Zana
Sleeper
I will protect my people at all costs.
Posts: 5
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Post by Zana on Oct 7, 2010 12:00:53 GMT -8
Why oh why was it so bloody hot? One hand reached up to her forehead, wiping the perspiration that gathered there away and flicking it to the ground. It was official - she hated the Boil. Why anyone would live here was something she had yet to figure out; it was hot and there wasn't much in the way of food. She desperately missed the Island, but that place was even hotter than the Boil right now, at least since the volcano had decided to erupt. And it wasn't safe for the large horde of shapeshifters in the forests or in the towns, which is why they had chosen the Boil. But the heat...!
She would just have to adapt is all. Shifters were good at adapting. Blue eyes flicked around, staring at her people. They had set up an encampment in a small area of the Boil, sitting close together and staying as far away from the human towns as possible. Tents, bedrolls, and other living supplies were scattered everywhere. Half of the shapeshifters had been able to save some of their stuff before the volcano overtook their home, but the other half hadn't been so lucky. Fortunately, the shifters were loyal to each other and most of the lucky were sharing with the unlucky. There had been a few issues, all of which had been brought to Zana's attention and she had taken care of it, but other than that everything was going well. As well as could be expected, that is.
"Ugh! This heat is ridiculous!" the woman exclaimed, quickly tugging her shirt up and over her head. It was drenched in her sweat. Considering she was a wind sprite, the Alpha female was used to much cooler temperatures than these. It was just her lucky day that, right after she removed her shirt, a nice breeze picked up. Zana sighed in relief, arching her back slightly and enjoying the wind. "Lady Zana!" What was it? Blue eyes flicked up to see a familiar shifter stalking to her, and she immediately knew that he was irritated. His name was Ravvin and he was a complainer - no one could do anything right in his eyes. Zana sighed inwardly, wondering what kind of complaint he had this time. He stalked up to her and looked her in the eye before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Those good for nothing children have been messing with my stuff again! Aren't you going to do anything about it?" Zana stared him down. "I am not in charge of the human children." "But you have to do something! Speak to their parents, drive them away, anything!" "You know that we have to play nice with the local humans, Ravvin, and driving their children away is not playing nice. They are not taking anything. They are just playing. So there are doing nothing wrong." His face turned red in anger, and he growled at her. Zana continued to stare him down, folding her arms over her chest. After a few moments, he released the breath he had been holding and stalked off, muttering obsenities under his breath. The moment he was out of sight, Zana sighed; she was stressed out. She so needed a break. But, of course, she couldn't take one - not now, at least. Blue eyes flicked up to the sky, watching the few clouds that were there, and she smiled as she thought of everything she would do once they returned to the Island and she was able to take a short break.
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Oct 17, 2010 2:32:37 GMT -8
Gabriel was never, ever going to get used to these temperatures.
Heat rolled off the ground in perceptible waves, distorting the very air that he breathed and sending it scorching into already scorched lungs. The Daemon had all but lost his grace; his strides were sluggish, quite unlike the usual predatory feline movement, lacking the elegance and speed that defined his kind. It was torturously uncomfortable and despite his lack of any clothing but the thin cotton pants, a sheen of sweat turned his skin to a strange shiny silver.
Gabriel remembered then why he'd left it over twelve years since even coming close to the Boil.
But now duty beckoned; since the new Alpha had taken over the Shifters, it was about time Gabriel met her. He'd known the old one of course - political alliances might not exist for Daemons but Gabriel had met even the Human King in order to remain fully informed about the relevant powers in Litharia. And six years may be little more than a blink in a Daemon's long life, but it was about time he introduced himself to Zana.
So it was with great reluctance and much cursing that Gabriel undertook the trek through the Boil and struggled his way to the Alpha, who looked nearly as uncomfortable as he felt. The Daemon couldn't be bothered with decorum; he waved, caring little that a pale, Daemonic stranger might make the Shifters uneasy, and tried to keep the irritation out of his voice as he introduced himself. "Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar, Daemon Lord. You would be the Alpha I presume. Next time your island explodes, do you think you could pick somewhere cooler to assemble?" Gabriel flopped to the ground, lying spread-eagled to aid evaporation, apparantly feeling his duty had at least been attempted if not completed. It certainly wasn't the first impression he normally made and Gabriel was particularly good at first impressions - Daemons were striking by their very nature and with his moonstone pallor, bright teal eyes and contrasting dark hair, not to mention his natural charisma and hypnotism (both rather lacking right now) he was normally far more memorable.
Right now, to be honest, he really couldn't care less. Too hot.[/font]
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Zana
Sleeper
I will protect my people at all costs.
Posts: 5
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Post by Zana on Oct 18, 2010 11:48:58 GMT -8
Of course word of a daemon in their midst had already reached Zana long before the man had even arrived. It was such a strange thing that the shifters couldn't help but whisper about him. So before he even came within her sight, she knew that he was striking - black hair, teal eyes, but moving rather strangely and was obviously effected by the waves of heat that wafted up from the sanded floor. Once he was near her, she saw that all of this was true, though he was far more striking than the whisperings had given him credit for.
Oh bloody hell. Now she had to play as the charismatic leader and deal with political shit that - . "Next time your island explodes, do you think you could pick somewhere cooler to assemble?" She just couldn't help it. She laughed. It escaped from her lungs in a sort of surprised bark and then she just couldn't contain herself. The laughter rolled out of her, and with it some of the stress that had been building up over the last few days. A grin was plastered to her face when she finally was able to control herself, and Zana stared right at the daemon lord (something that many avoided).
"Believe me, I wish we would have! But it was here or the Cliffs - hindsight tells me that the Cliffs would have been a much better choice." Happily, she plopped down in the sand, momentarily forgetting the heat that boiled her skin. A hand lifted and wiped the sweat of her forehead. "So let me guess - you trekked all the way out here to meet me, the Alpha? Why would you ever think that was a good idea?" the sprite asked, her grin still in place and her voice taking on a playful, teasing tone - a tone she hadn't used in quite a while, in fact. Zana stared at the daemon for a moment before shifting uncomfortably in the sand. Reaching down, she yanked her pants off her hips and tossed the offending material off to the side, near her shirt, which left her in undergarments. Not that she cared; shifters liked to run around naked, and the less clothes she had on the cooler she was.
"Well, since you came all the way out here, I am Zana, Alpha Female of the shifters. It is good to meet you, Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar." Well she might as well try to be politically correct, right?
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Oct 18, 2010 17:37:52 GMT -8
Well, at least not moving helped. It was still unbearably hot of course but even the mild physical exertion of walking was too much so some relief was obtained by lying still. Damn high body heat - pure fire elementals might have revelled in these kind of temperatures but all Gabriel got was some serious discomfort out of it. He hadn't come all this way just to pass out in the sun however, so with a huffing sigh he rolled over to face the Shifter, in order to make some attempt at conversation.
She was young, very young really, though Gabriel did not miss her natural confident air which bespoke a leader. Female, pretty; that would not help her cause in such difficult times though of course a true Alpha would overcome such obstacles, even with no Alpha male to assist her. And laughing; Gabriel could not help but grin in response, pleasantly surprised that she had a sense of humour. The last Alpha female had been a snarky creature and not the Daemon Lord's biggest fan.
"I like the Cliffs. The Cliffs are cold and dramatic and dangerous - although I do have to concede that a large gathering like you have here would probably attract the dragons. I do not mean to make light of your situation but I haven't been this uncomfortable in ages. Since the last time I came to this hellhole, probably." Gabriel rested his head on folded arms, still lying spread on the ground, since he judged struggling into a sitting position as requiring far too much exertion.
"And I wouldn't have trekked all the way out here if I didn't happen to think that I was well overdue to meet the new Alpha of the Shifters. Six years I've been meaning to get around to it but you know how it is. Busy busy, when one has a race to lead. But I have a few weeks leeway before I should start worrying about leadership again so I decided to make the most of it - you can imagine my consternation when I found out you were still camping out in the Boil. You cannot be planning to stay here forever?" Throughout the conversation the Daemon was using his considerable people-reading skills to figure Zana out, although he figured he'd learn more as he watched her at work as the Alpha. Seemed though that she was a little stressed; his discerning gaze picked up a tension in her shoulders that had slackened though not disappeared when she'd found him amusing. Living here, perhaps, was hard even on the resourceful Shifters.
"The pleasure is mine, Zana of the Shifters."[/font]
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Zana
Sleeper
I will protect my people at all costs.
Posts: 5
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Post by Zana on Oct 18, 2010 23:08:17 GMT -8
"That, my friend, is part of the reason I chose the Boil. While we have many formidable shifters here who could fight a dragon and live to tell the tale, I'd rather not risk it. And any town, city, or forest is basically off limits, given the mistrust my people have gained over the years. This was the only place that would be 'safe' for us - the heat, however, is terrible," the sprite explained, even though she didn't really have to. Gabriel hadn't asked why she had chosen this place after all. But talking kept her mind off the heat, or perhaps it was starting to make her a bit on the loopy side? That was always possible too. "Oh, I don't mind. Though our situation is bad right now, it could be worse. And making light of it keeps spirits up. In general, that is."
The daemon was certainly laying in an amusing position, wasn't he? She tilted her head, examining the spread eagle man before her. During that time, Zana actually took the chance to truly take in the daemon lord. He was handsome, despite the silver sweat over his skin, and he had a nice body; he was probably built more for desterity and speed over strength, though she doubted he was weak based on the lean muscles she could see. Even in his unkempt, overtaxed state Z knew that he had an air of charisma and power about him, like many leaders had. Perhaps he had a bardic affinity? It wasn't certain, as she was fairly charismatic without an affinity to help her with it.
She blinked in surprise. Six years? Thinking on it, the shifter realized that it had been about six years since she had first become Alpha. Huh.
Zana smiled at the daemon. "That I do understand. And, to answer your question, no, we will not stay here forever. I recently sent out scouts to the Island, and they returned a few days ago saying that it is probably safe to return in another week. Most of the lava has cooled off, but I want to make sure it's completely clear before we head back. Can't have shifters randomly falling into half-cooled lava pools, right?" The thought, if it remained a thought, was almost humorous though would of course be a tradegy. Unless it was a fire sprite. Then they would probably be okay.
"It is unfortunate that we meet under such troubled times, however." A welcome breeze picked up, lifting her dark hair and cooling her sweaty back. Blue eyes slid closed, enjoying the moment. The wind seemed to rarely blow here do when it did it was a wonderful thing. Had the sprite been more powerful she would have forced the wind. But alas, she wasn't that strong. Yet.
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