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[Aylune]

Vhalar 81st

From atop the rocky bluff, a creature clad in smooth black fur exhaled through puffing nares, steam billowing in the cool morning air. The beast’s head lowered, but another of its kin emerged as well, eyes wide, ears flagged unlike its hunting counterpart. The pair stared down into that gorge at the winding path between the dry desert gulches of the Eastern Continent.

This earthen world had stones so natural, so massive, yet precarious in their worldly forms such that a slight touch could send them tumbling. These pillars were numerous, dotted around like dangerous dirges of earthsong yearning for ears to hear its groans, and North could feel it in his bones! All the same, the wind swept through, howling through hollow canyons and swinging through the pass with a swiftness.

“Playing games again, are we?” quizzed the shy half.

“Now you tease me for my fun,” groaned the noble-born son of Jarl Magnus. “Were I not such a disappointment to my blood... I wish I could sit still.”

“It’s who you are,” said South, North’s quixotic familiar. “Pshh, so entrenched in what they want you to be, and you’ve never even seen that your father does not care. Perhaps he wishes for you to be in your element. One day you will tire of this world, as all the elders do, and you will return to your father. Do not concern yourself until then.”

“Even so, let’s have our fun, shall we?” North murmured to the other, Echoing his humanity through the totem of the wolf he was expressing at this moment. “You’re right, South. We can think about that part of our lives another day...” Golden eyes swiftly locked on the first sign of movement in the distance, leering. “Shh, shh South. What do we have here?” The fuzzy shape became more clear, and North’s head tilted. “...Is that a wolf? No, it’s a man!” His tail shot straight up, and he turned to his familiar. “You be my eyes.”

The wily Becomer scooted back and stared up at the earthen sphere so precariously balanced. He felt the wind, and the earth’s willingness to move. With that feeling, he breathed in, and exhaled. The air picked up and gusted harshly, and at the same time he called to the rock, giving it what it needed to shift ever so slightly.

Crack.

An ear-splitting rancor trampled at the ears, and in the distance that stone began to roll into the gorge. At first it struck the side of the canyon, and then it split into a hundred boulders that clattered to the earth in a dusty cloud of rubble. Now the gorge was blocked, a wall the height of five men barring entry.

It worked!

That seemed dangerous.

Shh, we’re dreaming!

...When you’re lucid, the injuries are real. How do you not know this Nor-

I do, I do, now hush, hush! North fed ether to his connection with the raven totem inside him, and his body crackled as his bonuses shifted and schlorped. Boing. North spread his wings, carefully gliding down to the tallest fallen rock where he set his feet down and skidded to a halt, flapping to slow his slide.

North cleared his bird-throat, and then stretched out his wings. “Who seeks passage through my canyon? I am the spirit of the gorge, and you have not paid homage to me! How dare you?”

You’re such a sinner, North, South communicated through their link out of sight.

Hush, I know, I know.

[Wald Lowca]

The world seemed barren, though not in the same way the dreamer knew in the waking world. There were not vast fields of snow, the world was that of earth. Massive walls of stone and dirt would be raised on both sides of the hunter. Wald's eyes scanned the area, the golden brown color searching his surroundings. Animals seemed to be rare in this land, though some aspect could be seen of them. Small openings in the walls, where lizards and snakes hid from the potent heat of the suns.

Sounds of movement would peak in Wald's ears, an animal was moving? This one was much larger then the small lizards, his eyes slowly moved through the rocky landscape. His head did not have to move far to see a creature, was that a wolf? The hunter had not seen a wolf such as that one before, it gave him a strange look though. Could it be that Karem had sent a messenger? If that was the case, the creature would be more stealthy. The animal began to move up the gorge that Wald was walking through.

The hunter paused for a moment, before he continued forward. The appearance was strange, but then the sound of cracking earth was heard. The falling rocks began to tumble towards the opening ahead, along with nearly on Wald. A second wolf that was unfamiliar to the dreamwalker would appear, as it pushed the man out of the way of the falling rocks.

Wald got up from the ground, the wall of rocks now blocking his path forward. "I was fine Ylfa." A soft voice came from the man, something that did not seem to belong to the rougher looking man. Wald's eyes moved to the top of the mound of rocks, as something flew down almost to greet him.

A spirit of the gorge? The large man would clear his throat, before reaching behind him. "Spirit of the gorge? You appear to be a animal to me?" Shining metal gleamed in the light, as the hunter's hands were covered in a pair of gauntlets. Wald walked to the rocks, gripping into one with the clawed hands. "Where you the one who pushed these rocks Raven?" There was a tug at the rock, as the stone was removed from the pile. Causing the pile of rocks to become unsettled once more. It would take a moment before the wall would move once more.

Tossing the stone behind him, Wald would walk back to the rock to sit upon it. Watching as the wall slowly started to crumple into once side. The wolf siting next to him, her fur was a pure white. A wolf meant for the cold wastes of the North not a warm land like this. "Raven, how do you speak? If you truly are a spirit show me." The wolf would fad from mortal view, as she moved to her spiritual form. Yet the clawed gauntlets rested on her head, petting her while incorporeal.

[Aylune]

Like a razor, the man saw through the raven’s ruse. Now the raven could see Wald up close, his features known. A Lotharro? No, North thought. A man. “Clever, clever,” North mused as he was forced to take flight. The rocks tumbled down but his wings caught the air just in time, circling above. Like no raven Wald had ever seen, North failed at first to land upon another bluff before perching there atop a huge boulder and peering down, entranced with curiosity.

Touching his chest with a wing, North sucked in a breath and bellowed at this distance. “A spirit I am not, a dreamer I am, as are you! These wolves who march by your side, they seem unlike other wolves, like the spirits themselves! At first I thought ‘Sev’ryn Ose’bori’ but then I saw that you had two! A strange man, indeed. We are both strange! Collect yourself and remain calm, I will peacefully step down to meet you.” The bird hopped back out of sight, Wald’s vision cut off by the rocky outcropping North was hiding behind.

That one seems dangerous, I don’t like this idea, chimed North’s familiar.

It’ll be fiiine. Unless, that is, dropping ten thousand pounds of rock upon the man has made him persnickety!

Sigh, North. If you get yourself killed...

Expressing his wolf totem once again, North bent down as his body shifted, consciously keeping all the belongings he had assimilated within him so that they did not spill to the earth. With a flourish of his tail, and Wald saw the familiar appendage first, a familiar black wolf head appeared, followed by scrabbling claws on the stone.

Are you a fool, North?

The creature lacked the grace and poise of a natural wolf, but it made it work as it hopped down to a shorter bluff and then skidded down an earthy run before jumping down to the bottom of the gorge where Wald resided. The wolf stopped ten yards away and sat back, lifting a paw and pressing it to his breast. His chin rose to the suns, and he spoke. “I am North Magnus!” proclaimed the wolf. “Who are you? I do apologize for the stones, dreams are where I have my fun.”

[Wald Lowca]

The Raven spoke confirming Wald's belief. Though the small bird only seemed to add to a confused look upon the hunter's face. Two spirits, he had but only Ylfa with him, or so the man thought. There was an image of a second spirit, floating close behind the hunter. It had been unseen by the man since he was a child. It was strange though, was the raven lying to Wald? And what did the small figure mean by a Dreamer? A mage maybe, someone who gave into their wanted need for power.

When the Raven spoke of dreaming, Wald's eyes seemed to flicker in color quickly. A single drop of black ichor falling from his left eye. The hunter was not awake, his mind forced to keep in his dreaming state. Even the two spirits that were with him were false, Ylfa was not within here, and Nex was very distant from where the dreamer went stuck inside his dreamscape.

Closing his eyes when the raven had left him, Wald began to focus on his sense of smell. The raven was clear he knew it was there, avian feathers, clawed feet. Though then it shifted, the smell changed to a slight musk of a mammal. How strange was this, if they were no spirit, then how did they change form like this. Soon the wolf from early walked out from behind the rocks. Wald opened his eyes, just after wiping away the black drop from his cheek.

There was a slow shake of the head, so the creature had a name it would seem. "North?" It was likely not a false name, as they used a first and last one. "I am Wald Lowca." Wald would lean back on the rock he sat on, eyes moving up and down the wolven body. "You said something about dreams, when we are clearly not in such a thing." The clawed gauntlets moved underneath his chin. "Or do you refer to the fact that you believe I am not who I display? Something that you seem to do. Living your life as a dream of something else, as a raven for example North." Wald's eyes were narrow, though it was not like he could help it. He tried to study each muscle the wolf moved, it was not use to the body of a wolf.

"Where are you from North? The state of your coat does not seem to match the land around us. Black in a place with little shadow, a wolf here would be brown."

[Aylune]

North’s head tilted as the man acted in a peculiar way. Hm, he’s not lucid. His nose puffed at the air, taking in his scent. He smells human. I’m not sure what to think, yet.

I concur, noted North’s familiar from afar. This Wald Lowca seems agreeable enough. Perhaps he fancies wolves, and men at that? I remember how you felt with Llyr... The familiar could be seen, even by another. It was still up on the tall outcroppings, keeping its distance though it stood with the suns to its back.

North delivered a sharp rebuke, though he remained stone-faced. No! South, you do not exist to embarrass me! I know you are my familiar, but those feelings are hard for me to share. It broke with a sigh, himself shaking his head. “Well, Wald, if you’re brave enough to touch me with your hand, then you will think clearly.”

You should be more honest with yourself, South said calmly.

I know.

The wolf stood and shook the dirt from his tail, slowly trotting forward. He was a large wolf, and he stopped an arm’s length away to sit once more, offering his paw. “Melrath, where the spirits sing songs and the men care to listen. What of you, Wald? You seem like you have a mountain of stories to share.” His head tilted slightly, eyes looking him up and down. “You seem to fancy wolves, and by your assessment of me, you know much about them. Perhaps you could begin there, and explain this affinity to me, and then I shall share something about myself.”

[Wald Lowca]

Wald would watch the wolf, as he saw a second one pier over some rocks. That one seemed to keep its distance, as the other moved closer. He saw the look in the two's face, it was the same look that Ylfa would give when they spoke. Could those to speak like that? And why has Ylfa kept quite for so long, she would normally try and warn the man of a few things by now. "Bravery and insanity are two separate things. I have seen both through my eyes."

The wolf known as North was now in front of the hunter, extending a paw forward. "Melrath? I have an ancestor from there. That was 12 generations back, me being the 13th to be on our journey." Wald ignored the paw for a moment, as he pulled the metal off of his right hand. They were calloused, arcs of work had hardened his skin. The mark of his bowstring a constant for his fingers. "A hunter understands predator and prey alike."

After finishing what he said, Wald would touch the paw of the wolf. North waking the dreamer from his dreaming mind.

The hunter froze for a moment, his eyes flashing colors; blue, brown, gold, black, white. The colors continued as the black ichor began to pour from his eyes, before his mouth opened with only a painful scream leaving. The frozen body held tight to the wolf's paw, as the dreamer's body shifted and changed. Figures shifted in front of North, as the two faux spirits left the side of the once dreaming Wald. The man's hair turned pure white, then he shifted into a wolf beast. A green figure with massive tusks, then a child who's spirit was broken. The paw was released when the man shifted to a wolf, grey and white.

Finally the show was over, as the man came back from this state. All the figures gear was gone, black ichor covering his lower body. The screaming had stopped as he held his head for a moment. His breathing seemed to be quickened from the experience. Wald took to standing, taking two steps back. "You are a dreamwalker, are you not." His eyes stared at the wolf, no it was not Sybil he knew that much. The smell of roses were no were to be found. "Who are you really?" The man asked. His upper body was exposed, deep scars on his shoulders, along with a large canine bite across his left side covering most of his abdominal area.

[Aylune]

Wald’s words earned a smirk from the wolf. “Have you now?” Wald still puzzled him. He spoke so strangely, to North. An ancestor whom was Melrathi, from so many generations ago. “You speak as if you know your ancestors well, watching those metal claws as they were pulled away. A peculiar weapon for a peculiar man. I would see such a thing on a Lotharro, but this man is no Lothar.

His eyes refocused. Ah, a hunter. As Wald’s hand took North’s paw, the pads and fur bled with water, dribbling coolly over the hunter’s hand. North got a feel for it just as something surprised him and he jerked away, his legs moving faster than he could run. North fell on his side in the chaos and righted himself, eyes wide with fear. Dark spots of water-soaked earth were left behind like muddy paw prints in the ground wherever he stepped. “Myrkvior’s wrath!” yelled the mage.

Did I hurt him? North asked his familiar as the man shifted between terrifying forms. He’s out of control! The scream echoed in his mind, haunting him enough that he dare not approach again without some convincing. South was utterly silent until it all ended, and Wald was back to himself.

...Perhaps he was in a strange spot when he was dreaming The work of Spirits, or the Immortals, or a strange reaction to being awoken from his dream. I can’t say. That black substance... North’s eyes flickered lower, taking in the sight before walking back up the human’s frame as whatever this man was spoke.

North, now ten meters away again, pointed to Wald. “Your legs, what ails you? A Spark, a ghost, an Immortal?” North shook his head. “Aye, a Dreamwalker. I hope I did not disturb you, as you have disturbed me in your waking. This has never happened before.”

North could see that giant bite on the man’s body, like a giant animal--no, it had to have been a wolf! A giant wolf bit Wald! “That wolf must have been the size of a dragon...” North murmured. “Who am I, really? I am the son of Jarl Magnus, of House Magnus, a noble family of Melrath. I am also a mage, as is common of my family. I mean you no harm... and yes, I am a mage. What are you? A hunter, but clearly with a few quirks!”

[Wald Lowca]

Wald shook his head for a moment, the cloud on his mind drifting further away. Looking down after the wolf talked about his legs, he saw the black ichor the only thing covering him. He blinked slowly and the looked to the wolf who was startled. The golden brown eyes of the man seemed to slowly wake up from the experience. "Human, I am no dreamwalker though. I do have a friend who is, he is the one that... told me about the dreams." Eyes looked around the dreamscape, as he tried to figure out one thing. Was this his or the other being's.

He heard the slight mumble the wolf spoke, as Wald placed his hand on the scar. "No... Just grew with me in age." He had gotten the scar as a small child, it had stretched with his growth over the arcs. "So you were a mage, and your family practices such things? Quite strange." Wald seemed to finally get used to being awake, even if the shock was still in North's mind. "I am but a hunter, I may have been blessed. I only work towards my family's goal." The man would look over the apparent Jarl. "Are you able to turn to animals due to the dream?" Wald seemed curious about things, as he took a step towards North.

Wald knelt down to look at the wolf, he eyes had a narrow look to them. Even if they were filled with curiosity. "Can you tell me of Melrath, my family left so long ago I do not know what kind of people are still there." This was a chance for him, try and pull some form of information about his birth place. "My great grandfather left there to hunt, and apparently he also left due to his family disowning him for his choice in wife." Wald would sit down on the ground, as he asked these questions. "Is that normal there?" Despite knowing so much of his ancestry, the stories got muddied over the generations. Over 600 arcs of oral history will do that to a story.

[Aylune]

Still on his guard, North gave a nod to the man, only speaking up when he saw the man look all about himself. “You’re in my dream, you wandered to me. I spend time playing here with my friend and Familiar, South. Sev’ryn Familiars feel persecuted by the eyes of those they are not bonded to, but he stares up there from atop the cliffs.” North pointed up at the other wolf with his nose, and South lowered himself shyly, the spirit watching on from afar with unease.

“Ahh,” North rumbled as Wald explained the scar. “Sure to be popular with the women I’d wager, hm?” teased the inhuman mage before him. “Strange, indeed. Our family barely functions, mages tend to be solitary creatures, manipulative at best when drawn together. It depends on the will of the mage, and the nature of the Sparks of magic inside them. Mine are not so malicious, so I am lucky. One of my Sparks, that of the Becomer, allows me to Become other things. For this I need bone, blood, and hair from a fresh kill or a captive beast, fashioned into a totem. It is by expressing the totem of my original human body through an Echo of itself that I am able to speak to you as a wolf, just as I could squawk as a raven if I so chose.” To emphasize this, North took a breath as he thought to his raven totem, and then exhaled the croon and squawk of a raven.

Dissipating that effect, he smiled jovially, though as a wolf it looked rather intimidating, as if he were baring his fangs. “The people in Melrath unlike most places in the world vilify the Immortals and instead worship the spirits. For example, I respect the wild and only take totems from creatures that misconstrue me as prey. The spirits that embody the animals in the wood congeal into a delicate balance that can easily be offset should I hunt without care or respect to them. Without paying homage, the beasts of the Myrkvior would lack fertility and the hunt would not be so bountiful. Induk are everywhere and govern swathes of land, sea, and air, as are the Anak who follow them, the spirits of concept.”

Done with his proselytizing, North hummed as he thought to the people. “Ah, Melrath itself is a collection of cities and villages separated by expanses of wilderness. We are an interesting people. Your great grandfather could have been from a wealthy house as am I, or maybe he married someone who conflicted with conservative Melrath values. The spirits are everything to us, after all. To wed an Immortal-worshiper or a race known for its Immortal connection such as an Aukari may draw ire, though I personally do not place judgment upon the follower, but the deity itself, and I feel the Immortals would be fine were they to care more for the balance of the world over their own whims and ideals.”

[Wald Lowca]

A slow nod was given to the wolf. "Right, that is good." Wald seemed relieved that his own dreams were not being violated. He had come to peace that Sybil would appear in them, but the thought of others influencing him in such a way... It was terrifying to say the least. "I have heard of your people, Sev'ryn tend to bond with nature. I try and do much the same." He looked to where the spirit was looking from. A slow wave given to South.

Wald gave a coughing laugh. "I do not meet to many... People." He then listened to the story of North. "It is the nature of mages, the ones that choose to take the spark. They are those who gave into power, though I only have my experience to go by." The curious method of how becomers gain their power seemed alright enough. Though the thought of a mage did cause the man to think lesser of North. His eyes would not hide the fact, though he was not going to attack them or stop talking. Learning was something he was all to curious about.

There was a soft laugh, given to the last statement of the strange North. "Right, Immortals are a strange group." Wald did check to ensure that Ylfa was not near him, just before he continued. "Though some are good in nature, it seems like most are quite estranged. I feel that, some see the potential of humanity, that is why blessings exist, to help push man forward to what they can become."

Wald thought over the information he learned about Melrath, what was it that his grandfather done? "Well in any case, I have never meet someone who was part of a family of mages. Though not to say I am thrilled about that thought, as you are the only mage that... Has not tried to kill me or someone close to me." Wald ignored the small rock slide, as he was quite able to get out of that.