[J] Caspian's Diary +Illusionist: Arrikanez+

[Ziggeroth]

This diary is meant to be private; please contact the owner before posting. This Illusionary is NOT FOR SALE, so don't ask.

Name: Caspian
Gender: Male
Illusionist: Aaron Arrikanez
D.O.B: August 15, 2006
Likes: unknown
Dislikes: unknown
Partial to: unknown

 

[Juridian Soul]

Chapter One
The First Encounter

Truthfully, Cheyanne hadn't expected in the least to be caring for a child. With all the things that were happening to him, it was a small wonder he was actually unbusy enough to do so. Being a river, he had his own little matters to attend to. Keeping himself fresh and clean, making sure his inhabitants stayed alive... that sort of thing. And dealing with humans that came to encroach on his territory. Not that he minded the company every now and again, but there was only so much that could be tolerated. After all, when one has naked young women swimming his length constantly, there tends to be an uppage of the annoyance factor. Humans were his biggest problem. Or they had been. Now, he had a little bundle of something to look after. A bundle that cooed and giggled, was ticklish, and had pretty much no defense against the outside world. Helpless like a tadpole, loud like a foghorn, and cute like a bunny. This was his baby.
Not HIS, per se. He wasn't able to have children. Spirits and embodiments tended to be like that - unless they were truly lucky and blessed with that ability by the gods above. But no. That wasn't him. Regardless of this, he did have a child. He had found him. Swirling in his currents, being drawn down toward the dark and the deep where sleep was forever. Chey had saved him. Death, to him, was a paltry thing. Something that happened inside his waters every moment of every day. But something about the child had caught his eye, and he'd carried him to safety, plucking him from the waves of the river that he was, and taking on a [albiet quite feminine] human form in order to care for him. Having a baby was a taxing job, though, as he soon found out.
Food needed to be provided, as well as medicine, and even various things to wear and toys to play with. For food, the baby ate the grasses and leaves surrounding Cheyanne's banks. He seemed happy with this arrangement. For water, he drank from Cheyanne. It was an odd experience to the embodiment, that was for sure, but he was allowed to do so. Clothing was made from the water, and spun by Chey into fine silks and satins from the magic he weaved. Toys were the fish and other game swimming about, just right for playing with. Yes, the baby's life was a good one, as was Cheyanne's. Parenthood had calmed him down some. He no longer felt the need to flood quite as often. The farms along his banks were entirely too glad for this. He didn't make boats capsize with rough waters further down his banks like he used to. This made him a much more sought out vacation spot, which Cheyanne found he didn't mind. Caspian - as Chey had dubbed the child - went about, content as a child could be. He watched the humans playing in the water, and sometimes joined them under the waves, pulling on hair and toes. Of course, the humans believed his antics to be caused by fish, and paid no mind.

There were a few things that were odd about the child, however. Things that Cheyanne felt needed to be addressed. So one morning, he gathered up his energy and courage, following the baby's intuition back to a place on land. A place that seemed to have a great deal many other children running around inside. Was this where Caspian had come from? It might have been. Cheyanne, at first, was shy. Human contact had never been his forte. Once he watched and learned, though, he found that these creatures were not quite as scary as he'd first thought. As a matter of fact, he kept a close watch on them, even going so far as to extend an invitation to his banks. Caspian seemed pleased with the arrangement, and set to giggling and carrying on the entire night before the invited persons arrived. It wound up in Cheyanne himself getting very little sleep. Not that he needed any - but he wanted to start keeping up the appearance of the humans he must now have contact with.
As the day for the meeting rolled around, Caspian began to take ill. Cheyanne was unsure as to the reasoning of this, and worried. Regardless of his child's ailment, though, he had a playdate to keep, and he met the arriving woman and her child with all the gracefulness and flowing nature he had as a river. Of course, there was the factor that the woman did not exactly know WHY she had come to the river. Cheyanne had merely anticipated her movements, and 'invited' her here by planning for the day most likely for her to visit his banks.

When Caspian and his guardian happened across them, the child - Veive - was kicking up flowers and acting bored. While the human in question - Ice - was fast asleep beneath a tree near one of Chey's banks. Veive, for whatever reason, decided to make Chey's manifestation easier by submerging her feet in his waters. The weather was dreary. Ice, however, seemed not to mind quite so much as her child did. It was then that Cheyanne appeared, forming himself from the middle of his waters, and gliding over them to meet the girl. A sick Caspian was sleeping fitfully in his arms, and he made a point not to wake the child. Both guardian and baby were wrapped in the finest silks woven of water. Cheyanne's hair for this form was long, flowing, and reminded one of the waves. His eyes were the same color as his hair, and the clothes he wore reflected the brilliant blue and green hues of a calm ocean. Stepping onto dry land, Chey shook his hair, and advanced upon the girl, who jumped away and snarled at him. Cheyanne took it in stride.

"Good morning, Miss. How may I help you this fine morning? Or rather.... is it afternoon already?"

Time had never really been one of the river's strong points. He did not know what time of the day it really was. Seeing no harm in it, Chey set Caspian down. This woke him up, and the ill baby began to crawl toward the human sleeping under the tree.
By this point, the girl seemed to have recovered, and looked quite indignant about being treated in such a manner. That is, being scared by Cheyanne's arrival in the way that he had orchestrated it. Her snarl died down into a soft growl, and the odd, lapine-like ears that she possessed stood straight up, twitching as if to catch a sound.

"Just turned afternoon. And I was fine until you came and scared me half to death." she said, swishing her tail back and forth.

Well, now that had not been the intention. Cheyanne brushed his hair back with a casual gesture. No matter how hard he focused on the manifestation, his form always included hair that seemed to flow with the current of his watery self. No amount of natural magic could fix that. Said hair flowed through the air as he canted his head to one side. Apologies, it seemed were in high order.

"I am terribly sorry for frightening you. I assure you, I do not mean you any harm." he said, before motioning to the baby. "My son wanted some fresh air, and thus I brought him to this place. My name is Cheyanne. That child is Caspian. You are?"

He believed that this was the proper manner of introducing one's self. He wasn't entirely sure that it WAS proper... but it seemed like the right thing to do. Like what every other human he had witness making an introduction did.

"Veive." the girl replied. "That's Ice over there under the tree. She's my Guardian."

The rabbit-girl turned, and watched Caspian slowly making his way over to her guardian, the annoyance on her face being replaced with concern and a little curiosity.

"Is he another Illusion? Like me?" she asked.

An Illusion? Well, certainly, Caspian seemed real enough to Chey. And this girl did not seem like a trick of the light or a tease of magic. He tilted his head to one side in the manner of a puppy who doesn't understand a command.

"An Illusion? No, I assure you he is quite real. As you appear to be. Why do you call yourself an Illusion?"

It was a question he sincerely wanted an answer to.

"This I am most curious about..."

"I'm aware that I'm real..." the girl began, "...It's just what we've been called I guess because of the way we start off."

Before he could even ask, she launched into an explanation.

"Like, I'm from a different world but I was exiled cause I was bad." she paused, studying the ground. ""My sister's here too but I don't know what she did. Anyways..." she looked back up at Cheyanne, continuing. ""...We all kinda...just appear here. So I guess that's why we're called Illusions...cause no one really knows how we got here. I guess he isn't one though if you don't know what they are...."

Actually, Chey believed he may have been. Caspian, after all, had simply appeared in his river one morning. The decision to take him in had been spontaneous. Perhaps like this girl was describing. Meanwhile, Caspian had reached his destination. He sat down, and watched the woman sleep. After a moment, Ice jerked, and became aware of the baby near her.

""What the...? Where did you come from?!" she exclaimed, sitting up and watching Cheyanne and Veive.

Chey thought about the circumstances of Caspian's retrieval, and related them to Veive.

"I found the child drowning by the riverbank, and saved him. He did not appear to have any parents around, nor did he appear... er.... Entirely solid."

That was true, too. Although he had first dismissed it as a trick of the light, he had to admit that the first time he had laid eyes on his child, the baby had been... decidedly hazy and see-through. It gave credence to what Veive was describing.

"Really? Then he might be one I guess....." The girl said with a twitch of her ears. "You know, I never really thought about why we're called Illusions. Doesn't make much sense if we're real does it?"

Thinking about that for a moment, Chey dismissed it with a wave of his hand, and a toss of his head, parting his hair with his fingers. He walked over to retrieve his baby, laughing quietly as he scooped him into his arms, and turned toward Veive again.

"He's just learning how to crawl. Despite that, he tends to get into everything, and around anything."

Small talk now. Talk that people usually made. Human people. The kind of people that Cheyanne was most definitely not. Caspian cooed in agreement, and chewed on the pendant that had been around his neck since Chey found him. Moving back over to Veive, the river looked down at his child in a motherly fashion.

"To tell the truth, I really have no idea what I'm doing. I've never cared for a baby before. I've been told to take him to a doctor about his coughing..."

Not entirely truth, there. He hadn't been talked to by anyone about the subject. But he had seen similar instances playing out on his banks, and had wondered just what a 'doctor' was. Asking right out would seem odd, if he were supposed to be human. So he disguised the query as something entirely different. Caspian started to cough, almost on cue, and curled into his father's arms with a quiet whimper. Cheyanne's gaze turned worried.

"I can't exactly leave the land, you see... Can't go into the city for... reasons."

What those reasons were, he dare not tell this child. The parent, Ice, had woken up, and slowly made her way over. She continued his train of thought from earlier with another anecdote.

"I'm really no good with babies myself. Luckily Veive was a little fox cub when she was younger....I'm much better with animals."

That was all well and good, and Cheyanne was thankful for the discourse. But there was the matter of a sick child to be dealt with. A matter that Cheyanne had no idea how to approach.

"He's sick..." Veive explained. "But I don't think it's really serious. Is he...connected to the water somehow?"

Astute observation. Intelligent girl. He had to divert the question somehow. So he used plan B. Feign ignorance on the matter.

"That's a good question. I never actually thought to check that with anyone..." he replied, hoping no one would catch the lie.

This was exciting! He'd never had this sort of conversation before. It was almost intoxicating. Caspian interrupted his train of thought by grabbing a fistful of hair, and attempting to eat it. Lunch time already?

"Hey there, kiddlet... that's mine. Not food." Chey scolded lightly.

Veive seemed to be second-guessing herself, her expression softening, and a schoolgirl giggle coming from her as she spoke.

""Well...I'm not really sure...but I think he is. I don't know how at all...it's just..." she sighed. "...I just think he is I guess."

Cheyanne didn't know why the girl seemed so reluctant to make a commitment to her previous statement. A statement that was TRUE. But it wasn't like Chey was going to make them a map to the truth. It was a dangerous truth. Caspain's coughing again caught Chey's attention, and his entire mind was forced to dedicate itself to the problem of his child. He rocked the child back and forth. Crying was something that Cheyanne never did... but he was beginning to get so frustrated and worried that tears were threatening to run down his cheeks.

"There, there... Shhh... You're alright... I'm here... Shhshhh...."

Vieve and Ice watched Cheyanne and Caspian for a few moments, before Ice realized what was wrong, and seemed to come up with an idea.

"Oh, I have cough medicine back at the house!! Have you tried any of that yet?" she suggested.

"Ma'am, I don't.... What exactly IS cough medicine?" Cheyanne responded.

He was thinking of what HE used when he got like this. Seaweed and algae. It was the very best thing to cure a river. But he hadn't tried it on the baby...

"Umm...basically it's medicine that makes you stop coughing for a little while. You drink a certain amount of it and stops the cough for a few hours." Ice explained.

That was what he'd thought. That's what he used the seaweed and algae for. Perhaps just the seaweed... He'd been feeding the child seaweed syrup - seaweed and other herbs in thick water - since he had found him. It didn't appear to help his cough any.

"In other words, it is like seaweed syrup? That, I have been feeding him, but he still will not stop coughing for more than a few moments. I fear for his health at this point."

And he did. He didn't know what to do, and if he were doing anything wrong, his favorite... ONLY child... may very well die.

"Seaweed syrup?" Veive interjected, expressing her distaste with an wrinkled nose.

Ice ignored her, and continued in her explanation.

"Well, I have a few different kinds at our house if your interested in trying them. I don't think it's anything too serious though...besides the cough he looks perfectly healthy."

The other guardian smiled at Chey, and the river was confused. How could he be healthy with a cough? It didn't make sense to him. Sick was sick, so far as he was concerned. He was, however, willing to try her remedy, if it would cure his 'son'. Nervously, he shifted his weight, and looked her in the eyes.

"Alright - I'll come with you. Just give me a moment to change into more comfortable things? I won't be but five minutes. I just have to go behind that tree over there to change."

Not entirely the truth. He had to recast his manifestation. It would fall apart halfway there, if not, and Ice and Veive would be left with a puddle of water they couldn't explain, and a baby.

"Watch him for me?" Chey asked, handing Caspian over to Ice.

While he was behind the tree, the other two discussed things, and Veive spoke up.

"Our house is just behind that waterfall...so it's not very far..." she said, gesturing somewhere out in the general direction.

Chey was glad of that. If it were just beyond his banks, he may be able to sustain the form for longer than usual. He finished re-manifesting, and emerged in different 'clothing'. A long robe of the same blues and greens as before, as well as a pair of soft green-blue slippers. The entire ensemble made him look a tidbit oriental.

I do hope this suits. It's far more comfortable for me... " he explained, taking back his child from Ice.

"As long as your comfortable, then I would say it suits." Ice said, eying the new clothing.

Veive was eying the new cloth too, and seemed fascinated by the colors and patterns.

"Veive, come here and stop that." Ice scolded.

Veive moved over to her mother in an apparently sulky mood, and Cheyanne started to follow them, cradling Caspian close. The baby had once more fallen asleep.

"Will we be going far?" Cheyanne asked, a bit worried.

It looked like it was going to rain. Rain, he could not keep his form in, as it was water, and broke the spell.

"No, not really. I mean, we only live behind that waterfall. Ice used to live in the city but when she became my guardian we moved out here. It was an old family place...it's hidden in a cave behind the water. Isn't that cool?"

Veive explained all of this, and fell to watching Caspian sleep. Chey smiled, and offered him to her.

"Why don't you hold him for a while? I'll move ahead with Ice." the river suggested. The and give you time alone with him that he was also thinking went unsaid.

Of course, the rabbit-girl was curious. So he'd let her satisfy that curiosity. He set his child in Veive's arms, and ran up ahead to catch up with Ice. Running... and in entirely different a manner than he was used to doing. It was an odd sensation. Ice turned to see what had followed behind her.

"Oh, sorry for running ahead. Just thought....where's..." She looked back, and saw Veive, answering her question. "Not much further."

She continued up the path. Storm clouds were beginning to gather. Chey was getting... wary. He laughed, though, and watched the two children interact. He had a protective nature to him, but he could see that Caspian and this child were more than suitable for one another.

""I do hope they get along... We should wait for them, don't you think?"

Ice blushed, and stopped. She apparently hadn't thought of that. Chey, however, did not see what cause that was for embarrassment.

"Yeah, probably a good idea. I tend to get a little carried away."

Walking fast, in Chey's opinion, was not anything to be bashful about. But he stopped, and looked at Ice, smiling.

As the two behind them started to catch up, Ice brought up what Chey was thinking.

"It's nice to see them getting along, isn't it?"

Chey nodded, and sighed. Another rumble of thunder, and his manner gave way to fear. If they were to find out what he was... He looked around almost frantically.

"It's going to rain soon. We should all pick up the pace a bit... Do you have shelter? It's going to be large storm."

But he didn't receive an answer. Unfortunately he DID have to leave. Rushing, he grabbed Caspian with a shouted apology, and managed to dive back into the water with him before the storm hit. And when it did hit, it was a massive thing.

The two of them did not venture out of the water again for a while. It rained. Hard. And not only that, Caspian grew worse. His illness was starting to take over him, and during its course, he dreamed...