Unicorn Hunt (nikuvillan, + 2 others)

There is an old tale, one of gods and spirits…

A long time ago, when the earth was still new, there lived a unicorn. Made of the essence of life and spirit, this creature was free to roam the world, having finished the request of the gods. Long it roamed, and long it was hunted, the power of its horn sought after by frightened men and greedy wizards. It was not until this creature left its home upon the high mounts of ancient Greece that it finally found refuge in a world that did not know it...

“Or so the story goes,” an old man spoke, his raspy voice dry from his tale. The travelers before him seemed somewhat cynical toward the story, but he was not troubled by such a notion. Mystical creatures, it seemed, were a thing of the past. Yet these people were still here. “Now, if you would seek this power, and you believe my words, then know that only those with a pure heart can complete this task. The unicorn will show itself to none others. The curses, the pain you wish to relieve, all of this will vanish with the blessed touch of its horn.”

“And where will I find it?” Came the flat response.

The old man merely smiled, leaning back into his old wooden chair. All about him, his small wooden cabin creaked. “On the mountain, of course. The mountain of Kyronos within Heimlick forest, nearly twenty four leauges away. If you have the strength to pursue the unicorn that far, it is but a mere triviality. You must overcome the great Kyronos Peak, whose height surpasses even that of Death Mountain. Even then... yes, the unicorn is an elusive creature. Should you find yourself in dire straits, there is indeed a village where you may seek help. What interest they have in such creatures I do not know, but they are a friendly people.

So, what do you say, travellers? Do you think such an endeavor to be possible?"

* * *

Kryoshippos stood at the crest of a gray stone ledge, looking down upon the mountain with distant fondness. Long had she been the keeper of this land, though in truth, there was little to protect. All about her was fresh frost from the early morning, which had settled upon the empty ground in sparkling patches of white. This sheen blanket of ice would soon dissapear as the sun rose to smile upon the mountain, melting into tiny springs of water that would quickly freeze back over as it flowed into the icy crevices of the cliffs. Below this delicate white, there already laid a soft blanket of snow, which was interrupted only by the great jagged stones that jutted out of the ground. These monstrous shapes had been formed by years of exposure to ice and wind, as had the rest of the mountain, though much of this exterior was covered by innocent pillows of snow.

In all of this sharp contrast of black and white, there was little to quarrel with the two. No trees grew in the unforgiving climate, unable to bear the chill of the wind and the apathetic hardness of the ground. No warm blooded creatures lived upon this land either, for the air was too thin and the snow too cold. Further down the mountain, perhaps a mile or so, the most robust plants of the forest would dare to spread their branches wide enough to catch the sun, and the birds and chipmunks would make their homes in them. There, the air was more forgiving, though still sharp and cold as it mingled with the thick scent of pine. Within the austere land of rock and fir, there were also great preadators, mountain lions and black bears, whose insessant and desperate search for food never seemed to end.

The icy creature sighed, sending a cloud of white frost into the air. Craning her great neck, her deep blue eyes turned to the sky, which was startingly clear. It was a good distance before it touched the clouds below, which clung to the mountain like a giant halo. She knew that somewhere above, her gods were watching over her, whose onimpotent gaze pierced through even the thick fog below...

OoC: Reading this will help you get a better idea of the layout of the place ^^

Oh, and in case it isn't clear, Kryoshippos is the chara with weird Greek characters in my siggy.

In the corner of the room had sat a thin figure of a woman, ears listening intently to every word the man spoke. What he said… it could be the truth or it could be a trap designed to entice her, timed so that she would hear it and take part in such a hunt with such a reward promised at the end if one succeeded. But she had no other choice. If the end of such a journey would only kill her, then let it come. She doubted she had any different a fate than that.

So she left quickly, buying no supplies and leaving no money to be traced and used by those pursuing her. She had no horse to leave hoofprints that would create a trail leading to her. As before, she had nothing. Her brief stay in town had done nothing to change her practicality and survival instincts. She was on her own again, as she always had been.

As she always would be.

---------------

Sun would come and melt the ice as quickly as it had brought it through its absence. Though the air around her was beginning to warm she left her thick mask of blankets and cloth around her face. It was no longer used to keep warm. It had become part of her, part of her body and part of her lifestyle. If she did not use it at every opportunity, every given time, she would die. There was no sugarcoating it, no dancing around the issue;

Without a mask, they would kill her.

The old her might have uttered a prayer to the Mother, her chosen deity, as the sun peeked over the edge of the horizon. But that part of her was dead. There was no faith anymore that she used as a way of staying alive. Only her wits had seen to that. So she’d given up on the goddess. Ironic in a way, considering…

She squinted, staring down the side of the mountain.

…considering a lot of things.

OoC: Okay, I'm using Marmion.

BiC: “If this is true than it would be a good place to find pace,” the young boy said through the crowed of people that gather to hear the tale. His head facing the ground as he begun to walk away from the crowd of people.

“It would, but no one could live up there forever. The cold would kill us in days after staying up that high in the mountain. Does pace mean so much as to kill yourself?”

It could, it could if I was truly a human that is. Something about me isn’t human, so the cold should be as bad, the boy thought as he made his way from the storyteller. He didn’t believe a lot of what was said, but he couldn’t help wanting to find a peaceful place to rest at.

Glancing up at the moon, he felt its warm hand pushing him on out of the town. He heard the chatter of the trees up ahead and took note of the huge clouds forming into the sky. Show the trees are right again. A storm coming I better fine some place safe to stay. It won’t be in this village though. he thought strolling out of the gates that guard to town and followed the beaten path.

“Now that I’ve left the city,” he said stopping in the middle of the road closing his eyes. “Is there a place big enough for a small cub to rest and hid from the storm?” he asked hoping one of the smaller animals was around to help.

“There something a few miles away. I don’t know if it’ll help you, but it keep you warm and out of the rain.”

“That’ll be fine. Can you show me where it is if you don’t mind?”

“No! Human is around right now. Must hid or take the chance of getting caught.”

“Too bad. I don‘t want to see you get caught so stay where your at.” he said opening his eyes to see the moon being covered by the storm clouds. It so hard to find help these days.

***

How long have I been claming this mountain? It feels like I could go on forever walking this place. There is no sign of life up here and the so cold. The young boy thought covering himself the best he could in the little clothes he wore.

“If there anything out there tell me where can I find shelter this high up?” He asked unable to see anything in front of him. .

OoC: And I'll take the last slot! I will be using Faite. Sorry for the bad opening, But I'm kinda rusty...

Bic: Faite stepped outside of the tavern after the old man had finished his tale. The cool crisp night was punctuated by a full moon peaking through the trees over head. "Well... that was an interesting tale." Faite said to no one in particular, even though as far as he could tell he was alone. "I wonder if I would be able to find this mystical unicorn." Faite pulled his axe off of his back, and ventured into the forest just around the back of the tavern, looking for dinner.

"Aye... buying the tavern food may be quicker, but then there is no thrill of the hunt!" Faite saw a young person ahead, running into the forest.

************************************************** **
A few days later.
************************************************** **

Faite had setteled himself underneath an overhang from the cliff above him, and began to skin the four rabits he had caught with a dagger from the back of his left boot. After he had them skinned, he grabbed the makeshift spear, and rammed it through the first two rabbits, and began to roast it over the fire he had started with a minor fireball.

Faite heard something on the ledge above him. "Who's there?" Faite asked, immediatley grabbing his axe.

A hot, fleshy smell made Kryoshippos' nostrils flare, creating an unpleasant smoky tinge in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at the small stream of smoke below her, which was no doubt from a fire created only moments before. With the gentle glow of her orb-like eyes growing in intensity, she concentrated further on the intrusive scent, which was mixed with the smell of a mortal. Yes, she could sense the presence of a singular intruder, whose essence was mixed with fire, earth, and metal. Immediately, she realized that it was a dwarf that had intruded upon her mountain.

And he was not alone.

Kryoshippos' cold aura thickened reflexively as she felt the eyes of another mortal upon her... or was it? Her head turned a few inches to the side, using her peripheral vision to catch sight of a strange creature that stood a good distance above her. She could make little of the weak creature, save that its appearance was dull as the result of it trying to hide itself. In the icy air, she could almost smell the scent of the fae, that fresh and honeyed energy that such beings constantly gave off.

The icy creature shook her head, snorting with mild annoyance at herself. She should have sensed these creatures long before now... perhaps she had simply been delving within herself too deeply for too long. She would not make the same mistake again.

Turning her head back to the mountain below, the great spirit leapt off of her ledge, making a graceful arch as her body soared seventeen feet over the ground. About mid jump, the sun finally rose over the horizon, sending out warm beams of light that hit the snow with dazzling color. This light also struck the frosty glass of Kryoshippos' body, sending out a bright flash of color for the tiniest moment as her body flew back onto the ground. Her icy hooves made no sound as she landed, no indents formed even on the delicate snow. She could hear the dwarf shouting something behind her, but she heedlessly continued to run, her hooves touching the ground only momentarily as she leapt down the mountain's treacherous face.

The spirit continued with ease, galloping around her land with immeasurable speed. She knew the other mortals were now far, far behind her, but she continued to run, enjoying the flare of her mane in the wind. It was only a moment more, however, before she sensed yet another invasive presence. Unlike the others, this was much stronger, rivaling perhaps even her own aura. As she paused to understand this, she could have sworn it was almost the great lord Adel that was now upon her mountain. Yes, it was considerably weaker, but so very similar. The depth of such power Kryoshippos could never mistake for another. It was one that was built into the earth itself, one that the world depended on...

Following this sense, the spirit gathered an even more strange aura from this power. She could feel distress, worry... this other spirit needed her...

With cautious, yet earnest steps, Kryoshippos came upon the weak figure of a child, who was curled up against the snow. Bending her head in a docile manner, she approached it with silent steps, speaking gently with her horn so as not to frighten it.

"Why do you seek my help, young spirit?"

“I seek pace and warmth up here . Is there a way to find that?” The young boy said lifting his pinkish hair from in from of his face. He hadn’t notice the present of the voice being only a few feet away from him. “It cold tell me where to go for I fear I might not live much longer in this cold."

“Warmth?”

“Yeah, some place away from this cold snow and icy wind,” He said again tossing snow the snow around him around.

“Be more kind to the spirit of this land…” a voice from the nearby tree said.

“Yes, it not everyday one can see it or even talk with it.” Other voice spoke of in the distance to him.

Spirit? Marmion thought to himself glancing up to see the most breath taking sight in his life. He jumped up only to fall back into the snow. “How long you’ve been there!?” He asked staring at the creature That stood in front of him with her soft colored eyes .

The creature stepped back from the sudden movement he made and the loud childish voice .. Marmion saw the caution in it action and calm himself before making anymore actions. “Wait don’t go. I won’t harm you. I’ve just never seen nor heard of something like you. I don’t even know what to call whatever you are.”

He dropped his head letting his long hair cover his face at showed so much pain. The boy could feel his powers wanting to shield and protect him from his known pain, but he knew it couldn’t. He knew that what he really need was some place warm or something warm to shield him from the cold.

“Please, don’t leave me here.” he asked with tears rolling from his eyes and down his little cheeks.

Kryoshippos stared at the child for a long moment, taking in his appearance, his voice. In almost every way, she could recognize Adel in him, and yet... there was something different, impure. He was by no means the great lord himself, but something made out of the substance of him... a good portion of it...

"You were foolish to come here as you are." Kryoshippos spoke with little emotion in her voice, feeling little pity for even a lone child who had wandered to such a place on his own. Her icy body stood as still as ever, looming over the small creature with apathetic grace. Great spirit or not, he ought to have taken more care for his life. It must have been his inhuman abilities that had allowed him to live this long upon her unforgiving terrain. Even the child's surprise and sadness failed to move her, and her blue, impassive eyes looked upon him as the cold sheen of the snow might.

But this was a child of Adel. As a spirit of the world herself, it would be treason to allow the child to die simply because of his foolishness. He was young, his soul torn by the power that lay within him, and that was what had called out to her. He needed comfort, warmth, time to find himself and fufill his destiny as a spirit of the earth. This he could not do without her help.

Turning her head to look behind her, Kryoshippos gazed back at the way she had come, her eyes pondering over the clear ice and black rock. The morning was still at its coldest, and what air there was in the sky would need time yet to warm. She considered taking the child further down the mountain, where the weather was less harsh and the ground more forgiving, but it would be many a mile before he reached even the small village of Bren. He did not look strong enough as he was to walk anywhere at all, having wasted his energy on climbing her mount. When he had spoken of peace... had he meant death? Certainly upon coming here, he had found something nigh unto it.

Eventually, Kryoshippos' mind turned to the other invaders of her land. She had little taste for a war mongering dwarf to travel upon her domain, but she gave all who had innocent intents passage upon her mountain. She was also reminded of the tainted fae's sadness, her lonely and broken soul searching for solace it did not know. These creatures she found little reason to think on, but now that she had to attend to this spirit child, they suddenly became very important. That tiny fire of the dwarf's and the foul meal he had prepared himself; those would do the child good. Kryoshippos had already felt the soul of the dwarf, and having found no foulness, decided that it was indeed best that she bring the child to him.

Kneeling her glass-like frame upon the ground, the ice spirit looked directly into the eyes of the child. "Despite your err, however, I will grant you what you so desire. Climb upon my back, and I will take you to warmth."

It talks funny and acts weird, but it willing to help so I shouldn't be picky, the boy thought to himself listening to the action the horse like being took. I hope it’s a cave with no people it taking me too. The boy stood up from the snow feeling his moist clothes brush against his body. It hunt to even move the few steps towards it: his feet felt numb from sitting so long in the cold.

“It hurts. But I think I can make it,” he said taking slow steps towards her before looking back for his staff. “Wait,” he spoke finally his first words in a long time. He turned back around and hopped over to his staff that laid in the snow.

“I can’t leave without you.” He said to the staff grabbing it out of the ground. He took it and walked back over to the horse like being using the staff to help him walk. “You’ll need to go slow if I ride you. I’ve never rode anything in my whole life.” he said to it before touching the hard surface of it. He felt no heat coming from the odd being.

“Is everything alright with you? You have no body heat.” He asked worrying more about it safety than his own. “Here,” he quickly said hurry as fast as he could to get his kimono off. He hands and fingers to numb to get any real grab on the belt to untie it. “Don’t worry this will keep you warm when I get it on you,” he said again finally getting it loose.

Kryoshippos' mouth turned up into a small smile, amused by the child's kindness and foolishness. "You needn't worry, spirit child. I was a being of ice from the beginning, and so I shall remain as long as I roam this earth. Keep your clothes about you, for you will need that and much more to stay warm."

This child was not making things easy for the icy creature: a slower pace would keep her walking longer than she wished. She knew that she could gallop across her domain with perfect, silent grace, but in order to keep the child from being frightened, she would have to move slowly, as he said. He was afraid and weak enough as it was, and he would need all the strength he had to survive, even with the dwarf's help. Whether or not the dwarf would actually agree to this did not particularly matter to the icy spirit. It was her domain, and those that dwelt within it were at her mercy.

“Oh,” he said softly to himself tying the belt back around his waist. He didn’t really understand the reason it told him, but it seemed to him that it didn’t need the help. As he positioned himself on the spirits back it slowly stood up lifting his feet the ground. He felt as if he was going to fall from the sudden movement to being off his feet. He lean forward laying across its back to keep his balance in the air.

“How far is this warmth at?” The boy questioned only being able to see the snow and trees ahead. He guessed it was far from the empty replied he received. He got the feeling he wasn’t liked to well by her even he’d nothing. It reminded him how he acted towards other humans, but he didn’t think it could hurt the other person.

“Would you like to be left a lone? I could not talk to you if that what you want? Your quiet and that normally means you don’t want to be bothered,” he said staring off into the distant watching the snow fall through the trees and around the branch hoping to get some kind of repose again.

OoC: I apologize for the shortness of this post and its delay. I didn't have access to a computer before now.

BiC:

The woman shivered as she pulled a part of her cloak from her back. Any flesh that met the icy air felt as though it had been coated in a thick layer of frost. In warm weather, she would have sighed in relief at the sudden looseness of fabric. Without her heavy cloak, the hidden lumps that had only just been visible from the outside emerged and revealed what they really were:
Wings.

Or perhaps “wings” was the wrong term. They could hardly be called such. They lacked the structure of wings, shapelessly hovering just above the woman’s back, unaffected by the wind or weather. And they seemed to have no physical feel or texture. They were only a vague with an even vaguer outline, only visible thanks to the dim light that they gave off.

But the woman had decided to put her faith in the shapeless masses…

…and jumped off the cliff.

Kryoshippos sighed, the release of her frozen breath creating fragile white swirls of frost in the air. This child had a knack for being overly concerned, but it created only the slightest tinge of annoyance in the icy spirit. It was natural for children to act in such ways as this child did, and she found little reason to reproach him. She let the tiny emotion slip off of her, as water accross a sleek rock, and turned her head to glance at the boy.

"Sit up, and use your knees to help stabalize yourself. Hold tightly to my neck if you loose your balance. The flame of my mane will not harm you." This she quietly spoke as she moved forward, her long legs coming into a gentle walk. Already, she could feel that the child was unstable upon her back, clinging to her like a frightened kitten. As she began to walk, however, moving as smoothly and softly as the morning breeze, the spirit child seemed to relax somewhat, and within minutes, he seemed to gain a little more confidence in his riding ability. His aura, however, was still weak, and she knew that she needed to find the dwarf quickly.

It was not long before the terrain became more difficult, and large rocks began to hamper her walk. She stopped for a moment, considering the landscape about her, then turned back to the boy. "Hold on."

This was the child's only warning as she broke into a trot, which made a quick transition into a run. Galloping noiselessly across the snow, she leapt over the first large, jagged stone, which stood at least seven feet high. Her movements were smooth enough that the child managed to stay on, and with this accomplished, she continued to gallop across the mountain, to where she was certain the dwarf would remain.

OoC: I'll let you guys introduce Kryoshippos to the other charas back at the original location.

OoC: Are we going with the idea that they met at the inn/place?

OoC: By her last post it would seem to me that we'll be meeting up at the cave that Jeaulm spoke about. Though, he hasn't posted anything since than.

The woman’s legs crumbled beneath her as she met the ground, pushing the rest of her body into the ground. It was only with a thick coating of dirt that she was able to pull herself up, quickly hiding the wings as she stood. Her eyes remained unchanged, never moving, always the same emptiness. It was with that same emptiness that she looked forward into the forest that surrounded the edges of the mountains. The wooded area was one she had become accustomed to living in… to thinking of as home.

She took one step forward, then hesitated. As before, what could be seen of her face never changed. But her left hand eased its way towards a short dagger, resting on it before she walked forward another foot. This time, she did so with visible anxiety, twitching at the slightest sound or rustle in the bushes. Only through slow, cautious steps did she finally stepped into the thick forest, muttering to herself as she went.

OoC: POST, DARN YOU!

Hmm… the young boy thought lifting his head out of his hood. He’d thought he heard something in the distant, but with the storm seeing anything, besides snow was hard. The ride slowed down at climbing the rocking hill. He learned quickly how to stay on top of the horse being back, but the idea of falling kept them going slow.

“One more is out here…,” the voice of the wind howled as it brushed passed his face.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked tossing his hood back over his head. The Bitter cold of this land was too harsh even for him.

“Help her,,, What else?”

“I guess… though, I really don’t want to be around to many people.” He said resting against the cool back of his savor. “Hey, can we go help some one else first? The wind just told me a female out here and is in need of our help.” He asked prying to get a quick and painless yes out of it.

OoC:Oi vey, that's a little much on the strong language there, Mistah Calibur.

BiC:

Kryoshippos was mildly surprised by the storm that suddenly kicked up, coming in from a violent gray cloud. Its frosty fingers covered the mountain in snow as it pulled at the spirit's fiery mane, brightening its sparks. Against the gray snow that swirled to the ground in thick sheets, Kryoshippos stood out as an ethereal light, the blue glow of her glass-like body still glossy in in the dark frost. All of the snow that touched her simply slid off, its chill comforting as warm water against a human's skin.

It had always been a subject of curiosity to the spirit as to why humans thought of the mountain as a symbol of steadiness. They would see the sharp gray peaks, the great stony bases, and think that such a thing was immovable. But it was. Like the sea, the mountains were forever changing, the weather coming and going whenever the wind willed it so. Those that braved the mountains were not those unaccustomed to change, but those that could bear it.

Yes, and the boy... he would not be so indifferent to the change in temperature as she. His small frame was already shaking, his aura weak. That was part of the reason she was so surprised by the boy's request.

Still running to her destination, she spoke with the same quiet, apathetic voice. “Tell me, Child, does the wind stop to mourn those whom it freezes? Will the earth swallow itself up because a human's tears fall upon it? Nay, for that is not the way of nature. Those who encroach upon her domain are responsible for their own lives. Why then should I make myself a beast of burden for the weak?”

OoC: Feel free to convince her otherwise ^^

The feminine figure coughed into her mask, both to rid her mouth of a vile taste and to warm the fabric around her face. She wasn’t going to last; leaving town for some fairytale had been a mistake. It was a suicide mission… just like many others she had been sent on. She’d always told herself that all that reading had helped prepare her for her life, but that was a lie. It’d done nothing but rot her mind, convincing her that there was some reward for following hollow legends and stories. It was the biggest mistake of all.

Snow soaked into her cloak, ripping at her flesh, freezing it on contact. It would all be over. She had no supplies to hold her over, no magic to stave off the icy death that the storm was offering her. The heroes in her stories always survive with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They would have made it through the storm. They would have trudged through it with their heads held high with nothing but their wits to protect them.

But then, she was no hero.

(Writing on PS3)

Faite slowly set his axe down on the frosty ground, making sure that the blade was clean, and set to cooking the rabbits. "I wonder if anyone else were to have come oooking for this Unicorn." said the burly dwarf to the rabbits he was cooking.

(will be able to post well Friday )