The Winds Lover

[Lady Rika]

The two crescent islands of Careithus are being plagued by a death dealing wind. Entangled in the wind lies a scent, but no sweet smelling aroma…but a suicidal tang that bewitches the mind and entrances the soul to the grips of death, sending those to the reapers open arms. Except for the humans whose nose dead luck keeps them safe, but for how long?
Animals of course are first, bashing open their heads, drowning themselves; and the humble mortals are left to starve to death. Mortified many of the people lose hope when their pets began to die; locking themselves in their houses refusing to face the world.
But how long till it reaches the humans? No one knows, but each day the pungent scent grows stronger, its deadly hands reaching farther across the land. The only clue as to stopping the maddening ‘disease’ are the dying words of a prophet…
“Long live the elements for they shall save of us all
Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth; without them we shall fall.”
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The strange scent drifted throughout the winds long flowing hands, stretching the pungent aroma ubiquitously around the passive lands of Careithus.
Lively nightingales silenced in their chirping, to watch the wind blow the trees extended limbs; coated in gold, orange, and red leaves. The leaves smelt the scent as well, and from that smell came the suicide of one pure, golden leaf. Falling from the dark branches and slowly, so slowly hitting the ground with a near silent crack. As the gold leaf splintered in its crumbling age; and soon after came more. More leaves falling from blackened, but still living, branches. To their death along the ground, till soon a pile was formed.
The nearby birds watched in horror at what had become of the leaves. Would this scent soon touch them and leave them with the longing to die as well?
Without thinking the two nightingales flew off, glinting emerald wings catching the light of the sun. Fleeing the wind, the trees, and the nest that was theirs alone. A sacrifice that had to be made, the mother of the three unhatched eggs thought to herself.
They hadn’t caught the scent in their nostrils, and were saved…for now.
Evading the reaper and his ice cold kiss of fatality; in which the nightingale’s eggs were forced to have planted upon them. Deep and lustful demonstrations of loathe and odium, as the life in the eggs finally died, wiping them from existence.
Yet many of the animals that dwelled in the forest of Careithus knew not what was happening. Since they were not as quick as the silver throated nightingales and their striking song; if only they had shared their song with the others. Maybe the young doe, in her prime could have ran from the wind and its lover, the scent.
Or the bear, whose hibernation was growing nearer, might have hid in his cave before the date of his slumber. And of course they wouldn’t notice every single leaf jumping to their death. Because that was what happened in the fall, was it not?
And to their misfortune, the wind whisked around after chilling and killing the unborn nightingale chicks. Blowing hard, ruffling the mane of a chestnut stallion, motioning his herd elsewhere. Making the female deer look up in surprise at the winds assertive nature. Unknowing of the winds disciple, the scent; and as the nightingales flew down wind of the breezes one terrified bird thought to itself, ‘what could it have been?’
Though it knew nothing of the scent, the smell could have only been one thing, and given only one name. Not quite a perfume; more like the bittersweet smell of death.

Three weeks later…

A clean sheet of fresh snow covered the wandering hills of Careithus; the wavering smell of death coated the air thickly. Memories of the past lingered in the Kaguya Village’s citizens, most of them simple farm folk but their were the nobles whom seeked the simple life as well. Yet the entire town folk suffered no matter what class. The winds lover, the scent had wrapped itself in an unbreakable brace; throwing everyone’s lives into chaos. But out of those who chose to crack under all of this pressure, Silk remained unbreakable.
Warming her hands along the weak fires dying embers, the glowing red rubies flickering trying to stay alive gave Silk hope. Her bright yellow eyes grew wide with excitement as the fire grew along with the intensity of her eyes. The wider they got the brighter the embers grew till finally it combusted into a full fledged fire. Silk smirked then rubbed her now throbbing head. She had to focus her eyes and her mind at the same time to manipulate the fire to her will. Though most of the time it felt like the fire controlled her. That she was just its mere lowly human puppet, Silk refused to be a meek flesh marionette to the great element of fire. She trained her eyes to grow as wide as possible, growing the fire as well. Though she trained ruthlessly, at times it seemed futile. Especially when she couldn’t light a simple torch, or when she accidentally lit the tatami mats on fire.
‘Damn…my head hurts so badly. Did I over do it?’ she asked herself. Leaning in closer to the nearly birthed flames, her nearly frozen fingers warming themselves bit by bit as the orange and yellow claws reached up towards the sky, only to fail and come back down to rest along the embers, only to try again. Silk watched, curious. The flames didn’t need her to manipulate them; it did it on its own. The girl ran one cold hand threw her equally cold, yet sleek to the touch, chocolate hair.
It streamed down her back in a straight russet cascade of glossy lacquer, nearly perfect in everyway except that it grew stiff from the cold air that surrounded her.
The wind then blew a hard, cruel gust, her perfectly straight hair blew along the wind; and to the village’s dismay, snow began to float downward towards the earth.
But Silk was happy for this; she gladly welcomed the snow and all its coverage.
“Maybe it shall cover the rest of the corpses that loiter in the woods.” She spoke silently, rising, and leaving the fire. Silk walked around the small huts, small fires burned inside on the small spits within. Finally she found her own; the run down lean-to was older than she was. Much older, since she was nearing her seventeenth year in this world. It had to make this hut at least fifteen years older than she; entering the damp hut she threw off her coat. Revealing the dark sleeved, tightly tied corset underneath; the white strings were sore to their threads with angst. Silk paid no mind to the tightness of her clothing; she hadn’t felt anything since her guardian died so why start now.
Lowering herself onto her elderly futon, Silk began to look back on the past few weeks.
Though it had been only two, it seemed like twenty. So many people were suffering, so many people were dying. And nobody knew why, this unknown source was a mystery to all.
Silk wrapped the covers around her frozen body, at this moment she wished she hadn’t thrown off her coat. Being she had the blood of a Pyrokenetic she never took well to the cold; there was a thick, putrid smell surrounding the blanket, Silk made a face and quickly lowered it down to her shoulders.
She snorted in disgust; Silk had smelt that same rancid, stale smell when she had entered the forest that day. In fact, it was she who had first found out about what happened to the animals.
Sighing, Silk stepped back into her memories, she saw herself walking threw the golden forest. Since the snow hadn’t came yet, though it was early this year, she saw everything so clearly. Her thigh high boots trudging softly threw the mountains of leaves that were spread throughout the forest, every tree was bare. Their usually dark brown bark and limbs were a misty grey. The leaves were still painted with their seasonal colors, but she had been concerned for the trees. Every single one looked sickly looking, ill and…dying.
She hadn’t wandered too far into the woods, when her nose caught scent of a very peculiar smell. It was so horrible, so sickening it made her want to vomit. She covered her nose, maybe breathing out of my mouth will be better she had thought.
No, it was worse. She tasted the repulsive stench as well.
Silk, in anger drew her bow and began to run towards the direction of the scent. At first she had thought it was some thing making the smell, to be truthful in her mind it wasn’t a smell at all, it was a horrendous creature from the bottom of the sea. Tangled with bits of seaweed and fisherman’s wire; dragging along the foul scent with it.
She had determined to kill the thing, but what she found was far more disturbing than any creature with gnashing fangs or curved claws. It was a deer, a doe to be specific. Her neck was twisted in a very peculiar way, a white shard stuck from her back of her neck. On closer inspection Silk found it to be her spinal cord, pushing up thickly threw the light furred neck.
“My god…” Silk kept her bow raised, the heavy arrow quivered along the thick cord rod.
What could have down this, she thought tapping it lightly with her shoe.
The doe’s dark eyes were warped; a discoloring grey grime was collecting around the large, round eyes. The ashen filth along the eyes reminded Silk of the dead trees mourning appearance.
“How strange.” She had said, the wound was quite odd. What sort of animal or creature in general would kill its prey then leave as soon as it demised? None that she knew of and she had seen many strange creatures. Many strange creatures, but none that would inflict such an injury; “How very strange.”
Silk turned her head in the direction of a smaller trail, the empty, lone path led into an opening. A lush green meadow, clover fields and wild flowers dotted the grounds; this was a favorite of Silk’s. She resided there to relax, or train. Since there were no people around for her to accidentally torch. There was game there every now and then, wild stallions roamed across the lush pastures, deer came to graze at times, she’d once saw a large bear lapping up crystal clean water from the large stream that reached along the pasture, into the woods and throughout random man made canals all over the village.
‘Though I shouldn’t expect it to be a flourishing garden of green like it normally is.’ She thought to herself with sigh, most likely it wouldn’t be flooded with leaves, since hardly any trees sprouted along the meadows wide open range. The only thing that would have made Silk happier would be if the scent would disappear already. It continued to linger in the woods since it wasn’t particularly coming from just the doe, she had smelt the reek on the deer but it didn’t center around it. So she decided to leave the deer and its strange downfall behind her, and make her way towards the large field.
In some way, she felt sad. She hadn’t been their in such a long time it was kind of frightening. She used to go everyday, or at least every other day. But when the death of her guardian, her strong, kind mother figure passed on without warning it had crushed her. Leaving her alone in this world, Silk stopped coming to the field. She didn’t know why exactly, maybe it was that the silent, taciturn atmosphere of the pasture that would remind herself of the woman, maybe the forlorn feelings about the desolate grassland made her realize how truly alone she was, that she was without a real mother or father. That she was without a guardian, and of course without friends. She wasn’t exactly known for her kind ways in the village of Kaguya, she was though, known for her toughness. That in which, she couldn’t compare to in appearance. For she was a plain girl, except for her eyes which couldn’t be explained. This though wasn’t looked upon as beautiful, but freakish and this made her the odd girl out in her village.
‘Finally, I’m nearly there.’ She had thought to herself, a smile trying too hard to bring itself around her face, but to no prevail. Perhaps it would have emerged, if she hadn’t stepped into the field at the time that she did.
The air hanging, lingering in the atmosphere around her was that of dread and death.
No wind blew, the smell was of course very heavy and Silk couldn’t of moved if she wanted to, her fingertips were growing more numb by the second. Silence was the only one there with her at the time, well at least the only living thing.
The silence fell, unbroken not even by her jagged breathing. They were spread out far and wide, the beautiful beasts of burdens were. The gloss along their sleek coats still looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Silk was beyond words, she dropped her bow, letting it land softly on the ground below.
They were horses, beautiful, majestic, wild horses. And all of them were dead, scattered around the field like stars in the sky.
Silk advanced towards them, her yellow eyes watching intently, waiting for something, anything to come rushing from the shadows to have her meet the same fate as the horses.
But nothing did, it was silent, dead. The only sound being made was the faint rushing of the water in the distance and of course her breathing. She narrowed her eyes when she got near enough to reach out and touch one, it was sickening.
The one she stared upon had ebony hair like freshly washed lace. Its flesh was of white and black, the beast laid in an odd position on the ground, its legs spread wildly. But its face… Its face was smashed in, barely identifiable. Its eyes couldn’t be seen for the large masses of blood that poured heavily from the busted head. A light pink swirl was seen a few times when she felt her body sway from the stench of death that remained attached to the horse and its meager life. Tiny portions of its brain, she could see it better if the slights of head didn’t cover it so thickly. Spider lining the truth of what was really hidden, answers of what did this to it. Answers to why this innocent wild stallion didn’t have a nose anymore, or eyes. Why it’s smooth, lustrous muzzle was forced up, slammed up, till whatever was left of its teeth broke the barrier surrounding the brains.
Silk wasn’t too sure; all she knew was that nearly every horse was dead by some sort of cause like this. Either they were like this one, with their faces smashes in, or like the deer with the broken neck, or strange enough, one horse. A very young filly, whose soft velvety coat was beginning to shed into the mare she was to become, or would have become.
She was impaled …threw the head. ‘But how?’ Silk had thought. Looking at her, she soon realized there was another horse underneath her. Its neck was twisted so badly that the spinal cord stuck out for a visit. But the filly had speared herself with the other horse’s long, pearl colored spine, a frightening sight to any mortal.
‘So…it wasn’t an accidental or murderous death.’ She thought looking down, to see both horse’s eyes were misty as well. Both sprinkled with light grey soot from a source unknown. But along with the eyes, the horse did in fact leap on the bone since no fractures say otherwise that it could have fallen.
‘In that case…it was suicide.’ Silk rubbed her soft chin, her long nails, white tipped, all so natural grazed her skin with a light tickle. She shuttered against her own touch, was the thought of an innocent animal taking its own life so hard to grasp?
Silk didn’t know how much more she could take of this; the smell was growing stronger by the second. But what puzzled her to madness was that their wasn’t even a fly, soaring around rapidly in the air. Not a soul.
Silk turned her head away from the filly’s corpse. Taking in all that had happened, she still didn’t really understand all the way what was happening. She was freaking a little since their was nothing really alive here. She had heard no bird calling, chirping, or singing since she entered the forest. Not one single thing, only the departed.
Silk stared down once more at the horse, and wondered if all the others had done the same.
‘Get a hold of yourself Silk!’ she mentally yelled at herself, flicking the side of her head.
She should no better than to think animals are capable of the worlds greatest crime; suicide is something they aren’t capable of…are they?
Before she could muse anymore, the stalwart sound of flowing water echoed in her ears.
“The stream?” her voice seemed so loud, as if it would make the air around her shatter into thousands of pieces. Crumbling the meadow beneath her with just the few words she uttered.
Silk ran, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. The tightness of her clothes couldn’t stop it from screaming loudly making her grit her teeth. She didn’t like it, seeing all the animals, the horses spread out in numerous numbers. Flesh creatures created to dwell in this life for no purpose other to be used and abused by man. This death, whatever was killing them or…making them kill themselves must be horrible.
Her mind raced with thoughts, as she ran up the steep hill, the tall, smooth clover covered its elevated form. Sprinkled with hints of moss, and flat stones this hill overlooked the stream. It was a beautiful sight, the sparkling water flowing gently; Silk was halfway up the large mound, only the lapping sounds of the water curving around worn down stones.
Forming them to be even softer, pushing them into the clear sand at the streams depts.
Breathing deeply, Silk finally reached the top. Only to release a scream, letting it echo throughout the meadow. Her hands flew to her mouth; her attempt to silence the scream was futile and only made it ricochet across the lands more.
Silk had screamed out of anger, annoyance too but never had she screamed in fear… Until this very moment.
The stream, no beauty flowed here anymore, the rocks smooth, flattened texture were choking on flesh, and wet, gnarled hair.
Animals, beasts, creatures all resided in the stream, their heads deep in the water. Their dark noses heavily flowing blood to the surface, the rocks had did their damage well.
Silk’s screams slowed to a braking reasonable breathing, her heart pounded madly in her chest as she began counting all the bodies. Four…seven…twenty…
Silk couldn’t believe it, their were more than forty bodies drowned in the now darkening water.
Like pieces of a puzzle smashed into places they didn’t belong; making a deformed picture that no eye should ever have to see.
“They…they…drowned themselves!” she cried out. Taking a step back.
Her eyes caught sight of one thing in particular that distraught her enormously.
A wolf, its grey fur still shone vividly in harvest sun. Its head bobbed up in down as the current deepened, trying so hard to flush out the corpses that diseased it so.
The only one that seemed to move was the wolf, its face continually slamming against the rocks and sharp sand that waited at the bottom of the stream. The stream was dyed a crimson red for a time, until the water pushed it further downstream. Diluting it till it was no more; Silk was mortified. Especially when its muzzle gave way from the force and it tumbled into the stream. Sinking to the bottom, where it lay, only moving ever so slightly as the flow of the water moved its aged fur to ripple and snare.
Silk continued to take steps back, but as her mind was entranced by the sight below her she couldn’t catch herself when she tumbled backwards down the hill.
The heavy scent of clover and bitter grass taste filled her mouth as she tumbled backwards her shoulder hitting one of the gentle stones, causing it to bleed.
Silk reached her arms out to catch herself, and only skinned herself up more. Staining her clothes with mellow tinges of green and yellow; at last she stopped. Her face resting on something soft and limp. The thick smell of old pelt and…rotten meat.
“What the…” Silk rose up her head, only to come face to face with a chestnut stallion his face twisted with insanity. The grass near him was stained with burgundy this resulted in his smashed, disfigured face. His left eye ball was hanging out slightly; the long pinkish cord that kept it attached to his face was making a strange popping sound.
“UHH…” she stifled a yelp, moving her hand to his swollen belly to help push herself up.
Splushhh
Silks eyes went wide, her hand quickly fell threw the chestnut coat, splashing into a warm pool of liquid. She whipped her hand out in disgust, long; dark thick fluids ran down her slender fingers. Oozing broadly downward till it kissed the ground.
Silk thought she was going to be sick; the smell was awful, nauseating. But curiosity was getting the better of her. So she looked in through the hollow crater she had created only to see a ghastly sight. Sinister murky water was forming around the blackened organs of the stallion; large pools of the dark watery, malodorous fluids dwelled in his belly.
Silk knew everything here was wrong, everything here in this entire forest was wrong. And she couldn’t just stay here and do nothing.
‘But my efforts were wasted.’ She snorted tossing over on her side, leaving her memories for a spell. Of course the village people didn’t believe her at first, they had never really taken a liking to her before. Not that she cared one bit, they could bite her where the sun didn’t shine if they wanted to.
‘Bet they believed me when all the livestock started to die. And the pets…and the birds.’
Silk shuttered at the memory; she awoke one morning to find at least fifteen birds lying near her lean-to, yet again all their faces were smashed to bits. Like all the others.
All the livestock, the cattle, the pigs and the sheep all impaling themselves on the sharp wooden fence posts. Chickens twisting themselves within the curled barbed wire, letting it cut deep into their thin flesh. Staining their feathers. Letting themselves bleed to death.
Domesticated dogs and cats enjoyed mimicking the animals at the stream by drowning themselves in the horse troughs. The screams of terrified women and the cries of mourning children filled the Village of Kaguya; the new ‘disease’ that was killing off all the animals was now killing off people as well. But not in a way of making them take their own life by starvation.
“Not that I care…let them starve. Why should I care about their meager lives? What have they ever done for me?” Silk turned over a few more times before getting comfortable. Her yellow eyes closed. She could still smell the rotting bodies of the dead animals along her body; she made a face then finally drifted of in a light sleep.




Pulling out an old map, Silk let out a cough as the map unraveled; dust floated up in thick particles.
“Let’s see…here we are.” She pointed to the left island of Careithus. At the top point of the first crescent moon island, her Village resided in the forest just a little ways off from the beach. And the Careithus Mountains which kept the beautiful water Suiren village isolated, not just by the massive peaks but by Shuyin River as well.
But not as isolated as the island of the stars which is a large island in the middle of Careithus; Silk had always wanted to go to the coveted island but of course would never get the chance. The only two ports on both islands are the Port of the Past located on the left island and the Port of the Present to be found on the right island.
And the port closet to her, seemed so far away. It was past the Suiren Village. Closer to Suzume Village, just past the mountains; it was nearly impossible she thought.
Silk traced her finger around the mountains of Careithus, then smirked. If you went to the west of the mountains you could easily get through, without even having to go through them.
“Maybe this will be easier than I thought.” She snickered, mapping out the direction she would travel. Of course she didn’t know how in the world she would get there on such short amounts of money, and to rent a boat was insanely expensive at the docks.
‘Well…I’ll figure it out later.’ She tilted her head back and yawned.
Silk didn’t sleep well last night; her conscience drove her crazy all night long.
Her comment, ‘Why should I care about their meager lives.’ She got a scolding from the sense of right and wrong that dwelled somewhere in her brain. Screaming at her, telling her she could help save them, that she was special, and a whole other bunch of crap that Silk didn’t listen to. She had always wanted adventure, to explore double crescent shaped island to no end. To watch artists in Boushi and admire the marble sundial in the great
Taiyo Village; maybe if her travels allowed her to go to Urashima and find herself. In the village of Time, you could find anything.
Silk grew annoyed with herself and folded the map up. The ashen yellow map, made a crinkling sound of age, reminding her of an elderly woman whose longing for perfection made her seem to age faster. Skin covered in wrinkles, but never the less staying beautiful. The map was like that, being her loyal, wise grandmother; leading her to the right direction.
“Food’s the big thing here. I wonder how much I could wrangle up.”


Two and a half hours later…


“So far I got at least one loaf of almost stale bread, some old cheese and some meat cut into little strips.” Silk loved dried meat; it was her favorite especially when it was cut into strips. She had already packed herself some clothes, and the food she would be taking along with her. Since food was the main thing here, and so was water. Since she couldn’t really drink the diseased water filled with animal corpses.
But Silk figured she could manage, after all she was a Pyrokenetic, she should be able to take care of herself…right?
Her bow and quiver had already been laid out near her sling bag, along with her sleep gear which she didn’t plan on leaving her little lean-to without.
Raising herself from the floor, Silk took a small arrogant glance at her pitiful little shack.
“Don’t worry I’ll be back.” She smirked, grabbing her stuff and heading for the door. She could already smell the ice in the air, snow was coming very soon.
“See ya!” she waved it goodbye leaving the dim, moldy hut that she had called home and walked out under the vanilla sky. The air was heavy with death, but as soon as the crystal flecks poured out from the sky. Silk zipped up her black jacket, and began to walk threw the older snow that covered the ground beneath her.
Her mind raced with questions that she probably wouldn’t think about, like, ‘Where exactly was she gonna go?’ and ‘What would she do for food when she ran out?’
These she ignored with great ease, but the only one Silk even thought about reflecting one was what was happening in the other Villages?
What was becoming of them, was their death there as well, or had the death longing disease not reached them?
“I wonder…” she asked herself silently, “If there’re others like me…searching for answers?”

[Acheron]

The time was going by at what seemed like the lowest pace possible for Kessler, not like he wanted the day to be over but sometimes time just decided to go on a crawl for him. It wasn't a huge deal though as the day couldn't have been nicer, so nice for a day that he just decided to wear his vest instead of the usual button up shirt, plus the something of a mission he was on was going to require that he get a little dirty. It wasn't too out of the ordinary for him to be doing something for someone else, it was actually very important to Kessler to be able to help out someone in need. This time it happened to be a family that lived on the banks of the Shuyin River. One of thier children, a seven year old boy had gone off into the nearby mountains and had been missing for now a day and a half, they sent the other brother running over to Kaguya Village to get Kessler, only because of the rumors that they had heard about him. With times being so desperate, Kessler figured that the family wanted to do whatever possible to be together with the end coming up. At least that's what everyone believed, that the end was coming and there was nothing they could do to stop it; Kessler didn't choose to believe any of that. There would be no end for himself that he did not choose himself, he wasn't going to let any sort of wind or mist it created to be the end of him.

Mountains were like playgrounds for Kessler, he had been on them many times before, usually when his parents would get into fights when he was younger; he would run to the nearest one and spend the night there. It wasn't till he was old enough to be allowed out on his own that the mountains near his village were mearly hills, nothing like the ones near the Shuyin River or on the other continent. He didn't mind the ones he was on now though, as his boots pounded the ground as he followed the tracks up the mountain. Though it had been a day since the boy ran away and his tracks easily had washed up with the midnight rain, Kessler was still able to see them on the ground. Seeing in front of him what looked to be a cavern, Kessler could hear the little boy sobbing a bit. Before entering, he took a good look around to see if anyone or anything was around. Kessler dashed into the cavern and pulled out the little boy, who seemed more shocked than happy.

"Don't worry, you're going to be just fine, you'll be back down with your family sooner than you think", Kessler put the little boy down on his feet and then took a knee, pressing his right ear against the ground for a moment, listening to what the Earth would tell him.

"You are in someone else's home...They will not be pleased."

Kessler didn't have time to think over what the Earth had told him as before he was able to say anything, a rather large brown bear came charging out of the cave where the little boy had been, apparently it was hiding in the back of the cave. Kessler picked up the little boy and crouched down, as the bear came at them, the ground rose up in front of the two males and formed a stone wall, which the bear ran into and then fell back a little. Kessler could have continued on and fought the bear but he chose to run, making sure that he held the boy tight and before he knew it, they were down at the base of the mountain. He handed the little boy to the mother, who had the other son tugging at her dress to see his brother again, while the father decided to engage Kessler in conversation.

"I really don't know how to repay you...Thank you so much", the father was more than willing to pay him.

"It's not an issue, I'm glad I was able to help. I think he's hungry but looks okay otherwise", Kessler shook the man's hand.

"You know, I...I... I don't mean to ask for two favors from you but...I heard what you did for that family in the nearby forrest...Do you think you could do that for us?"

Kessler suddenly grew very serious, "That was a different situation, I don't make a habit of doing that. They were already on thier way out."

"But please...The wind...it's coming and people are saying that now humans can die. Plus with our livestock not doing well...."

The man's voice had fallen on deaf ears though as Kessler began to walk away. As he started walking he could feel the man reach into his pocket for his wallet and started running after Kessler, shouting about how much he could pay him and how it would all be okay, because they would all be going together. Before he was able to reach Kessler, there was a stone wall out of the ground in front of the man and when it came down, Kessler was nowhere in sight now. The man fell down to the ground, pushing his face in the dirty and crying his eyes out; Kessler paid no attention to it and continued his run through the forrest, hoping to reach the plains and then the village with some good time left in the day.

[Fehrant]

An open field. Vast greenery spread either side. The grey sky blocked the sun rays from getting through. Strong wind blew, embracing her, talking to her, caressing her. She did not have a place to call home, but she never felt more comfortable than when surrounded with her eternal friend, the wind. She didn't need words to communicate with it, nor did it need to use any complicated language.

It wasn't going to rain now, but it would, later that day. She felt it in the air, and the air did not lie. She looked up with her eyes closed and her arms widespread. Her clothes tugged, and her bracelets danced wildly. If possible, she wanted to become one with it. Travel aimlessly through all places. Be everywhere. No thoughts, except a feeling of constant movement.

Yet as much as her innocent heart desired to become an immaterial substance, unlike her dear friend, she was human. She had a corporeal body with two legs and two arms. She used her legs to walk, and her arms to hold. Her skin transmitted several sensations. Her eyes captured images that composed the world. Her ears picked up voices and sounds. Her nose identified scents. Was she fortunate? Was she not? Being a human and not a carefree gust of wind had a different feeling to it. Perhaps she could enjoy this because she was human.

She smiled, opening her grey, misty eyes upon which the gigantic sky was reflected. Her legs slightly recoiled, and she jumped high, higher than any animal could, or any human for that matter. Her arms were still spread at her sides; she wasn't a bird, but she wanted to know what it felt to be like one. Once airborne, her slow decent turned out to be a pleasant series of air maneuvers as the wind took her one way, and the other. Her long hair accompanied the flow, waving smoothly, responding to the stimulus of her companion.

It was then that a far away scent struck her nose. She landed gracefully upon the earth where her human self belonged once again. What was the foul smell just now? She wondered. Indeed, it was nothing like she had felt before. It had a repugnant sensation to it, it attacked her psyche as well as her harmonious body. Why was such a thing using her friend as a medium to travel far and wide?

Determined, she decided to double check. She strode on her way over there as if her body was no heavier than a feather. The malignant scent became stronger and stronger as a forest came into view. The multicolored forest itself looked out of place, as the leaves quickly turned yellow, and decayed. The air was full of them; their lifeless bodies floating in the wind. Fuuyuu caught a flying leave, but as soon as her fingers became in contact, it easily crumbled into smaller pieces. What was the meaning of this?

She covered her nose with her arm, and ventured deep inside the forest. Except for her playful friend, there was no other sound. All the animals, mostly small, were dead in perverted, suicidal ways. The trees were slowly following them. All the other flora withered and died. Nothing survived. Carefully directing the wind, she try to avoid the scent as much as possible, although its stagnant death particles were rooted virtually everywhere in the vicinity.

And once again that hostile sensation; it attacked the every fiber or her being. It would be dangerous to stay her for long. She took a few jumps out of the forest, puzzled and confused at what to make of this she had witnessed.

[Lady Rika]

Watching the simple, white specks float slowly down from the heavens didn’t hold Silks interest for very long. She walked head down, after staring at them for a while before getting bored that is. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the beauty in nature, of course she did it was just had more on her mind than the icy diamonds that fell from the frothy cream painted sky.
‘Why is it that the snow can be cold? That the ice can be slick? The soft earth moves at the commands of humans? But why…can’t the flame be controlled?’ she thought to herself, clenching her fists. Leaving deep nail marks in her palms when she retracted; it was so hard for her to use her powers without pain. Without screwing it up or nearly burning herself alive.

Oh yes, Silk remembered all too well. Months back before the deaths of all the animals, before the foliage died and the people went with the taste of sand in their mouths. She had a dream.
Her entire body was coated in a red blaze, flames rose higher with every beat of her heart and rise of her bright yellow eyes. Tears streaked down her face, screams exploded from the deepest parts of her throat. She had cried out for help, howled it out at the top of her lungs. But not a soul came, not one person.

“Yes and I overheated…and died.” She sighed with little sorrow, maybe it was a sign of how much of a loner she really was. How the flames manipulated her more than she controlled them.
Silk’s mind raced with thoughts, what if she had overheated.

‘That was my own fault, I was crying, screaming for heavens sake. I was to blame for showing emotion in the first place.’ She countered with herself. Knowing that she would always win these little mind games she had with herself. Her own thoughts were the only things she had to talk to.
Since the people who actually knew of her powers thought of her as a freak, instead of something special, or worth wild. The rest either knew or just didn’t give a damn.
“Not that I do.” She mumbled, walking between the row of huts. Most much nicer than her little lean-to, but to be frank everything was nicer than her little lean-to.

The long chocolate hair that rested along her back began to get covered in snowflakes. Making the dark strands glisten from the frosted star shaped creatures.
Silk’s eyes narrowed many of the giddy girls in her village would have squealed in absolute excitement it their hair was decorated with winter’s beloved make-up.
In truth silk couldn’t care less what she looked like, obviously she didn’t find herself beautiful. And the snow was another story, in her eyes it reminded her of a baby fawn’s early white spots upon a cinnamon coat. And that certainly wouldn’t be beautiful on her, or anyone except maybe the fawn. Or a young woman with dark black locks and lace dress.
Maybe some ravishing goddess would be divine with snow as ornaments, but not silk.
‘Well we won’t be seeing any fawns for a long while.’ She thought.
She of course was not giving up, mearly stating that it would be a while before they roamed carefree in the woods around Kaguya and any other wooded area.
It didn’t mind her at all that’s she would be alone the entire time, not that she cared one bit. She was use to being alone.
Friends? Never had such a thing before, but she didn’t need them.
Family? Nope, Silk was alone in this world without one single thing to love her.
Not that she’d ever experience true love; that was just mythical lore told to children and young brides to be. Not something she could ever wrap her hands around. Even if she wanted to.

Silk frowned, ‘How odd.’
The path out of the village had always been threw the forest, and this she knew all to well. But…
There was a fence, a large one. Put up over night she guessed, keeping her from exiting the village. Since the only way out of Kaguya was threw the woods and going towards Suiren. That was going straight south and towards the Careithus Mountains. But she couldn’t get threw.
For one there were two guards watching her with cold eyes.
And secondly, numerous sharp pointed stakes were tied to the fence keeping everything outside out and everyone inside completely isolated from the outside world.

“Hey! Excuse me, I have to get out of this Village would you kindly let me threw?!” Silk asked with a slightly annoyed tone. Her arms tightly crossed against her chest.

“No one leaves!” one barked, grabbing the hilt of his sword to frighten her, like that worked.
“Yeah, get outta here before we hurt ya!” Laughed the second, pushing her roughly on the shoulder.
Silk glared in fury, how dare he put his hands on me! Her mind raced with ideas, her first thought was to burn him alive! But she wouldn’t want to resort to murder, even though she hated his guts right now.
She couldn’t jump over them, though they weren’t too high Silk had to keep in mind that she was a little on the small side, there was also the fact that she might not make it and get skewered.

“Hmmm…” she thought, then looked up to the two bulky guards who in response glared deeply back at her.
‘Could I…use my power to really get through?’
Silk was getting desperate, her first option was getting to be the only way she was to escape the village. She uncrossed her arms, and let one slender arm move behind her back.
The guards thought she was drawing a weapon and quickly drew their swords.
While they muttered threats and foul curses, Silk attempted to make the fire raise from her hand.
‘Come on, come one concentrate!’ she screamed to her mind, but it could only focus on two things. The guards advancing upon her, and the ivory snow that fell into her bare, open hand.

[Acheron]

"If only this death dealing wind wasn't around, for if it wasn't, today would truely be a perfect day".

Kessler didn't mind speaking out loud to himself most of the time but in all honestly, he rarely was ever alone. Another effect of his earthen qualities was animals having an affinity for him, besides of course the grumpy brown bear that he had encounted a little while ago. It didn't matter if it was a deer, a rabbit, birds, worms, whatever the animal was, everyone of them had a voice and the ability to speak towards Kessler, he was able to speak back to them and have some of the best conversations that he could remember. No matter the time of year either, the walk back from the mountains to Kaguya village was always a peaceful and enjoyable one. He tried not to think about what the crying man was pleading for when he had to leave the family, he had only done what the man was asking for once and already it was spreading like wildfire in the area. A simple act of freeing a family that was already doomed from something that they didn't want to see all the way through. This deathly wind was changing everyone and Kessler was trying his best to make sure that he also did not change with it. His thoughts quickly returned to the present and how this road used to be so busy with people every single day. Now he would be lucky if he saw one person on thier way to and from the village, usually in a huge rush to avoid the death wind that everyone was so afraid of. Kessler looked behind him to see if anyone was coming up, there wasn't a huge surprise on his face when he didn't see a soul. Looking to the ground made him smile though, as he was seeing that with every step he took, the earth was covering his tracks. So many things were out of his control, life in general seemed to be on a downward spiral every single day but he was determined to rise every single morning and do whatever he could to help everyone he knew; to help the people that he cared about and if there was some time left in the day, himself too, however grim all of that seemed to him.
Kessler tried not to think of that too much though and he really didn't have to try too hard to forget about it, for as he was coming up to the entrance to the village, he noticed the guards having a hard time with what seemed to be a teenage girl.

"What's going on here?", Kessler spoke as he stepped in between the two guards with thier weapons drawn, one of them standing on each side of him. The village was normally a peaceful place, yes there had been a few instances with people getting too drunk at the local eating house and Kessler would have to make sure they didn't cause problems, but this young woman seemed to mean business, as did the guards.

[cetra_aeris]

Aqua ran next to the Shuyin River, her laughs loud and carefree. Beside her was her dear wolfish friend Shuyin, named after the River he had been found by. His gray fur matched with the rivers flowing color, a color that Aqua found beautiful.

Shuyin panted in laughter as she dived into the green grass, rolling from the impact. Shuyin ran up to her, his tail lightly wagging. Everything was peaceful here in Suiren, the animals still wandered the woods, the wind still smelled of ocean and river water. The dreadful scent that she'd heard had killed so many animals seemed not to have reached quiet Village of Suiren.

Shuyin growled, nipping at her gently, a playful game they played often. In doing so it helped Aqua learn plenty of hand-to-hand combat moves. But that just came with the game; she could have cared less about the actual learning of the moves. But that was why they were here, to improve another type of move, one that dealt with her powers.

Aqua was a Hydro-kenetic, a young teenage girl blessed with power over water. That alone made her a treasured member of Suiren, since they treasured the water surrounding their village. She also had another power, but one that she seemed to only share with one particular wolf. She could understand animals, what they said and meant with gestures and sounds. Although, she could only seem to understand Shuyin, who tended to translate when she needed to know what other animals were saying.

Now, he growled softly in the same voice she’d heard for the past two years. "We should stop our playing. Time is of the essence, and though I do enjoy these puppy games with you," He said nudging her to her feet. "We need to get to work. The 'Death Scent' may not plague us now, but it is getting closer. You must improve to have a way to survive should I fall ill."

Aqua looked at him, tempted to growl in turn. She hated when he talked like that. She refused to think that Shuyin would fall to the illness that spread on the wind. He was too strong willed for that, and she herself would not allow it. "Fine." She said letting out a sigh. She would do as he wished, he's nose was keener than her's was it not? So she would train, if for no other reason than to pacify the wolf.

He smiled that wolfish grin as he often did and they set to work. She usually would use her powers as a decoration of sorts, but Shuyin had begun to insist that she work on her fighting skills with it. She began pulling the water from the river, an easy task that she had learned long ago. She'd often questioned how this would possibly help, but Shuyin insisted that it would be of use.

Shuyin insturcted her on how to make the water take shape of a weapon, any would do. She'd made a bow before as well as a spear, but she had found that she preferred a whip since it was much easier to handle and form with the water. She did so now, taking the water and forming it around her hand. Concentration was needed to keep it formed, but her long hours of practice had made so she no longer had to focus all her attention on the water. It was second nature now, and she only had to become one with it, let it flow through her, calming her so she felt as if she was nothing but water.

Shuyin looked at her, his amber eyes glinting. "This time we will try something else. This trick is getting too easy for you, dear one. Try pulling the moisture from the air to form your whip." Aqua let the water flow back into the river, wondering as she often did if he was a kenetic as well, with all he seemed to know about it.

She looked at the air, being the Hydro-kenetic she was, and could almost see the water in the air. She reached out for it, grabbing at some of the particules and making them form together, her hand being the wayward for it's transformation. She was pulling a whip slowly from the air when she heard a peircing sound traveling in the water/air. Sh dropped the water she'd been forming, letting it spalsh to the ground so that she could cover her ears.

Shuyin nudged her, growling in urgancy. "Come, it is time we left. The scent is drawing nearer to these woods. We must practice else where, lest we succumb to it's wishes." Aqua nodded, laying a hand on his back as she always did, and they ran from the woods, heading to the sanctaty of the village as birds flew from the skys, their crys filled with terror.

[Lady Rika]

‘Concentrate!’ she yelled once more to her brain, making her hand shake in pain. No flame was going to spout. No flicker of the fire she held so dearly. And the guards stood over her like pack of ravenous wolves, ready to devour her at any moment.
“Dammit…back the hell up off!” She finally lashed out at them, her voice light and heavy with dangerous snarls. The guards laughed, opened their mouths to speak but soon became bewildered and surprised when a man walked in between them and their glinting samurai swords.

“What who the hell are you? Not another one of you riff-raff’s trying to go against the headman’s order!” the first guard huffed.
Readying his sword, longing to slash open the mans throat, since he hadn’t had a good morning and he was allowed to kill anyone and anything he pleased, this he was definitely going to take advantage of.

Silk watched with widened yellow eyes, she had never had anyone stand up for her before, especially in a hazardous situation. She wanted to be grateful but for some reason she couldn’t, it was an impossible gesture and she couldn’t accept such a thing.
‘Your in danger fool! Run, quickly! Get away.’ Her mind raced and once again she looked up at him with a pleading gaze. She hoped he could read eyes, maybe even minds as long as he understood. All she knew was the headman of Kaguya Village was a desperate, desperate man. Who feared the death of all his prized oxen, and rare stallions. Once they died he flew into madness deeper than the Shuyin River. Begging people not to leave this village in this time of need, not that they listened, but this was just a hint of how he was slipping into lunacy.
Silk wanted to speak, truthfully she did but it was something about him that made her wonder.
She knew not if it was his kind face that made him seem so sure that he’d be okay or if it was his built, muscular exterior.

“So buzz off sonny, unless you wanna end up like this girl in a few minutes. Flesh for the earth!”
The second guard turned back to Silk, leaving the strange man to be dealt with by the other guard. He too had a look of madness, in the corner of his eye. He longed to kill her on the spot, but there was another thing too. Something much more horrible Silk was surprised to see it herself.
The first guard was making his advance, threatening the man with a hungry blood deprived blade.
The second guard raised his weapon as well, leaving no room for discussions now.
But then a sensation flew over her, something she hadn’t noticed a minute or so ago. Flames, bright and alive burned lightly at the tips of her fingertips.

Silks breathing intensified, the guard took it for fear and chuckled in a mocking way.
“What’s the matter girlie? Scared?” he asked, wavering his sword like a toy letting it stop just a few inches from her breast.
Silk’s face had been apathetic for a long while, but a small smile came across her face to the guard’s surprise. She spoke not a word, just lifted her head so that he could see her eyes clearly.
They were growing wider by the second, if he had paid any attention what so ever he could have noticed the small orange and yellow ‘claws’ lifting from behind her back as the fire grew steadily.
The depth her yellow eyes made was incomparable, Silk just hoped that she was controlling the fire and not the other way around.

'Don't worry I can control it...I can protect myself and him!' She thought, her hand trembling witht his slight dose of power.

[Acheron]

The guards were easily two of the most weapon happy guards Kessler had met in a very long time. It had been two days since he had been back in the village, so apparently the village head was losing his mind faster than Kessler thought. This wasn't good as now he was going to have to figure out what had happened in the village while he was gone, hopefully the wind hadn't claimed the lives of anymore animals, let alone any persons. No matter what Kessler said, these two guards seemed so hell bent on making sure that the girl and him paid for trying to enter and trying to leave the village. When did such simple and trivial matters become ones of life and death? This wind was destroying everything in it's path and if it wasn't destroyed right on scene, it would slowly crumble away over time. The animals may be dying first but that's only physically, mentally the people were already dead, something that Kessler hadn't realized until now. He started to pay attention though when one guard focused in on the girl and the other on him, but he wasn't worried about protecting himself.

The girl sparked Kessler's interest right away though, the way she was staring down the guard in front of her. It wasn't just a bold notion of thinking she could handle him either, Kessler saw from her eyes that she really could be able to take down the guard, in fact, with closer examination, Kessler could see the "claws" forming behind her. He stook a step forward which the guard near him didn't like and then exclaimed...

"She's got powers too"

Kessler's eyes went grey and he turned to face the guard nearest him. The guard charged as Kessler and led with his spear into Kessler's chest, which had turned into solid stone, breaking the man's weapon. As he looked into Kessler's eyes with fear, he didn't notice that his right fist was also solid stone, it would be the last thing he noticed as Kessler punched him in the chest, sending him flying high across the town.

[Fehrant]

The wind near Kaguya Village carried voices filled with anger. They complained, they argued, they disagreed. Fuuyuu's pure heart felt saddened at the notion, and wanted, in some way, to help. She leapt on her way to the entrance, a tall barbed fence raised from the ground, blocking the only possible entrance. She stood there, witnessing everything that took place from very moment that girl with the fiery eyes had shown and wanted to leave the village. Eventually a boy showed up. More angry arguments were exchanged, eventually bursting into violence. Fuuyuu saw a very simple way to resolve this.

She jumped high, looking down on the four figures as they moved about. Her body descended, landing without a single noise on the trees nearby, out of their sight. However, her landing send strong gusts of wind into either direction, as if a breeze had just blown by. That was the only proof she was there. Not wasting any time, she dashed towards the place where the girl was. Her every movement was elegant, graceful and carefree, as if there was no gravity or wind holding her back, as if she was a walking deity, a phantom, a forest spirit.

Coming out from between the trees startled the group. She jumped in the girl's arms, hugging her gently. Fuuyuu smelt of various things, earth, flowers, plants, and at the same time she smelt of nothing; as such, was the wind: no smell, except of that it carried within. "No fight," she whispered in her ear. Her sweet voice sounded like a song, even though her language was obviously crippled. Wrapping her arms more tightly, she jumped high again, taking the girl with her. "See?" She told he