Okay, after seemably weeks(or
has it been weeks?) of brainstorming and effort, this is our (Team Critazma's) entry for the contest. I don't know if it's already been posted or not, but since it ends at 12:00 tonight I want to make sure, lol.
Story: by Ashwyn(writer)
Pictures: "King Fenrix" by Neara(artist), Tybalt by Neara(artist), Orezon and Tamani(originals by Onyx)
Well, I know my name isn't up there by any of the art, but I was unable to finish my part of the 3 collaborated pics in the day and a half that I was given. I was gone to town all day Friday, and then 'till 4 today, so I had 6 hours left by the time I got done tending my livestock. I don't know if this means I'm disqualified from the team or not, but I did contribute a lot toward helping plan the plot and the art(not the art pictured here, the
unreleased art). I was kinda like a director of some sorts, she who works behind the scenes... xD
So this is basically what my contribution would be.
Expert Brain-Stormer and Moral Supporter: LostGosling (note that the expert part is just an opinion...XP)
~*~
It wasn’t the sort of day that has a lasting impression upon your memory. Average really, especially in a place like Ahzen, where wonders and impossible things seemed to abound and thrive. Still in the hearts and minds of two Ahzenai this day would forever be engraved upon their hearts. Two Ahzenai, Tamani and Orezon, had been born within a week of each other. Though they had never met each other before the two would soon find themselves tied to each other in unexpected ways. Though the suitors gathered and made desperate attempts to woo the two and take them out of Ahzenai and into their lives, neither Tamani nor Orezon chose to join with a counterpart, and thus our story begins.~*~
Tamani padded lightly on her paws, graceful and self-assured, she had heard of a mighty pride of Ahzenai, led by a strong and wise leader named Fenrix. It had seemed like a much better option than joining some wool-headed creature who wanted her as a companion, and so she was heading towards the Pride Lands, hoping that Fenrix might allow her to join their highly-esteemed ranks. As she had surveyed the land of Ahzen Tamani had noted several larger-than-normal Ahzenai roaming about, and when she finally had garnered the courage to question them about their impressive stature she had been told of the Ahzen Pride. She still tingled to think that in a few hours she could be one of them.
It wasn’t long before she reached the Pride Lands, and the place where the Ahzenai lived in their own great community. A twinge of nerves writhed in her belly when suddenly some-Ahz bumped into her. Turning with an annoyed snarl she found herself looking into
the face of an Ahz she had met earlier, a cocky, bully-like Ahzenai who spoke with a funny accent. Glaring at him in dislike Tamani let out a soft growl.
“Watch where you’re going numbskull, run into me again and I’ll give you a scar you’ll never lose.” He only looked at her with a curled upper lip, superiority oozing from every disgusting pore in his blue pelt.
“Ach. Fool female, it’ll be a col’ day in ‘ell ‘fore ye ever manage t’ get you’re claws on me.” He growled softly,
“Now, I’m off t’ show some Fenrix fella why he should let me join t’ Pride.” Tamani gaped at him in disbelief; he thought he could just shamble in like royalty and expect to be accepted into the pride?!? Anger overwhelmed disbelief and she dove in front of him, plumed tail smacking him soundly on the nose, before she disappeared into the leaders Den. Tentatively Tamani lifted her head and called out;
“Hello? Lord Fenrix? I wish to speak with you.” Her tentative words were stifled by the heavy air, still, Tamani tilted her head and twitched her ears as she waited for a sound…..and a sound she did hear, but not from within the cave.
“OY! IF FENRIX, ‘T LEADER OF ‘TIS PRIDE IS IN ‘ERE, I WANT T’ JOIN D’ PRIDE!” Tamani cringed at the loud bellow in her ear, but when she turned to glare at him Orezon was smirking at her with a smug expression in her eyes. Flicking her ears in disgust the cheetah-like Ahzenai turned to look into the interior of the cave.
The two stood there in a stony silence for a few moments more before they saw a twinkle of light in the far corner of the cave. It slowly brightened until they both could see the faint outline of a regal looking Ahzenai. Orezon didn’t even bat an eye, but Tamani could sense his sudden tenseness, and she smirked a little at his discomfort.
Good, serves him right, egotistical jerk. She thought irritably to herself. When the elegant and refined Ahzenai finally approached them and looked at them, with his head tilted questioningly to the side, Tamani shuffled her paws nervously and spoke.
“I-I was born from the vortex a week ago, I heard from some passing Ahzenai that a Pride of free Ahzenai lived here and….I want to know if I can join you.” Tamani desperately hoped she wasn’t being too brazen with her actions and words, that wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t do at all. To her relief though Fenrix didn’t appear offended, and let out a thoughtful rumble before turning to Orezon.
“And I assume you wish for the same thing.” He didn’t wait for Orezon to reply, just slowly nodded to himself and then turned his attention to the two of them.
“I will allow you both to join the Pride, just don’t cause any trouble and DON’T FIGHT.” The last two words were growled out, and a harsh look briefly fastened on them before he relaxed.
“Dismissed.” Dipping her head respectfully Tamani backed out of the cave and looked around for somewhere she could be of use. Not long after Orezon reluctantly appeared as well.
~*~
Several months passed until one day Fenrix called a meeting of all the Pridelanders to gather underneath the towering rock that formed the meeting place of the Ahzenai. Though the elder Pridelanders appeared to know what the meeting was about they refused to bestow that knowledge upon the younger, newer, members of the Pride. And so Tamani and Orezon found themselves moving closer to their inevitable destiny.~*~
Orezon growled slightly in irritation, he didn’t wish to go to some idiotic meeting; Tavi and him were just getting better….acquainted. Flashing the pretty female a roguish and charming smile as she padded off, he finally pushed himself to his paws with an aggrieved sigh and started to head off to hear what Fenrix had to say. The leader of the Pride was standing atop the rock ledge and surveying the assembled group. After a long pause he finally spoke,
“As is a tradition of the Pride, two young Ahzenai will be sent into the heart of the dark woods to retrieve a Stone of Healing. They are highly valuable to us, however the dangerous nature of the woods and the fearsome creatures who roam there make this an event that is limited to only the strongest of Ahzenai and is only done once a year. As is tradition the two Ahzenai who are to travel together to retrieve the stone have been chosen by me. This year the honour falls to Orezon and Tamani.” Orezon froze in horror. Surely he had heard wrong, Fenrix knew better than to put that wretched female and him together for ANYTHING, and yet now he was suggesting they go on some journey together? Alone and unsupervised?!? He might very well kill her himself. Just as Orezon began to open his mouth to protest, and Tamani was almost certainly about to do the same, Fenrix fixed him with a cold glare and spoke again,
“This is not up for negotiation and failure to complete this task set in front of you equals immediate disgrace and a black spot of shame on your name and reputation forever.” Slowly Orezon closed his mouth, he felt backed into a corner and he didn’t like it one iota. The gathering dispersed quickly, seemingly eager to get out of the way before any bloodshed could occur….and that seemed to be a very likely assumption if he was reading Tamani’s expression correctly. With a frustrated snarl Orezon stalked over to Tamani, flicking a furious glare towards Fenrix as he did so. But the large Ahzenai looked completely unruffled….and even a little amused. Chuffing in disgust the large blue Ahzenai sat down in front of his nemesis, eyes narrowed.
“Best just get ‘tis over with I spose.” Turning now to direct his words to Fenrix Orezon spoke again;
“We can leave right away?” Fenrix nodded but said nothing. Flicking his tail to Tamani he started to stride out of the Pridelands, not bothering to check and see if Tamani was still following. He knew full well that he wasn’t lucky enough to have that happen.
~*~
Tamani still bristled at the injustice of it all, how could Fenrix do this to HER? Orezon she understood he did nothing but laze around and flirt with all the females, but her? She worked her tail off, ensuring there was enough food for the Pride, battle training with those who needed it, taking care of the elder Pride members…..she did EVERYTHING that was asked of her and more, yet Fenrix STILL was out to make her miserable. Maybe he’s still mad about the time he first met us when Orezon yelled into his cave. She thought bitterly, and honestly it wouldn’t surprise her of Orezon was somehow responsible for this whole mess. The truth of the matter was that the sooner they got the stone, the sooner they could get back. And right now Tamani would settle for ANYTHING over having to spend time in the vain, egotistical and tyrannical company of the large blue Ahzenai.
The two of them had been travelling through the Dark Forest for quite some time when Orezon paused in front of her and sniffed the air. Growling at his sudden halt, and the fact that she almost barreled into him, Tamani glared holes into his back as he sampled the air. After a full minute she finally could stand it no longer,
“All right, what’s wrong with you? Why is your nose in the air like some sort of specialized scent tracker, which I know you’re not, so what’s the deal?!?” Orezon shot her a withering look, as though she was just a stupid child, and nodded to the air,
“Smell ’at would ye? ‘Tis the scent o’ the sea. And ‘ow well I know it.” He growled softly, a serene and happy expression on his face. Still unhappy Tamani did as he had requested and sniffed the air. Immediately her eyes widened in surprise at the salty tang the wind brought to her nose.
“Do you think it’s the Stone of Healing?!?” She asked excitedly, running past him with wide eyes, not even registering the fact that their pelts brushed, nor the fact that Orezon stepped away from her as though he had been jabbed with a cattle prod. When he didn’t answer she turned with a puzzled expression to face him.
“Well? I thought you’re a big know-it-all, so what do you say?” Orezon’s bemuddled expression cleared and he eyed her reproachfully,
“Aye, ‘ats wat I ‘appen t’ believe as well.” Breezing past her with his usual arrogant look Orezon kept his head in the air and followed the scent.
It was a surprisingly short amount of time before they stumbled upon a great wall of stone, inlaid with hundreds of smaller, glowing, orb-like stones that gave off a strong sea-salt smell. Orezon leaned forward and inhaled the scent of one deeply, a blissful look flitting across his face. Tamani frowned inwardly at how much she liked the happy look on his face, it was just so different from the typical glare she received from the burly Ahzenai. Finally though Orezon grabbed a glowing rock in his jaws and beckoned for Tamani to do the same. Feeling unusually benevolent she acquiesced without complaint and grabbed a stone as well.
They hadn’t traveled very far when a big burly Ahzenai leapt in front of them, snarling ferociously. Tamani recognized him as an Ahzenai named Tybalt. One who had always simpered for Fenrix’s approval and was constantly searching for ways to increase his honour. The ominious expression in his eyes didn’t bode well either, spitting a furious growl at them he finally spoke.
“Give me the stones. Neither of you deserved this, and you were so ungrateful that I’ll take it for you. I need the honour, though you two clearly don’t care, unable to see past your own ugly muzzles the fact that this shouldn’t be a source of strife.” The two stared at him in frozen shock, but when he let out his claws and bellowed a furious,
“NOW!” they both dropped the stones. Tamani stared at him, unable to move, as Tybalt picked up the stones THEY had found, and started to run back to the Pridelands. A sudden fury bubbled up in the pretty female and she let out an angry growl. Tybalt wasn’t a fast runner, she would catch up to him and take back those rocks. Not giving Orezon a chance to speak she raced after the flaming red Ahzenai.
~*~
Tybalt heard Tamani racing through the underbrush to get to him, snarling with anger he shoved the second stone hurriedly into the leather pouch he had brought and slid it under the bush closest to him. He had barely finished doing this when the cheetah-like Ahz barreled straight at him. Growling Tybalt ducked, watching as she flew over him and stumbled clumsily back to her feet. He didn’t like the odds of a two-to-one fight. And that would certainly occur unless he managed to subdue her. Devising a quick plan, Tybalt pretended to stumble, as he had predicted Tamani leaped right at him, and when he flung a paw out and watched impassively as she collapsed to the ground, he allowed himself only a passing feeling of triumph. Quickly Tybalt curled his thick tail tightly around her throat, she struggled feebly but it wasn’t long before the pretty Ahzenai passed out from a lack of oxygen. That’ll keep her out of the fight for a while. Tybalt thought smugly to himself, and just in time, for Orezon burst into the clearing at that very moment.
~*~
Orezon cursed angrily as he tore through the bushes, why did Tamani have to be so brash! They could have gone back and grabbed another two stones, but no, she had insisted on chasing the lunatic through the Dark Forest. What Orezon next saw made his heart plummet to his tail. Tybalt sat in the centre of the clearing with a sneer on his face, Tamani lay lifelessly off to the side, though Orezon could see the faint rise and fall of her breathing.
“Let ‘er go Tybalt.” He growled menacingly, drawing himself to his full height in a bid to intimidate the other male. Tybalt only scoffed and shook his head in disgust.
“No. You want her so bad you fight me for her.” The cool disregard in Tybalt’s voice pricked Orezon’s ire. Seeing no other way to save the headstrong female Orezon barrelled at the red Ahzenai.
The fight didn’t last long, who the true winner was would never be discovered, for in a stroke of bad luck Orezon tripped and slammed his head against a stone. And the whole world spun and faded, all he could hear was Tybalt’s roaring laughter, and the pained and frightened whispers of Tamani as she was dragged away….and then all went dark.
~*~
When the Ahzenai woke it was to a strange world of many hues. Greens, blacks, blues, and yellows, and it was a while before he realized he was looking at a canopy of trees, with the suns rays shining through, setting all the world ablaze. Puzzled and confused the large blue Ahzenai pushed himself to his feet. Desperately he tried to remember who he was. Did he have a name? Where did he come from? As he tried to sift through his shattered memories his head began to ache and he cringed in pain. A sudden flash of a spotted pelt, and the partial memory of a dry, sarcastic, and decidedly feminine voice, broke into the forefront of his thoughts, and he found that these memories didn’t hurt.
Days turned into weeks as the nameless Ahzenai wandered through the forest. He eked out a living through the things that lived in the woods, but always he found himself following a specific, but weaving route, the memories of the female became the highlights of his life, and bit by bit his thoughts and life began to revolve around her. Yet one day another memory came surging forth, and this one was a nightmare. Red fur, fur on fire! Danced in front of him devilishly, his female lay prone on the ground, barely breathing, and maniacal laughter echoed throughout the forest. Abruptly anger and fear seized hold of the nameless one. She could be hurt, abused, or mistreated at this very moment! Snarling the blue Ahz began to run in the direction he always ran in, the one that smelled faintly of tangy salt.
How long he ran the Ahz didn’t know, but it seemed like a lifetime before he finally burst in upon a flaming red Ahzenai and HER. He froze for a moment eyes fixated solely on her when she called out a name,
“Orezon!” As though he had been struck by lightning he remembered everything. His life, from its start to now, and all the things associated with the weak looking female….Tamani. The one who had become his reason for existing, oh how things changed. Abruptly he drew himself up, about to tell Tybalt, who looked un-groomed with a rather frightening look in his eyes, that he was going to take Tamani and the Stones back to the Pride. But Tybalt, anticipating what would be said, dove to Tamani and curled his tail tightly around her neck while dragging the pouch with the Stones in it to his other side.
“You choose Blue One! The female, or the Stones?” It wasn’t a difficult choice, but all the same Orezon hesitated, simply because he didn’t know if Tamani would forgive him if he left the stones. Looking into her frightened blue eyes though he knew it wasn’t really a choice.
“Take the Stones and be gone.” Orezon growled, his eyes locked gently on Tamani’s. With a soft snarl Tybalt leaped into the undergrowth and disappeared, and only a few moments later did the maniacal laughter reach their ears once more. Needing to be certain she was safe Orezon quickly padded over to her.
“Tamani, my love, my reason for existing ‘ese past few months, are you ‘urt? What did ‘E do t’ ye?” The concern and tender love in his voice made Tamani’s eyes grow wide, but after a long moment they softened and she spoke.
“I am a little weak, I’ve barely eaten anything and he kept choking me until I collapsed from air loss. Apart from that though I suppose I’m all right.” She whispered softly, and Orezon vowed to nurse her back to health quickly. They could decide what to do next after she was well.
~*~
Time passed. Tamani healed quickly under the tender ministrations of Orezon, but neither wished to return to the Pride. They had lost the stones, and both of them knew that they would forever be deemed as dishonorable if they returned without them. Still, after some time in the Dark Forest they both agreed that it was time to face whatever consequences there may be. And together, as a united and loving unit, they returned to the Pridelands.~*~
Tamani tensed slightly as the passed over the ridge that led into the dwelling place of the Pride. So much was different now, she couldn’t regret anything that had happened but she was willing to admit her trepidation at coming back to the Pride. But looking up to see Orezon, so stoic and self-assured, Tamani knew that everything would be all right, even if the Pride no longer wanted them they’d always have each other. As it so happened Fenrix had just been going out to take first watch and spotted the two lost Pridelanders. He had been worried when they didn’t return quickly, and had given up hope on them completely by now. His elation at seeing them outweighed and anger he might have had and they were joyfully welcomed back. Orezon and Tamani quietly shared their tale, faintly amused by the wide eyed stares and horrified looks that appeared on the faces of most of the Ahzenai. When they had finally finished Fenrix stood and addressed them all.
“As you have just heard these two underwent the truest transformation this journey is supposed to create, harmony and peace between individuals who do not co-exist well. You see, this journey is not about the Stones, it’s about discovering something much more precious. Love."~*~
Tamani and Orezon often returned to their favourite spot near the Dark Forest, a beautiful flowering meadow that reflected the love they had for each other. And it was there that they eventually made their home, among the sweet-smelling blossoms and tall luscious grass. The place where they both could express their love the best, and chase each other about like two foolish young cubs, with love glowing in their eyes and a sweet harmonious peace resonating throughout the air. Many Ahzenai ventured into the Pridelands, and always they were told the story of Orezon and Tamani, the two enemies who found love at the paws of their own misdeeds and selfishness, discovering the true meaning of the journey for the Stones of Healing. As for Tybalt he disappeared from all knowledge, eventually fading into a terrifying exaggerated version of the truth. Used to make the young impressionable Ahzenai be frightened into obedience.
