(Final WC 4,869) Personal Rp between Keantha & Andranis
It had been years now, years of running and hiding, of sacrificing what she loved and longed for most to keep them safe. She had given up her best friend, and her beloved boys with the hopes they would be safe from this demon that haunted her steps. It was time though, they weren't helpless foals anymore and if they needed to, they could defend themselves and each other.
It was a long, tough journey from the icy snow lands of the north, chasing rumors of her sons and their father all the while dodging the she-demon that still hunted Morana's trail but as she entered the dessert, she felt hope for the first time in a long time. She didn't know how she knew but she knew they were here.
Waiting for nightfall when it would be cooler, Morana ventured out once the moon rose in the clear night sky. Slipping into her vixen shape, her brilliant coat shone in the moonlight. She perked her ears listening before setting off in the direction her heart told her to go. Tonight she would find her boys and nothing or no one would stop her.
Meanwhile, not too far away Will'o groans flopping over onto his other side. The young fox shifter had been restless all day much to the annoyance of Rhiannon. Even his father's seemingly endless patience was wearing thin as the young male was keeping everyone awake.
Grumbling, Wisp lifted his head and glared at his brother. "Will'o, will you stop doing that? You're making it hard to sleep!" He loved his brother, his dear and beloved twin, the... Was Will'o the yin to his yang, or the yang to his yin? Either way, the other fox was like his other half. But that love and affection only went so far before he started to grow tired of it. He shifted, trying to get comfortable to try and get some sleep. Large ears moved, though, listening for anything else. If he was awake, he might as well, right?
After a few minutes, he sighed, then lifted his head and looked at Will'o. "Mom would know how to help you sleep..." The memories were growing fuzzy, but they were still there. He still remembered, how their mother had been able to get the twins to sleep with little effort. Oh, their father did his best, he really did, but the coyote just didn't have the skill their mother did. He missed her, deeply, and hated that they had to be left with their father by her. But it was for their safety, after all.
Some distance behind the vixen, a larger paw came down next to a print left in the dirt. Bending down, a dark snout got close before the teal nose sniffed. A low growl came from the owner, before the cat lifted her head, a stub of a tail up as she stared out across the expanse before her. "I'm coming, little vixen... You're leading me to them, aren't you?" A wicked grin crept across her face, as she thought of the squeal of both young and adult foxes under her claws and teeth. It would be so satisfying, to finally snuff out the bloodline. In no hurry, she started padding along the trail, tail swishing some as she walked.
Will'o whined faintly giving Wisp an apologetic look, "Sorry, sorry, sorry," He chittered uneasily as his large ears flicked to and fro, tail swishing anxiously. "I just...I feel like we should be out there. Under the moon! That something is calling me!"
"It is," Rhiannon appeared from the dark of the cave the scent of smoke and death hanging around the necromancer as she looked down at the two young foxes. "Death is on the night wind and it calls to you both this night. If you do not face it, you will lose something precious. What it is, I cannot tell you, only that without you both it will be lost."
Will'o's eyes widened in shock as his mouth dropped open a bit. They had seen Rhiannon read the bones for clients before, even once for their father, but never for free and never for them. He gave Wisp a look before getting to his feet. "Where must we go? Can dad come with us?"
"This is a battle for you two alone. Success or failure lies on you both. Follow the wind's call and it will lead you." With her words delivered, the witch padded back into the dark of the cave.
Wisp startled as he heard Rhiannon. Such a SILENT witch! He looked over, ears going back and tail flopping back and forth as he stared at her. He swallowed, listening to her words, then looked at Will'o. Something precious would be lost? But death was on the night... He got up, going and nuzzling his brother. "I have you, brother, don't worry..." He could feel the breeze, now that she mentioned the wind, and could smell all the scents that it brought with it. "Come on, we should see where the wind takes us, shouldn't we?" Whatever it was, it surely couldn't wait this night.
Which, not waiting for a reply, Wisp went trotting out into the open desert night air. He stopped outside, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes back up, he looked around at how the moonlight cast its glow upon the lands around them. What usually was familiar looking was bathed in a pale light, unlike the blazing heat of the sun. Everything seemed to glow, including the chains decorating his chest and the charm firmly secured to his forehead. If he listened carefully, he could hear Chaos and Strife sleeping nearby. A quick glance in their direction, and he silently decided he wasn't waking them up.
Will'o noticed his glance and murmured softly, "She said it was for us alone brother." He didn't know what they would find as everything precious to them was in the cave already, wasn't it? He shifted into his fox shape and padded out silently beside his brother. Two dark shadows against the pale sand. Closing his turquoise-colored eyes, Will'o opened his senses up to the night, letting the night fill him. He couldn't say what drove him but before long he started off, something calling him that he couldn't hear but felt.
A few miles away, a whitish shape slipped over the dunes, for all the world looking like a bit of starlight had come to the Earth. Morana could feel the tug deep in her heart. She was on the path to her boys and however this night ended, it would end together.
He nodded, turning away from the sleeping wolves. Watching his brother for a moment, the other fox did the same, shifting into his own fox shape. The desert sands were cool under his paws as he followed, keeping silent from his usual yipping. This night felt different like something deeper was happening. He didn't feel the same pull as Will'o seemed to, but he did recognize that it wasn't a situation to run and yell and laugh in. Whatever it was, it was serious, serious enough for the witch to give them a bone reading of her own volition. As he moved, his ears continued to move to and fro, listening before and behind them, nose twitching as he took in the scents of the night animals.
Clan Stalker continued her easy pace, still in no hurry to pounce upon the fox. Her prize was coming, it would still be there when she arrived, and it would be all the sweeter. She paused as a moth fluttered before her face, lip curling back. "Disgusting little creature..." She reared back, claws coming up to end the insect's life. It lay in the dirt as she walked away, legs giving futile twitches as she left it behind.
Normally Will'o followed Wisp's lead, content to let his louder and boisterous brother direct them, but this time Will'o's steps were sure and steady. He didn't even open his eyes, letting whatever was guiding him lead the way. Topping a dune he suddenly stopped, blinking as he looked around confused, "It's stopped...The call, it's..." His mouth clicked shut seeing something glowing slipping between the far dunes. It wasn't close enough for him to see what it was yet, but he just knew whatever that figure was, it was what had called to him.
Stopping next to his brother, Wisp looked around. The dunes, like everything else, were painted in the glowing white light of the moon above. Here and there he saw both mundane animals and sentient doing their things of the night. Hares, making a mad dash to their dens, mice darting between sparse vegetation as owls stalked them. In the distance, he thought he spotted desert pronghorns playing amongst the sands. But what caught his eye most of all was the figure in the distance, glowing like the stars above. He shifted, eyes narrowing as he tried to get a better look. "Who do you think that is...?"
"It's what was calling me." Without another word, Will'o headed down the dune straight towards the glowing figure. He didn't know what this was, only that it was what they had been sent to find. Something in the back of his mind, something so far distant he couldn't name it said he knew what this was, that once this had been his whole world..even more so than Wisp, but that couldn't be right. Nothing was more important than his beloved twin!
Wisp tilted his head, watching his brother go, then hurried after. As they got closer, his nose continued to twitch, trying to smell who it was. Were they somebody the twins knew? Were they somebody new? They had to be safe if Will'o was drawn to them, but how would this go? A memory tickled his brain, smelling the hints of the stranger's scent, but he couldn't place it. Where had he smelled this before?
Morana's head snapped up as the cool night wind brought her the scent of two male shifters. For a moment her ears pressed back but as the dark shapes grew closer, her breath caught in her chest. She knew those jewels. She had kissed them tenderly, pressing them into the brows of her beloved kits before their eyes even opened. A loud whine spilled from her, as her tail started wagging wildly, bolting towards them. She'd finally found them, her boys!
Will'o's ears snapped completely upright as his head came up from the hunting slink he had sunk into. He blinked a few times in shock as the glowing figure was finally close enough to see it was a vixen, her coat reflecting the blues, green, and purples that he remembered once dancing across the sky in the icy cold place he had been born. Maybe she was someone who had known them then? Clearly, she knew them somehow!
Standing up more as well, Wisp watched the vixen, head tilting again. As she got closer, clearly excited, he sniffed toward her, still trying to figure out who this was. It was there, just there, on the tip of his tongue. He knew that he had to know who this was, that their smell was somehow familiar, but he couldn't place it. He started towards her, though, because that familiarity was drawing him in, drawing him closer. It was drawing him to... Something. Now he understood, at least, why Will'o had chased by that feeling of needing to be somewhere.
Morana broke into a dead sprint unable to handle the distance anymore. She knew she was being loud, likely enough that the one stalking her could hear but it was second place to the joy filling her. She yipped and wiggled all over as she skidded to a stop in front of them, nearly bowling them over with her joy, tail wagging wildly as she yipped and chittered, "Will'o! Wisp!"
Startled at the near collision, Will'o balked a bit, even more so when she said their names. How?! How did she know them? And why did he know her voice?! "Who are you?!"
Wisp jumped as the vixen ran at them, dodging before he could be plowed over. His eyebrows were up as he watched her, tail puffed for a moment in alarm. How did she know them?! The only vixens he remembered were Rhiannon and-- Wisp stopped. His nostrils flared as he took this vixen in, her exuberance at seeing them, how she knew their names, the familiarity in the ring of her voice, and how familiar her scent was. His sides started to heave as he stared at her, eyes wide, remembering a gentle voice, lulling them to sleep in a warm den, as the wind howled outside. He swallowed, then took a careful step forward. "I... Will'o, it's... I think it's..." He didn't dare say the words, lest he wake up and this be a dream.
Between one breath an the next the vixen shifted, their own silvery blue eyes glittering down at them, the silver jewelry that had always adorned their body, that their father had made them swear to protect graced the mare, the jewel that glittered in blue and green that each twin knew graced their brow...
"Mom," Will'o croaked in shock his tail puffing up. He whimpered even as he too shifted. He barely remembered her, their eyes having been only opened a few days when their father had to take them and run. He remembered nuzzling into soft glowing fur and a dark hide but had she always been so small?
"My boys, oh my boys I've finally found you." Morana sobbed softly as she nuzzled Will'o then Wisp tears running down her cheeks.
Shifting as well, Wisp hurriedly buried his face into her fur, choking on a sob of elation. She was here! Their mother was here, with them again! It had been so long, they'd been so small. "You... You had to... You had to leave us..." There were no accusations against her in his words - He knew, both deep down and in more present parts of his mind, that it had been for their safety. "We thought we'd never see you again..." There was that part of him, deeper down, that had thought - Maybe she was dead, maybe she'd been killed. And there was that nasty little thought that maybe she didn't want them anymore. But he knew deep in his heart that she had left them with Jack so they'd be protected.
"I prayed to the Gods every day that one day I could come back to you, that I would find you again," Morana nuzzled them tenderly doing her best to curl around them, pressing nuzzles and soft nudges against their cheeks and neck. Oh, how her beloved boys had grown! "you've gotten so big!"
Will'o sniffled but had to laugh, "Well yeah mama, that happens when you grow up. We couldn't stay kits forever, no matter what dad says."
"You're father is still with you? He is alright?" She asked worriedly.
Will'o nods smiling at her sad but kindly, "He is a wonderful dad mama. He's taken such good care of us and he loves us so much. We never did without anything, well except for you."
"Oh Will'o..." She whimpered nuzzling him then Wisp. "My boys."
He cuddled into the vixen and listened to them. Letting out a pleasant little sigh, Wisp nuzzled into their mother's fur again, ears twitching. "And Rhiannon's not so bad a... Whatever she is." He was hesitant to say 'stepmother' since... Was she even actually the coyote's mate? "So... If you're here, does that mean it's safe now? We can be a full family again?"
"Rhiannon? Who is..."At the rest of his question, she sighed ears flicking back, "No, I just...she is getting close. Too close. I will have to face her soon, but I couldn't face her without seeing you boys at least once more. To know you survived, that you've grown into such wonderful stallions, it makes it all worth it."
Will'o's ears flicked back as he frowned, "Mama, you don't have to face whoever this 'her' is alone! Let us stand by your side! We aren't kits anymore."
"No! Absolutely not! I will not put you, boys, in greater danger. It is bad enough she might have followed me here!"
Wisp drew away, frowning. "We can help! Three against one is better odds than one on one!" For all he knew, whoever she was, was bigger, and somebody bigger against just one fox was not going to end well for the fox. Then he paused, frowning. "Who even is it that's chasing you?"
Oh, damn these dunes... Clan Stalker crested one, after much sinking in the sand, and then grinned. Oh, she had lead the feline right to them! Now the ultimate question was, did she announce her arrival, or did she wait for them to notice? After all, such a dark figure as herself would pop out against the moonlit sands of the desert. Ah, but she loved to see the realization and panic as she got closer to her prey and they saw she was there. It could also mean a swift death and less effort on her part if she could sneak up on them. Mind made up, she began down the dune, following the path the vixen had laid out so wonderfully for her.
"She..." Morana's head snapped around with a vicious snarl as she caught the scent of Stalker on the wind. "No..boys you must go! NOW!"
"No! We won't leave you to face her alone," Will'o retorted baring his teeth at the approaching figure moving to box his mother in between himself and the bulk of his twin. "You don't have to be afraid mama, we're with you."
It was easy for her to forget they were no longer her defenseless kits, eyes barely open to the world, wiggling and squeaking unable to form words. Now two fierce young stallions, both taller and heavier than her stood ready to face down the evil that had haunted her for far too long. "A..alright...Together."
When he smelled the scent on the wind that brought their mother such alarm, Wisp's fur bristled, both on and under his pelt. He moved around the vixen with his brother, his own lips curling back to bare his teeth. "She can't fight ALL of us!" He was glad, now, that they'd gotten some of their size from their sire, coyotes weighing in far more than a fox did. They weren't wolf-sized, but they were certainly big enough, especially together.
"Oh, this is.... So precious." Giving up the sneak, the cat shifter pranced closer, ears and tail up as she grinned at them. "You really think you can fight me? I'm the CLAN STALKER, I eliminate bloodlines!" At the last words, the grin turned into a snarl, the feline heading for them. She'd been trailing them for so long and she was so close to removing this branch of the bloodline, and then it would be on to the next member. "Maybe I'll go after that coyote next, too. AFTER I finish with you!"
For as long as she could remember, Morana had feared this beast. The cruel cat that had taken mother from her, father, her sisters but now..."No." Her voice was pure steel as she stood her ground taking a step forward. "You will NOT touch my sons."
Will'o gave an almost cruel cackling yip as he traded looks with Wisp, oh this b***h thought she could intimidate them? "A stalker? You have to trail your prey like some weak craven scavenger? We are the light in the shadows that will lead to your doom. We are the dark moon children, we are the spirits of the night, and WE. DO. NOT. FEAR. YOU!" He bared teeth more like a coyote's than a fox as he roared a challenge at her, not in the least frightened of the approaching cat.
She snarled, lips curling back to bare her long canines. "I stalk because I am persistent in my goal. But if you think you can take me..." Shifting her stance, Clan Stalker prepared herself for a fight. If this was what it would take to eliminate the line, it was what she would have to do.
Wisp snarled and snapped his teeth at the feline. Oh, he knew, he knew she was underestimating them. They fought like coyotes with the wit and agility of foxes, moving as a pack like wolves. They would not back down and they didn't plan on losing this fight. The Stalker might have size, power, and experience on her side, but Wisp's calculations told him that they had the better odds. Size, power, and experience meant little in the face of multiple opponents, something Chaos and Strife and taught them already.
"No more." Morana snarled, pinning her ears back as her tail lashed. Stalking forward a bit she growled at Stalker, "You have been a specter that has haunted my steps since the day I was born but I am running no longer. You will not break me nor will you touch my sons."
Will'o grinned wildly, the expression savage as he paced at his mother's side. Foxes they had been born but they were pack raised and taught. Even now he could hear his father's words in his head. 'When you fight for your life, don't fight fair. Fight to win' With that in mind, the big stallion waited for Stalker's attention to be drawn to Morana before shifting to bolt towards her. Jack had always said the boys got their mother's grace and ability to slip from one shape to another like breathing. Using this to his advantage, Will'o crossed the white-painted sands between them like a shot, returning to his full size just in time to SLAM into Stalker with his entire body. Small foxed they may be, but they weren't small stallions.
His snarl changed to a grin as Will'o moved out of the corner of his eye. He darted after his brother, using the same tactic - Shifting as he launched and then shifting again to slam the cat from the other side. He twisted, teeth out as he aimed to bite the cat, intent on more grievous damage-
His teeth met air as the cat shifted out of their reach
Clan Stalker snarled, grunting as she was hit by one fox and then another. When one went to bite, she shifted, using her smaller form to avoid the bite. Twisting around, she aimed claws at... She had no idea which one, she just blindly swiped. She wasn't used to facing more than one opponent, preferring to n** off others one on one where she could have the advantage. But she wasn't about to back down from a challenge, either.
"Too slow," Will'o taunted shrinking into his fox form before her claws could connect and popping back into his stallion shape to lunge for her hind legs. "Must be from neglecting yourself. Too long just stalking prey like a vulture wouldn't you say, brother?"
"Oh I quite agree!" Wisp shifted again as well, aiming for the Stalker's front. A zing of thrill ran up his spine as his ears were filled with a yowl and blood graced his tongue as sharp teeth sank into the meat of the feline shifter's shoulder. The pain that exploded across his own vulpine shoulder was well worth it as he snarled and gave a shake of his head as if to tear flesh from his body.
This was not going according to plan! Clan Stalker yowled, pain exploding on one of her back legs and on her shoulder, and she twisted to swat at at least one of the sources. Her claws connected first with a shoulder, and then as the fox gripping her shoulder shook his head, she aimed sharp claws at his face, trying to detach those teeth from her flesh. "You WRETCHED little WHELPS! LET GO OF ME AT ONCE!"
Only her strike never had a chance to land as it was caught in a strong set of jaws that crunched down and shook like a fox would a rabbit. Morana snarled around the paw she was maining, not caring at the claws digging into her cheek. This b***h would NOT strike her son!
Will'o gave that wild yipping cry of wicked glee again he released the leg he had bitten to go after the other one, intent on hamstringing her. "Poor kitten, having trouble?" His voice was cruel and mocking.
Rage filled Clan Stalker as she struggled, trying to yank her paw free. Her ears were flat against her skull as she swiped her other forepaw at Morana's face, trying to get her to let go.
Wisp finally let go of the shoulder, licking his maw, then curled his lips back to snarl at the feline, "You should run, and never show your face here." He leaned in close, not caring of the risk to his face. "And if you do show your face, we'll rip you apart."
Morana bit down as hard as she could, hearing the crunching of the small bones under her strong jaws even as claws raked down her cheek. She let go with a yip, leaping back but still hissed, and chattered teeth bared at the cat. Her poofy tail lashed behind her with her own ears pinned flat back. She would kill her before Stalker touch her boys.
Will'o sneered as he too danced away to join his twin and mother with a cruel sneer, "Oh no, please stay. Maybe if we bring your hide to Rhiannon she'll give us a reward. After all, I'd love to see what a necromancer could do with that."
Clan Stalker hissed at them, edging away as best she could. She'd clearly overestimated her ability to win this fight and had the good sense the spirits gave a turnip to back down. Instead of gracing them with words, she turned tail and fled, ignoring the pain in all but her front paw as she ran.
Puffing, Wisp gave chase, wanting to get the last bite in. But even injured, the cat proved just fast enough to stay out of his reach, and as she fled over the dunes, he finally slowed to a stop, snorting after her. When he was sure she was gone, the fox turned and pranced back to his mother and brother, ears up and looking smug. "She won't be coming back here ever again!"
Will'o meanwhile was gently licking the sluggishly bleeding claw marks on Morana's face to slow the bleeding. "Don't cry mama..please..." He whined at her tears thinking it was from the pain. "We'll get you to Rhiannon and I am sure she can stop the pain!"
"I don't have to leave," Morana sobbed softly a helpless, happy smile on her face. "I thought I would just get one last chance to see you then I would face her but now..."
His fur puffed again as Wisp hurried over, nuzzling Morana from the other side. "You don't have to worry anymore, mama!" He chittered softly at her, licking her cheek. "We get to be a family again!" It wasn't what some might define as a 'conventional' family, but it was a family regardless!
"That's right, I will never leave you, boys, again," Morana promised to nuzzle Wisp then Will'o lovingly. She didn't know what the future would bring, but she knew now it would have her and her sons together once more.
Will'o gave a happy whine as he nuzzled her and Wisp unable to speak he was so happy. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he'd get to reunite with his mother while they both still lived but now. A happy croon worked its way from his throat as he shifted back to his fox form falling over to wiggle, his tail wagging between his legs. When Morana shifted and nudged him gently he jumped back to his feet chittering, "Let's go home."
Wisp smiled, nuzzling into his mother again. "Yeah, home."
Morana crooned happily as she followed Will'o and Wisp off into the darkness content that everything in her world was finally right once more. She had her sons and would once again have her best friend back in her life. Life was perfect.
MEANWHILE IN THE CAVE
Rhiannon regarded the bones with disgust before huffing. She trotted out into the cave proper, letting her icy blue eyes scan the darkness before finding the lump of fur that was Jack. Padding over she promptly stepped on him bluntly telling him, "Wake up, your baby mama is gonna be here and you need to find her bedding."