyone had sat , or layed from the tired feeling that seemed to hang over everyone. The outside world was bright with the fading sun- and no one was expecting another ahzenai to be born so quickly from the swirling vortex.
Gaps and Murmers rippled through the crowd of humans that now gathered around the vortex- A familar swirling of shades of a rich hue of brown, A shimmering teal, and a grassy green began to form licking out at the crowd from the opening of the vortex. The crowd of humans stood watching in awe as the swirling of colors continued to grow and get brighter until a familar looking creatured outline was faint in the sea of misty colors. The form of the Ahzenai brought another low round of gasps as they were finally able to see the faint design of the beautiful creature. The crowd went silent, the await of the new ahzenai finally over as the female elegantly leapt out and landed swiftly and silently on the ground with a flick of her tail, in a crouched postion until she uprighted herself and gave a quick glance over the crowd before she finally allowed her gaze to rest on Valcon meeting his eyes with a slight bow of her head. "Rusalka " He bellowed and smiled warmly at the new Azhenai. Rusalka paused to recite the name in her head- as if she was remembering it, before she gave a quick nod and proceeded forward closer to the humans who crowed around her in awe at her beauty some whispering softly to themselves- others speaking in a hushed tone to people beside them, certain theyd be the one to woo this Ahzenai.. Everyone stood almost speachless as the Ahzenai gazed curiously around the area at the humans faces.. studying them. Interested. One of the humans was brave enough to be the first one to step forward , and Rusalka imediately lept backwords up onto the highest rock around, then hunched down gazing down at the crowd. The human who had attempted to woo the Ahzenai retreated in the crowd with a couple of pats on the back and a saddened look.

Rusalka licked her upper lip, and blinked , gazing down at the crowd again. " Do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love Shiny Things " She called out to the people below- imediately all of them began to dig through their bags, and drop to the ground emptying their bags out , their stuff sprawled across the floor as they all rushed to find shiny things hidden in the depths of their bags. Some sent the Ahzenai they already had away to find things for their masters to try and Woo Rusalka- Except for one. The small girl layed on her back staring up at the sky- pondering on when her chance would be. What would she offer? How would she even do it? She never tried to Woo an Ahzenai and all the times she saw a human successfully woo one slipped from her mind leaving her clueless to how she should do hers.
The girl around the age of 14 Had risen from her spot on the rock to gaze in awe at the Vortex like everyone else did. She had waited. Waited so long to try and Woo that special Ahzenai and finally- she thought she found one. The girl had brown hair that was pin straight falling from the roots of her head to rest gently on her shoulders, the edges of her hair curled naturally, thick with natural highlights, some darker than others, some strips of light shades of brown to light blonds. Her blue eyes were hidden behind the round, black framed glasses that sat perched upon her face, a darker splotch of skin on her cheek- a birthmark. Her eyelash's were naturally dark, and long.. But not so much on the thick side. She gave a soft sigh- gazing at the Ahzenai that sat perched upon the highest rock pondering on if she should even try. What If I fail..? What if Everyone laughs..? The girl had nothing- no Ahzenai and nothing fancy to woo the Ahzenai with. Only One Shiny Rock. She had found it at the local flea market in her town and payed almost nothing for it.. but in hopes it had some purpose she had bought it.
Her fingers rolled across the smooth surface- it glittering in the faint sunlight that was given from the sun. She was reluctant to stand and try to woo the Ahzenai, but she stood anyways. She was in love with her. Her markings.. her personality.. everything was so.. perfect. Id buy so many things for this Ahzenai. She thought to herself. A quick image of her and the ahzenai poked its way into her mind- an image of them exploring the darkest depths of caves to find the prettiest of shiny rocks- all for her.

The girl sat by herself, watching as each human attempted to woo her. All the humans had tons of stuff to show and give to Rusalka while she meerly had a peble.she watched, as they all had lined up, waiting for their time to shine infont of Rusalka. And she watched, as each nervously walked away- excited as well as afraid of the results. She waited- The humans still excited, lined up and waiting for their chance. The sun had slowly fallen from the sky, and after a while Everyone had grown tired, and eventually everyone had had a chance to woo this beauty.. Except for her. The shy girl. Her heart had quickened with the beat as she still sat away from the crowd once stood watching as the last human stumbled away from the rock and finally flopped down into his sleeping bag and fell asleep- gazing across the now blurry figures in the faint light, almost all of them sleeping, she felt sick now. Butterflies erupted from their chamber and fluttered around in her stomach, Her hands were shaking a bit as she still ran her finger across the surface of the glimmering rock.
The girl stood, proudly. She stood with confidence- brushing herself off, and sucking a breath of air in, and brushed the hair that had fallen into her face away,straightened her shirt that had began to grow crinkled from the way she had been sitting, and looked down at the pebble before shoving it into her pocket. She took a step forward closer to the high rock - smiling softly at the Female Ahzenai who still was perched upon the rock making her look like a queen. The shiny pebble shoved deep into the depths of the girls pockets. The Ahzenai looked a bit annoyed now- but who knew? The girl's vision was blurry. My Chance. Finally. She smiled weakly up at Rusalka again before digging through her pocket to find the small shiny pebble. The girls fingers finally curved around the pebble as she brought it out hiding in it the palm of her sweaty hand. She shuffled her feet, and looked down at the ground- down at her shoes which were all black boots. Skinny jeans sinking into the darkness of the boots. She looked at how the dirt had shoe prints imprinted everywhere, then blinked.

" Hello Rusalka. " She murmered softly up to Her lifting her head to gaze at the Ahzenai, the name rolling off her tounge- tribal like. She thought to herself.. I like it. Shes very beautiful I must say.. Close up- she was even prettier and The girl felt her heart thump loudly in her chest" My name is Bunny. You can call me Bun.. Or B or anything you would like. Its not my real name.. but.. Everyone calls me that here. " She smiled up at her again- bigger than the last. She was excited. It was her time. She fiddled with the edge of her shirt for a few moments- not knowing what else to say. She finally looked back up to the Ahzenai. " Im not very old.. And I dont have many pretty, shiny, or fancy things that may interest you. But your quite the beautiful Ahzenai and I couldnt pass up trying for you. " She smiled again. Shes going to be so hard to Woo.. Everyone wants her. And What do I have to offer? A stupid shiny pebble while others have beautifully carved golden plates.. and shiny necklaces.. so many pretty things compared to a pebble. She sighed quietly- making herself feel bad like she had her whole life. Always finding the down side. But she sucked another breath of air in- I must try.

The girls Eyes burned with a passion for the ahzenai-a love for the Ahzenai who had merely appeared from the portal, who had gone through so many people, who had also tried to Woo her in a little amount of time. The girl finally unfolded her fingers to reveal the single shiny pebble that layed in the middle of her palm. " I know its not much Rusalka.. Its all I have right now.. " She trailed off gazing at the pebble that glittered as soon as it was revealed from the darkness of her palm.

She smiled- stretching herself to the tips of her toes to put the pebble up onto the rock pausing to look at the Ahzenai and marvel at her beauty for a few moments before she retracted her hand and shoved it back into her jacket pockets- Flipping her brown hair out of her eyes and pushing up her glasses. " I hope you choose me Rusalka. " She murmered softly before turning to shy away from the huge 'throne' the Ahzenai sat upon, with a yawn she began to run her fingers through the air- stumbling through the darkness back to her 'camp' to go to bed, and rest for the night, her eyelids heavy and drooping.. Rusalka on her mind the whole time.

[Temperance.]

[EDIT: FINISHED! D'aww I love Rusalka, she's just...gorgeous <3 And I hope my post reflects that, as well as my own unconventional and "odd" personality.]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

Designed and Written by Neara.

Judging will occur on the 20th.

I stood a little off to the side, my eyes still on the vortex. I wasn't really expecting anything, after all, Levorith had just come through the vortex only moments ago so it would surely be asking too much for yet another Ahzenai to wish to choose its companion. Yet it would appear I spoke too soon. The vortex swirled yet again and I could see teal, green, and a variety of browns swirling madly about in a gorgeous display of colour. Yet as quickly as the vortex had come it receded, leaving a stunning Ahzenai standing in its wake. Inadvertently my eyes shifted to Valcyon, what was the name of this beautiful creature? He nodded once in her direction before addressing all of us with his voice, "Rusalka!" he boomed, the lovely Ahzenai's name sounding like a melodic song, even though Valcyon had bellowed it out in a rather ungraceful manner. I was enthralled, enamored, head-over-heels in adoration of the stunning Ahzenai who had just appeared. Awed into speechlessness I watched her silently as she approached us, timid, and yet so graceful. Someone stepped towards her when she drew near and she instantly retreated to a tall rock. Peering over it she tilted her head slightly and spoke;

"Do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

The soft and lovely voice that was speaking didn't seem to match with the odd request and I felt a soft smile tug across my face. Here was another creature who was strange and unusual, not conventional by any means and yet just as special. Unique, and lovely. What other Ahzenai would ask for shiny trinkets in such a timid manner? Hesitantly I reached into my bag and pulled out my most prized possession. To some it would be seen as a silly indulgence or even a waste of love, but to me the small object in my hand represented my love for odd things, my own uniqueness, and a loved one I'd never see again. Feeling shy I hesitantly stepped forward with my palm out, not meeting Rusalka's eyes.
"I-I only have this."
I spoke in a rather timid whisper and I still couldn't bring myself to look into Rusalka's eyes, would she accept it? Or would she turn away and choose some other, more modern and flashy item from someone else? It wouldn't be the first time I'd been turned away from, and it would hurt, but I liked to believe that in the face of such a loss I would stand firm with grace and poise. Like Rusalka undoubtedly would. Taking a deep, soft, breath I finally turned my eyes to meet Rusalka's wondering what emotion I'd find there. With my eyes still locked on hers I found the courage to speak again,
"It's my father's old spyglass." I whispered, breaking my eyes away from hers to look at the little spyglass in my hand. It was a little rusty from years of use and the design on the side of it was faded but I loved it. Turning my eyes back to Rusalka's I felt a warm smile slip across my countenance as a tear glided down my face. "My father gave it to me just before he died, every time I look at it it's like I'm looking at a little piece of him again." Fighting the tears I stroked the shiny metal and took a steadying breath. "Rusalka, I know what its like to love...unconventional things and...well, I just wanted to ask if you would-would consider becoming my companion? I promise I'd let you be yourself and never judge you, we'd be best friends." my smile became a little tremulous as I looked into her lovely luminescent green eyes. Chances were she'd choose someone else but I knew that I would always pride myself on how I risked ridicule and rejection today all while honoring the memory of my beloved father. And maybe, just maybe, Rusalka would see in me a kindred heart that would love her for who she was and we could each start a new chapter of our lives, a chapter in which our lives became inextricably intertwined.