Ashes and Tears

[Goanna]

Darkened lands and burnt out towns arouse my deepest fears...


What a tumultuous time. His people had been on top, naturally, fighting with a ferociousness and strength known only to the ferajas. Who could have guessed that the spirits themselves would turn against them, the most beloved of the people. They! They, the people with wings- a blessing from Solayi herself- had been forced to agree to a pledge of peace between the races. They! When they could have won the longest war ever to ravage Avelle. Now when they passed through territory that should have rightfully been theirs, the fierce felines would have to agree to the rules of the landowners. Would have to submit.

It was a huge blow to their pride, and a greater blow to the kingdom's chosen prince. He, Pascha, was making his way back through the forest and towards home, his shoulders slumped and heart heavy. No one again should ever see him in such a condition, but he had good reason. The King had died in the war, and his son had continued to lead the people through the fighting, without them realising that their monarch had fallen. For them, the heavyset male had been taking the place of his father, while the King was regrettably at home, leading his people from the backlines. No one but the prince and a select few knew the truth, and now, in this time when everyone was scattered, Pascha would have to reunite them all under his rule. He only hoped no one would deny his claim to the throne, and if they did, well he'd have to fight for the position.

His paws hit the ground with soft whumps as he trod along through the forest, for once without having to fear an enemy attack as he did so. The trees were eerily quiet, and the large cat felt claustrophobic as he strolled beneath their foliage. Why would anyone choose to live here? The boughs of the trees were everywhere, blocking flight, and there was too much to anticipate, too much opportunity for an ambush. No, his people hadn't been foolish when they had first settled the plains as their home, where the tall grass and the high cliffs provided clean air and full vision. Pascha closed his eyes as he thought of it, and the image in his mind propelled him forward, forward through the dark woods until the trees thinned out and he felt the dry grass between his toes.

He rested overnight, thinking as best he could about the situation, but he was a doer, not a thinker, and so he drifted off into a troubled sleep without reaching any real resolution. When morning came the prince found himself at the edge of the forest, and the start of the plains. He stood and shook himself out, stretching his leathery wings into the pale morning sun. The scene was so beautiful, and so very like the plains he remembered from before he'd left to fight. It fired up his spirit seeing it, and the prince, no, the King, ascended a small hill nearby and roared, a deep, powerful sound that he hoped would be heard by one of his kind. In it he expressed his love of his homeland, his claim as King, and his desire for others to join and follow him under his leadership. A new era was beginning.





Lord, I pray you, leave me more than ashes and tears

[Stella]

As the breeze whispered through the grass, bringing with it the smell of sunrise, the world was finally at peace. This peace was potentially temporary, and there was a pointed tension in the air, but it was peace nonetheless. The wars had ended, for now, and though the proud Ferajas had been forced to abandon their invasions, ambushes, and domination of the land, they still thrived. And among them was a slender female with a humble, happy soul. She knew nothing significant about the battles that had ravaged the earth. She knew only of laughter and sunshine, despite her unhappy past.

Her peers were inspired by her and recognized her not only because she was beautiful, but because there was always a smile on her dainty face. Her ears were always alert and excited, and she seemed to bounce as she walked. The spring in her step, the sparkle in her eyes, these were her trademarks. Though she tiptoed past many of the more serious elders and tried to behave more elegantly around her king, the rest of the pack was prey to her endless laughter and jokes.

Though she typically adored company, she had wandered off in the night, away from the pack, towards the forest. She had been more solemn than usual for several days awaiting the return of the king. The two of them had grown up together, though she had always been younger and he had often pushed her away. She worried for his safety, and knew that the peace treaties, though she was prepared to embrace them with a smile, had probably wounded him. She knew him well, but his serious, dignified nature had kept her at bay the past few years, even more so when he became her king, and was no longer a prince with limited responsibility but unlimited potential. She chuffed quietly as she stirred from her sleep, showing long, pristine canines when a yawn filled her lungs with sweet morning air.

In the distance, mist was rising from the forest's dark front line of trees. From here, Felicity could smell the leaves and soil, a strange, curious smell. She'd never ventured into the forest, not since she was a very young cub, and her mother had brought her through the dark, canopied territory to leave her with her current pack. Mother always did like working alone. I must have slowed her down in that climate, Felicity thought to herself, stretching her lithe body luxuriously. Refreshed from her quiet, lonely night, she turned away from the trees, trying to pick up her pack's scent to return to them. She was grumbling to herself that the wind was against her when a rumbling sound filled the air. The king.

Her heart racing, she turned back to the trees, back towards the sound, and took off at a sprint. She unfolded her leathery wings and as they snapped open, her momentum pushed her into the air on an updraft of wind. She gained altitude quickly and pressed forward against the drafts until she could spot her king below her. She returned his call from the air, her higher, more melodious voice barely reaching the grass. Her body quivering excitedly, she dropped lazily from the sky, until her paws touched the earth only a hundred feet from her monarch. She approached him slowly, her head bowed submissively. "My liege," she said softly, trying not to grin, as she reached him and sat before him. "You have returned."

[Goanna]

As he stood, casting his fiercely proud gaze over his father's- no, no, he had to tell himself, they were his lands now- Pascha couldn't help but think back to the war. Friends had fallen, and many trophies in the form of scars had been received. He himself had been such a recipient; a long, narrow gash from a kirefu horn ran its way across the bridge of his nose and down the side of his muzzle. It symbolised for him the past year or two, summed it up precisely. With it, he hoped, brought back a better leader, a more experienced fellow than he had been. He could almost laugh at how immature he'd been back then. How everything had changed. How he'd realised he really did have something to fight for.

Pascha breathed in deeply, his mind bringing forward a more recent time, being the council. He couldn't stand being forced to agree with his enemies, and having to settle this dispute with words instead of teeth. Still, even he could bring himself to admit that a time of peace would be beneficial to everyone. They could recoup their numbers, build their strengths up again... for nothing though. No one would dare defy the spirits who had blessed them with this glorious country, no.

He sniffed, breathed deeply again, and set off, walking once more. True, he could fly, and spot the others from overhead, but Pascha found the feeling of grass between his toes to be soothing, and he wanted to draw himself back into the land slowly. He was not one for grand entrances. A whoosh of wings overhead caught his attention, and the sturdy feline glanced upwards, expecting to see a bird of some description. Perhaps an eagle or a vulture? The feraja King was taken aback, then, to see that it was not a bird, but one of his own kind. One who was responding to him in a female's voice. A distinctly familiar female voice. Pascha squinted at the figure as it approached and landed elegantly in the dewy grass.

His eyesight focused when she was some paces away, and recognised her at last. Felicity, one of the more... cheerful of his subjects. Indeed she seemingly bounded towards him with the usual bounce in her step. What was she doing out here though? His people did not often come near the forest, preferring to live by the high, lonely cliffs. Pascha glanced around him but spotted no others. Then she had come alone. But why? Had she known he was coming? His musings reached a conclusion though, they must have known he was coming. Most of them had returned before the council had begun. It was him and only an advisor or two who remained to be seen.

The lean female looked positively radiant as she bowed before him, but then she always had. There was something about her smile, for she always glowed with happiness, and nothing really could bring her down. This was, Pascha thought, a sign of youth and foolishness, and he had often wondered in their youths if she could ever take things seriously. Thus he was surprised when she submitted to him, greeting him respectfully and then joining him at his side. He sat beside her, and eyed her curiously, having fully missed the humour sparkling in her eyes as she'd spoken to him. I have, he rumbled gravely, and I am glad to return to a follower. For a brief instant his eyes flashed a silent thank you to her. She could not know, but one of the King's greatest worries, that had pressed on his heart during his return trip, was the thought of his people refusing to accept his lead. Her simple words meant a great deal to him. Where there was one follower, there were bound to be others. She could help him to find them. Felicity, where are the others?

[ooc: we'll put that he's just making his claim as King now, and it should have a capital letter cause he's inherited the position. Sorry for late reply ;m;]