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Torrential downpours cause localized flooding and many upset cats. Along with these frequent rain, from gentle drizzles to heavy rainfall, there seems to be a flux of Magicka drawn in particular to water sources. Occasional jet streams of warm air make narrower tunnels harder to navigate. On occasion, the rain intensifies, becoming howling storms with sleet or large hail. However, the temperatures overall are a little warmer, with snow and ice in temperate caves somewhat receding.
Kallista had been walking for a while, wanting to be somewhere other than Polaris for a moment. Before she decided where her new...home would be, she wanted to see her options. Polaris seemed like a nice place to be, due to the buzz of energy that was there, but perhaps that was the same thing that drew her away from it. She wanted a place that was quieter, without the buzz of energy that resided in Polaris.
When she looked up, she realized she could hardly see a thing. The room was misty, and she could hardly see any more than a foot in front of her. The thought struck her with fear; how would she know if anyone was approaching? Anyone could attack her here, and she wouldn't even know they were there until it was too late. Her paws suddenly felt rooted to the ground below, and her head swung around rapidly, trying to find out if anyone was nearby. Upon realizing that nobody appeared to be nearby, she relaxed enough to allow herself to move, even if just a little bit.
Kallista began to walk slowly, with small steps, constantly looking around. She tried to walk as silently as possible while keeping her ears pricked, listening for any sounds of movement that would alert her to someone being nearby. For now, she couldn't hear anything, but that could easily change within a moments notice. So she continued to listen, ears straining to hear even the quietest sound.
words: 250 tagged:@Makyna ooc: muse: it's slowing down due to all of these threads lmao
"Talking looks like this!" Thinking looks like this...
She'd been hanging around Cetus for a while after telling Niru that it would be their new home, it was quiet here and despite the clinging muck and pervading fog it was quite peaceful. Peace was something that her raging mind needed. It was what she enjoyed now as she clung to the thick roots of a tree. Her body was lounged across the ancient bark while her eyes remained half-closed, in a state of meditation. For once she seemed to have come to terms with the past, to be at one with herself... but this was shaken as she heard something in the thick mist past the visibility of her gaze.
Golden ears pricked as her eyes widened a bit to take in all that they could. Someone approached, she could tell by sound and by the scent that seemed to permeate from the mist. It was a weak smell, smothered by the fog but she could tell that it was feline. Was it youth? Was it older like her? She couldn't tell... but why not find out. If a lost soul came into the mists then perhaps they could find solace in the peacefulness. "If you are there, approach. The mists may conceal dangers but here is not one of them." Her voice was authoritative but gentle, she didn't know where this streak came from but perhaps it was from the desire to do or be something (or someone) different.
With forepaws crossed over each other, head raised and blue eyes peering into the mist she cut a regal figure while she waited for the approach --or lack thereof-- of the other.
Jul 10 2016, 07:54 PM (This post was last modified: Jul 10 2016, 07:54 PM by Kallista.)
MAGICKA LEVEL 100% RESTORED TO 100%
Kallista was walking through the room when a voice scared her. With a squeak, she jumped and her head whipped around in the direction of the voice, her eye wide. She could faintly see someone in the mist nearby, and hesitated. They had said they weren't a danger, but could she really trust that? Their voice seemed gentle, but she still hesitated. Besides, they probably wouldn't even want to see her, considering the way her face looked. Many of the burns still had not healed, and the lack of an eye was still very obvious. The socket was closed, with scratches that were only just starting to heal. They would never heal completely, and would be there as a constant reminder.
She took a deep breath as she came to a decision. She would go up to them, but if they showed any signs of hostility, she would run. Sure, they probably knew this place better than she did. She had just gotten here, and with her lack of decent vision, she'd likely trip. But what other choice did she have? She didn't want to just run, and hope they knew she had left-that seemed rude. She snorted lightly at the thought. Any other time, and she would have reveled at the thought of being rude. But things had...changed. She wasn't like how she used to be.
Slowly, with more cautious steps, Kallista began to walk in the direction the voice had come from. She was terrified, and her motions would surely show that. The ever present shake in her paws, the way her head swung this way and that as she tried to see all of her surroundings. When she was close enough that she was just about in full view of the one who had spoken, her eye fixed on them.
She was larger than Kallista, and the thought only made her more wary. She had scars on her chest, which also didn't help in the slightest. Her fur was a golden-brown color, which was very different compared to her own, which was a dusty brown crusted with dried blood in a few places. She stared up at her a few moments, before looking down and trying to hide her eye. She cursed herself for automatically allowing the other to see her eye. She wanted it to be as hidden as possible, even if it was likely too late now. They had probably seen.
The lioness kept her ears pricked as she listened carefully into the fog. Would the other feline come or would she turn away, too intimidated to show herself? Honestly, the latter would possibly be smarter since the caves were dripping with deceitful and duplicitous creatures. Fortunately for the other creature she was not one of them or at least, she didn't think she'd fallen that far yet. Possibly in the future but not now... She only wanted to save others from the troubles that happened within the caves. She wanted to teach others how to be strong and not weak like she was before.
Soon, the sounds of light pawsteps came through to her and she knew that the feline had come. Slowly she could see the creature coming, step-by-step through the mist until the form that showed itself was a silver cat. Not a cat like herself but a tiny one, one that surprisingly had not been gobbled up yet and against the odds had reached adulthood. However, its tiny body was littered with scars and even though the poor creature tried to hide it there was a scar across where her right eye should be. That looked relatively new.
Makyna felt a pang of sympathy course through her at the sight. So, here was another creature touched by the taint... how sad. If only she'd gotten to her before... "Hello, my dear, no need to be afraid... or to hide... I know that there are evils within the cave and I know what they do." Her voice was meant to be soothing and to help the creature not be so wary of her. Makyna only wanted to help, to try and combat the taint within the place that they lived.
Her voice softened as her eyes seem to cloud over at memories that pervaded her minds. "They want to take and to destroy..." Her head shook as she focused her gaze back on the tiny cat before her. "What brings you to this place?"
Kallista continued to hide her face until the other spoke. She hesitated. Her voice and words didn't seen very threatening, quite the opposite, but could she still trust her? She sighed. She didn't particularly have a choice, really. Slowly, she showed her face, looking back up at the other. She had said that she knew there were evils within the cave. Did that mean there was more than one? More than just the caracal who attacked her? The thought filled her with fear, but she struggled to not show it. She couldn't let the other know just how scared she was.
To take and destroy. That certainly seemed familiar. Kallista noticed that hers eyes seemed to cloud over, perhaps at memories. She flicked an ear as she shook in her head and spoke to her. What had brought her here? Many things. She went here to escape, to hide. To live. But she couldn't really do that anymore, could she? Not as well as she used to. She would never be able to walk confidently, to be who she once was. All of that had changed within a single moment.
"I," she paused. What was she going to say to her? "I c-came here to...To find s-somewhere else to live. I can't ever go to P-Pisces again. Not anytime soon. M-maybe one day..." She sighed. She already missed Pisces, but who knows when she'd be able to go back? She missed the ever present sound of the waterfall, even if she had hardly heard it, she was so used to it. Everywhere else just felt...too silent.
Makyna watched her intently to try to gauge her reactions to her words. This one might have been an adult but deep down she could tell that she was just a kitten, lost in the caves. A poor frightened child... What if she would have gotten to this cat when she were a hatchling, would things have been different? Probably not. In the end the caves always got what they wanted. Clear blue eyes were unblinking for a long while as she waited for the reply, if it came, to her inquiry. When it did Makyna was surprised to hear that this gal had come from Pisces as well. It seemed as if a lot of terrible things had happened there of late, what would have been a moment of serendipity turned into tragedy.
Pity.
Still, what their shared in common had her lips twitching at the corners in a smile that would never grow and her interest peeking in the cat. "I was once of Pisces as well... I belonged to a group there, one of its founding members, actually." Funny, it seemed so long ago now and like it happened in a different lifetime. Then, she sighed. "I can't go there again either and have made Cetus my new home. Too many memories lay in Pisces, too many gems I once loved lost to these caves..." Her eyes closed then as she thought over everything, then she opened them to look down at the feline again. "Nothing can replace the beautiful falls but here at least everything is quiet... peaceful, almost." Even if it probably was a false peace that could change at any moment.
Kallista was silent after she had spoken. She listened to the lioness' words, her tail flicking. So they were from Pisces too. An ear flicked as she continued. She had also had many memories in Pisces-mostly of the silver fox-although she hadn't lost anyone. That much she was grateful for. There was only one she actually cared about, and if she lost him...She shook her head briefly. No. I won't think about that.
When the lioness spoke again, Kallista narrowed her eye. Quiet? Peaceful? Maybe. Could one really be sure of that though? "Yes," she murmured, "it is silent. But as o-one who is used to the constant sound of P-pisces...It seems t-too quiet." She paused for a moment and looked around.
"And...p-peaceful? In this room, t-there is an ever present mist. E-enemies could hide in the mist and come o-out to attack without you ever knowing they're there. How could this place ever be c-considered peaceful?" She continued to look around at the mist. She could barely see more than a foot away, and it made the fur on the back of her neck rise. Anyone could be watching them right now! And with her only having limited vision...Someone could come out and attack and she wouldn't even know. All she could smell and see was the mist.
words: 219 tagged:@Makyna ooc: sorry this took so long-- muse: 6/10
"Talking looks like this!" Thinking looks like this...
The lioness nodded her head. She had to agree with that one. The constant sound of the waterfall near her den and Pisces had been welcome. The rushing falls had meant home for a majority of her life... but it also spoke of the past, of things that she could no longer have. It was a welcome sound that she couldn't stand to face again, not until her family was in one piece. So... never. "But it is a change. Being around the falls would remind me of my past and being here, it's different. It keeps me from thinking about what has happened and focus on what will happen." As if that was any better but despite the gloomy future it was better than the depressing past. "Of course, I cannot speak for you. Your thoughts could be completely different." The lioness gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. They were two different gems so they were bound to have differing ideas about peace.
As for her other statements... "Tell me, have you not stopped to smell? To listen? There are other things we can do besides see. The mists are blinding, yes, but could I not tell you were nearby earlier?" She was not trying to be rude but just stating facts. One who relied too much on the eyes would be easy prey in darkness. Even when the cat had been stepping lightly in the loamy soil the lioness was able to scent her and faintly hear her in the stillness of the swamp. "When I was born the caves were dark, there was no light to guide us. You must rely on your other senses to be safe. The mists are not unlike the darkness I was born in... and so I can find peace." She knew it must be a strange thing and she might sound like a lunatic. Hell, maybe she was a lunatic... but it all made sense to her. Maybe she could even impart some knowledge onto this scarred cat and help her survive in the dark caves better.
Kallista flicked her tail. "Yes, it is different. It is c-change, that much is true. However it is still rather new for me. It has only been a cycle since the...since it happened." She sighed. "It...It will take some getting used to."
As the lioness continued to speak, she grunted. "Yes, the mist is b-blinding. And it is everywhere. For s-someone who has only wandered in here quite recently, i h-have yet to get used to it." As Kallista spoke, she could feel her fur fluffing up and her eye narrowing. Her voice had started to rise. "Y-you've had who k-knows how long to get u-used to this place! I-i'll get used to it eventually! G-give me time!" She practically yelled that last word.
By this point, she was fully standing, the fur along her back and neck was bristled, her claws were out and digging into the soil below, and her eye was narrowed. Upon hearing the last sentence, and how loud it was, she froze. Immediately she tried to calm her fur down and shrunk lower into the soil, her ears lowered against her head. She sat there, quivering before the lioness. She hoped she wouldnt get mad at her, and yet how could she not? Kallista had yelled at her! Anyone would get mad because of that, surely. Oh, she was doomed! Why couldnt she just keep quiet?
After the words were out of her mouth and the feline had time to respond the lioness could see that she hit a nerve. Should she apologize? Take it back... Or should she watch how this played out? The golden cat chose the latter and remained silent as the gray cat started to fluff up indignantly. The lioness' posture didn't change from her lounging position, the only thing that could be conceived as different was a single flick of her tufted tail and a slight incline of her brow. The cat's change in demeanor was interesting and she wondered if the small feline would attack or walk away.
Neither happened.
After the gal yelled herself out the feline sat there trembling before her as if she expected the golden plains cat to attack her. For a few tense seconds the lioness did nothing, her blue eyes simply remained impassive as she stared down at the feline. Then a tiny, flash of a grin finally broke out on her maw as if she was surprised that the gray cat had it in her to yell and stand up for herself. Here she thought she found a broken feline and yet there was still a bit of fire left in this one... She supposed that there had to be. The cat wasn't dead yet.
The golden feline grunted, twitched her whiskers, and the smile was gone. "Peace. I did not mean offence, I was simply trying to offer a bit of advice is all. I found solace in the swamp's quietness and I was trying to aid you in the same... nothing more." She waved a paw dismissively. "But, if you do not like it you should not feel forced to stay and make yourself used to it. What is right for one may not be right for another." Or maybe she wouldn't find anything right again since abandoning Pisces. Who knew but the she-cat herself?
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![[Image: ky%20copy.png~original]](http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr354/SungazingLioness/ky%20copy.png~original)