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Skill: Rune Hunting (Ranger)

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Beneath the faded moonlight and the star-lit sky, Amaris wandered further into the darkness that surrounded Elysium. Into the forest and down the twisting path of water that all but called to him and his presence. What had once been a place of solace had now turned into a place of misery. His lungs still ached from the water he had consumed previously, his tongue still throbbing from the sweet ingestion he should have denied.

He could not help himself.

Not even as his paws continued to wander down the side of the twisting river.

But he held himself back as much as he could. Ignoring plainly the pull his body felt and the urge that thrived within him to consume.

Instead, he searched for these whispered promises of runes; the items his mother spoke about, the tokens in which this Dream Visitor begged them to find. He did not know what they looked like or what it was that he searched for—but for the sanity of not just himself, but his mothers and pack members, he searched.

Endlessly.

And throughout the night.

Rune Discovery : 「Fail!」
Daddy Discovery: 「Accidental success oh no」

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The rapids shone like rivers of mercury as beams of moonlight broke through the thin layer of clouds. It would look beautiful to those that are unaware of its current affliction. The closer you examine it, the more prominent the depths appear: a poison-like purple as opposed to its original blue.

Your efforts to locate a rune appear to be fruitless, it is only you and the deadly water that emits an oddly sweet scent. There’s an urge to lick your lips, even though you are aware of the danger, your stomach growls as it yearns for a single taste. Logic battles a primal piece of your animalistic nature you are not used to fighting against. How could your body be craving a thing you knew was not safe?

It would be best to leave, to retire for the night and continue your rune search when the sun rises for a new day…

But then, you hear it; an ominous sloshing sound unlike any animal or object you can identify. What was causing such a noise? Whatever it was, your fur prickled in response and a chill radiated in your bones. This was what it felt like to be hunted…

The reassuring shield of the Dream Visitor seemed to tremble like cracking static, as if they were attacking a new found barrier that stood between you and them, barring your connection. While you can not hear their voice, you can sense the frantic urgency they are feeling at this moment. They are fearful, they are angry, they are desperate.

The ominous sloshing continued, a dense dripping of something thick and sticky came next. You can’t help wanting to look… to see what this potential monster was, but somewhere deep within, you knew that it would be a bad idea.

Everything grew quiet and still within the blink of an eye, even your heart seemed to stop. A familiar voice screamed in your mind, snapping you from your trance. RUN, Yia nad ali run! (RUN, you need to run!) the Dream Visitor was protecting you, but form what? Their presence seemed to be yanked away as soon as they finished their warning.

skill: seer - skill logged

Sleep did not come as easily as it once did to the Daystar. Usually, when the day was said and done, so was she. Yet, in recent times, it laid darker than ever. Shadows overtook the valley; plants wilted away, colors faded, and the plague's rot and ruin had seeped into the water sources. The situation was dire, that much was easy to see. Runes had been hard to come by, and more visions of dread had overtaken Aelia's dreams. Dehydration and insomnia made up the frenzied version of the Daystar, searching, searching, searching, and all she'd found was... Nothing.

Blankly, her mind slipping away from her, the white noise of the river soothed the edges of her brain; she might have been able to fall asleep if it weren't for the tempting draw of the acidic water. Of course, she does not sip, yet stares into the depths, the draw of it so strong, yet her will holding her back.

A glimmer sparks hope in her peripheral view — something to grab her attention, someone who always would.' Her heart stung, she missed him. Was this the Five's way of making them run into one another? This bordering dream-like state that Aelia found herself phasing in and out of?

Maybe there would have been a grand reunion in store for the twins — that is, if it hadn't entered the scene. It began with a sloshing; a noise that radiated through Aelia's bones and resulted like a shock, her fur prickled on end as she felt seen in a way she'd ever known before by praying to the Five — yet something held it back, held her gaze down, her stance now huddled like a small child hiding from a monster who crept in the closet, waiting for the perfect time to bust out...

'RUN,' was all Aelia needed to hear to snap out of it. The sentence barely finished before she laid her eyes on Amaris again, bolting towards her twin like a strike of lightning — not even the threat of sure demise would stop her from protecting the Moon.

She slammed herself like a stone into his shoulder. If he was still under the fear-mongering monster's presence, then she would be the one to snap him from it, You heard them, Amaris, RUN.

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Skill: Soothsayer

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Exhaustion had become his fated friend, a dear ol’ companion that sidled up beside him and draped its weary head across his own. Amaris could feel that welcomed presence even as his paws trudged along the winding riverside. It urged him to close his eyes, to think of softening, dream-like thoughts, and to snooze soundly despite the acidic stench of the water that wafted before them.

He ignored it, as much as he could, at least.

From the pull his soul all but required of him, and the sleep that wished to sweep him under.

Yet it was the sloshing of something unearthly that made even his exhaustion shrivel up and die. He paused, his heart falling to the depths of his gut as his stomach all but flipped on the spot. The sound only continued to grow, and with it, all other noise seemed to flatline.

Silence enveloped him next, as did the chills that peppered his spine. Something was behind him, a sensation far more ethereal and uncanny than the shadowed faces he often saw. He felt its ominous presence like a weight across his shoulders, a burden that only Amaris was supposed to wear—a fate destined for the likes of him—

The thing was getting closer.

And Amaris could not find the key inside himself to will himself to move.

‘RUN.’

The dream visitor’s voice was like the wind, a fluttering, softened breeze against his ears as the sloshing of something bigger grew behind him. He wanted to look. He wanted to see. Perhaps, after all this time…this was the chance he needed to speak to the darkness that often trailed behind him.

Amaris inhaled a weary breath.

He had made his choice.

Slowly, he began to turn his head, ready to face whatever monster lurked behind him, to see what type of foul-crusted demon awaited his very bated breath.

To see—

THWACK.

His body jostled beneath the weight of a racing, screaming bullet, and the moon had seen the sun. Aelia…? He mumbled through a garbled, half-dazed voice, his eyes blinking along the onslaught of his blurry-eyed attention. What are you—? And then he remembered the sloshing, the monster, the darkness that crept behind them.

He no longer wanted to meet it.

Instead, he wanted to run.

Fuck. He uttered through the clearing of his throat as he quickly scrambled behind his twin, his legs kicking off into a loping sprint. I’m running—we’re running, LETS GO.

Please be aware that continuing to interact with the Plague could lead to IC Consequences!

Amaris Aelia
Plague Effect: 「 Poisoned Water 」

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The hunt was on.

Dre Klage had done what he could in terms of barricading that damned Guardian from spoiling his task at hand. The two wolves ran, causing him to pursue like a cat with a string. This was no more than a game to him, they were no more than objects to play with and break at his leisure.

You hear the thundering of heavy footfalls, an intensity that even surpasses that of an angry bear. Running. Closer. Closer. Closer.

Suddenly, as if melting into a puddle of mud, Dre Klage’s body seeps into the earth. You can feel a shadow at your heels, the vibrations of chomping teeth nearly grabbing your paws as you sprint.

And then silence.

You no longer feel like you’re being hunted for sport, but it’s best you don’t stop to look back.

skill: soothsayer

The Sun and Moon smashed into one another — more like the Daystar couldn't help but become a comet and slam into the scrawn— slender rock.

'Aelia...? The blonde woman struggled to get herself to her paws in time, feeling the clock tick slower and slower as something approached, 'What are you—?' There's no time! Quickly, she shoved her shoulder into his as if to start him off —

But it didn't matter. The sloshing grew louder, the darkness thicker; she could feel the toxicity in the air, bordering on smothering, as the shadowy gaze thickened. A black ebbing aura pulsed nearby, threatening to enfold every inch of this land in its grip, but she couldn't bear to look in that direction. Her body wouldn't allow her. The ooze of the River gurgled in the distance, an underlying noise that receded to the sound of pawsteps gaining on them.

Fuck. She said, in unison with her twin, wasting no more time waiting for the monster to catch up with them. A sickness spoiled over the bottom of her stomach. The river got louder, beckoning them to stick their heads underneath the water and drink. But she wouldn't. No, she wouldn't leave Amaris. Not again. That's right, we're running! And with that, the Daystar took off, taking long, galloping strides to get away from whatever the fuck was chasing them.