Species (according to Ursa):
15) Morgrifs (EEEEVIIILL) (more-griefs)
- Bestial demons who can hold human form
o Created by humans before the realms split
o Originally animals or animal entities that were worshipped as pagan gods
§ The worshipping, sacrifices, and fear imbued the animal gods with more power
· New powers:
o Shape shifting
§ Can't hide their tails!
o Basis elemental control (earth, wind, fire, wind)
o Strength
o Speed
- Most are male, few females
- Prefer breeding with non-Morgrifs
o Morgrif bloodline is passed through males
§ Exact opposite of Tamerens
o Female Morgrifs have to conceive at least one child with a male Morgrif to ensure they have a least one Morgrif child
§ If female Morgrifs have child with non-Morgrif, the child will be powerful but not a Morgrif
o Male Morgrifs mate through dominance and force
§ So its rape, but they don't see it as rape…messed up
§ They don't see what it really is because their mating habits are ingrained from their animal heritage
o Female Morgrifs use seduce to mate
o Morgrifs (male and female) are extremely territorial over their mates
§ Most Morgrifs keep multiple mates, though some only keep one, but their mates are their mates alone
· Sounds like they don't share well
§ Don't catch a Morgrif's eye seems to be the lesson here
- Motivated by basic instincts and desires
- Have high cognitive abilities but only use them to further their nature instincts and desires
Chenoa bolted upright, her heart racing. Cor stood over her, suspended in mid-air, in his wolf form. His hackles were raised and his teeth were bared. The sky had darkened and the stars appeared to have been covered. Ursa had transformed her soft fur into iron scales. Chris still laid asleep behind Chenoa. He had not even stirred.
"What is going on?" Chenoa asked, confused.
Cor did not answer, his eyes searching the dark.
"Cor? Ursa?"
Ursa swung her head around as she too growled. The air was heavy with something and Chenoa felt as if she was suffocating. Cor's image started to flicker.
"Cor!" Chenoa said as he disappeared then reappeared.
"They have sealed us in," Ursa explained. "We just crossed into Portae when something changed."
"Portae?"
"The Gateway between worlds. It is its own realm known as Portae. That's not important right now. What matters is that they have sealed us off. Cor won't be able to stay with us much longer if we don't break the seal open."
Chenoa could see the pain on Cor's face as he tried to stay, but without fresh air, he was quickly fading. Reaching up, Chenoa placed her hands on his fur, but found that she could barely feel him there anymore. Yet it was the pain he was in that made Chenoa worry.
"Stop this!" Chenoa screamed. "Stop this now!"
Ark appeared a distance away. His image seemed blurry as if they were looking at him through glass. While his eyes were serious, a soft smile played at the corners of his lips. He waved ever so slightly.
"Let us out! You are hurting him!" Chenoa screamed again so loud and hard that her throat hurt.
Ark raised a hand to his ear, suggesting that he could not hear her, though Chenoa knew he did. His indifference to Cor's suffering angered Chenoa so much that she felt her power welling up inside of her. Opening her mouth to shout, Chenoa felt her power funneling out of her throat and mouth.
"Open!" she hollered at the top of her lungs.
A funnel of red weaved light exploded from her mouth, slamming into the invisible wall. There was the sound of shattering glass as the light smashed through the wall and Ark dodged the stream of power. A gust of wind flooded the enclosure causing Cor to take a deep breath in relief as he solidified and strengthened. Panting Chenoa kept her eyes on Ark. She hated this man. Every time she saw him trouble followed.
"Where is Gabby?" Chenoa barked, her fists clamped.
"Near bye," Ark nodded firmly, his whole expression now hard.
"Give her back!"
"I cannot do that, Ms. Spellbinder. My master wants her as his guest."
"She is my best friend. I will not let you or your master use her as toy in this sick game."
Growing more serious, Ark shook his head.
"This is no game, Ms. Spellbinder. This is serious. How you begun to remember what you forgot?"
"What are you talking about?"
"When you remember, Ms. Spellbinder, this will all make sense."
Howling, Cor lunged at Ark. Ark waved his hand and the seal closed again. Cor tore at the seal with his dwindling power. Every time his claws or teeth made contact with the seal, bolts of lightning splintered around them. It appeared the seal was round as a globe around them. Cor's energy deteriorated quickly as the air became stagnate.
"Cor," Chenoa gasped, leaping without thinking, to help him.
Chenoa knew she could not fly, yet when she saw the pain and suffering on his face as he fought to free her and their friends, Chenoa couldn't stop herself. He was hurting himself. He was suffering. So she leapt to reach him. Ursa, Ark and Cor all turned around in alarm as they saw Chenoa jump, her arms outreached to Cor. She made it about half way, before gravity took effect. Cor turned from the wall and tried to run to her, but his power was out in the sealed globe. He flickered as his now human hand touched hers then he disappeared. Ursa roared out Chenoa's name as her tail reached for her, but it fell short. Ark turned to soar downwards, but they all knew they couldn't reach her in time. Hitting the wall of the seal, Chenoa screamed in agony as the lightning tore through her body, rattling her bones and tendons. The voices that screamed her name fell deafly on her as all she could hear and feel was the lightning.
"No!" Ark yelled, waving his hands frantically, undoing the seal as quickly as possible.
Light filled Chenoa's eyes as she heard something crack ever so slightly. Weaved red light flowed out of her body, lashing out wildly. Ursa and Ark stopped in their approaches, both running to save her from the seal. The whip like threads were dangerous and deadly; they could not get closer. Finally, the seal disappeared as the spell that created it officially was broken. A small gasp slipped from Chenoa's mouth as her body plummeted towards the ground. The red light dissipated as she fell. Ark and Ursa plunged after her.
Thick fog rose up to meet Chenoa's unconscious body. It wrapped around her like a thick living blanket and pulled her into its depths. Her pursuers screeched to a halt above the wall of fog that had appeared. Ursa flapped her wings hard to break up the fog, but it didn't even stir. Ark threw a spell at it but it merely disappeared, eaten up by the heavy fog.
"Damn it," Ark cursed looking around wildly.
Cor reappeared in his human form, looking confused.
"Where is Chenoa?" he inquired frantically.
Ursa looked down at the fog.
"No…" Cor said, his voice full of trepidation.
He opened up his wings from his back and gave a mighty sweep of them. The wind created buffeted Ark and Ursa but did not stir the fog. Cor dove into the fog but reappeared appeared above it less than a second later. There was absolutely no wind or moving air at all in the fog. Cor could not survive in it.
"What have you done?" he said in a deadly tone, turning to Ark. "What have you done?"
"I did nothing. I was merely here to check on her progress. You are the one who she was trying to reach. If you had not been so stubborn, I would have lifted the seal momentarily," Ark snarled through clenched teeth. He feared telling his master about this.
"Leave us!" Cor ordered, his words hitting Ark like train.
Doubling over, Ark grunted and back away a few feet before he vanished into the air. Ursa approached Cor cautiously, Chris still slumbering on her back. Cor was pacing back and forth trying to figure out how to get down to Chenoa. She needed him.
"Cordis, she will be okay. She is strong. We cannot help her here and I have the human on my back. You must wake him from the slumber you put him in and we must continue to Taikaa. She will find us there. We will wait for her by the portal from Portae."
Cor did not move. He didn't want to leave her on her own. He had not left her side since she was a baby, whether she knew it or not. How could he abandon her now?
"Cor, please. Let us go so we can be there when she arrives. It is still a long journey."
Finally, Cor transformed into his wolf form and bounded off through the sky. Ursa followed close behind him. Below the fog cradled Chenoa's body as it lowered her to the ground slowly. It rocked her back and forth as it carried her to the ground. Once there the fog slipped away from Chenoa as she rested. Burn marks shimmered on her body from where the lightning struck her. The fog formed a wall around her. Her body glowed a soft white color with red threads running through the light as it pulsated. The burns on her body glowed white hot. The light turned into threads and the burns became stitched together with the bright white light. Once each burn was stitched closed, they glowed so bright that it would have blinded anyone looking on. The light died down and the stitching absorbed into Chenoa's skin. Then it was gone.
Chenoa rolled over in her sleep, finally able to rest.
Walking Chenoa felt tall grass under her fingers. It stood tall, a blazing red grass that smelled of cinnamon as she brushed against it. The sun was straight over head, warming her shoulders and face as she looked up at it. Chenoa walked around barefoot, the soft earth crumbing beneath her feet. She felt proud of her work. Everything around her was flourishing and growing. Unspoiled beauty. Kind hands touched her bare waist. Looking down she smiled as she saw the light colored hands against her sun-touched skin.
"This world is beautiful," the hand's owner spoke. "We have done a wonderful thing here."
"It is gorgeous, my night," Chenoa replied, leaning back against the man.
"We are blessed to have the ability to make such things."
"Luoja was truly great to us."
"Yes, if only because he gave me you."
"You are always such a sweet talker."
"I have a present for you."
"A present?"
"Yes…I found that first tree you made…"
"Oh that poor weak little thing. It was so pathetic."
Chenoa laughed richly and the man hugged her tight to him, their bare bodies sticking together in the mid-day heat. He held out his free hand and showed her a small tree in a clump of dirt. It was knobby and twisted but unique in a way. The bark shimmered gray with small diamond shaped leaves growing off its branches.
"I have been feeding it the love you give me and it has grown stronger. It is not the prettiest thing we have created, but I remembered how important it was to you."
"Oh, my night, you are amazing. I love it!"
Cupping the tree in her hands, Chenoa beamed as the tree arched up towards her, like a baby reaching for its mother. Holding the tree together, they walked a few feet and cleared a space in the grass. Acting as one, they kneeled and dug a hole for the tree. Carefully they placed it in the earth and simultaneously filled in the hole around the tree's roots.
"Our first child together," the man smiled, his voice full of love and affection.
"What shall we call her?"
"Let's name her after you, my world."
"Which name do you mean?"
"The one that you gained when we first came to this world. All the names you had before do not matter. Only here and now matters. Let's name her Onatah."
Looking up into his face, Chenoa felt her heart stutter. His face was hidden by the glare of the sun, but Chenoa still felt her heart ready to explode with love. He accepted her no matter her past pains and struggles. Nothing mattered to him except the present and their love.
"Okay," Chenoa agreed. "We shall call her Onatah, my night."
"I love you so much," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.
Both of them felt the tree grow, feeding off of their love; its branches wrapped around their ankles, tying the three together as they kissed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Chenoa kissed him again, feeling the strength his love gave her.
"I love you," she murmured.
"Do you remember yet?" a voice echoed from far away. "Do you remember any of this?"
Chenoa's eyes fluttered open. She was on the hard ground and her body ached. Fog floated around her, nudging her like a pet dog. Sitting up, she held her head as it spun. How did she get here? She couldn't remember anything after jumping for Cor. Chenoa assumed she had fallen from the sky, though she didn't know how she had survived. Slowly standing, Chenoa looked around for Cor and Ursa. No one was around her. She tried to feel the direction of the wind but felt nothing. No wind. No wind meant that Cor couldn't reach here. This made Chenoa feel even lonelier for some reason.
The mist around her was so thick she could not see more than a foot in front of her. Gnawing on her lip, Chenoa knew that she had to have fallen in to the…what had Ursa called it…Port…Portal…ugh didn't matter. It was Port something and it was the land between the realms. Why there was a land between realms Chenoa had no idea, but she had to find her way to Taikaa. That was where Gabby was. Her gut told her if she kept moving forward Cor and Ursa would find her. So she took one more look around before trudging forward.
Moving with her, the fog kept a protective circle around her as she walked towards what she hoped was Taikaa. The farther she walked, the thinner the fog became. Soon instead of a dense protective wall, it became a fine haze that discolored the surroundings. It made the land seem haunted and eerie. After an hour of walking, distant shapes took form, flickering in and out of view. Squinting, Chenoa tried to focus on them, but they were too far away. She thought for sure she would reach them soon, but, after yet another hour, she still had not reached them.
Growing annoyed, Chenoa focused on the distant shapes, willing them to be closer. Yet her powers had no effect on them. Grunting, she pushed forward, determined now to find out what the shapes were. In another half hour, Chenoa finally could see with certainty that the shapes were large willowy trees. Their trunks and branches twisted in spirals towards the sky as their leaves hung down, glimmering in the light from the mist. The trees alternated between fine silver and dull gold, pastel tones of each color. Yet their color and design was not what was odd to Chenoa. The strangest aspect of the trees is that that flickered and disappeared then reappeared with every beat of Chenoa's heart. Fascinated, Chenoa approached cautiously until she stood in front of a large silver one.
Gently she placed a hand on the trunk and felt it rugged bark under her palm. The tree's bark was warm and every time it vanished and reappeared, Chenoa swore she felt a pulse similar to her own. Of course the tree did not truly vanish, but rather became invisible, because Chenoa could still feel it and her own had become invisible as it laid upon the trunk.
"Wow…" Chenoa whispered in amazement.
Nothing she had ever seen compared with this. It was beautiful and strange. Everything in this realm felt alive, from the trees to the mist. How she did not know but she could feel it in her bones. This place was alive. It called to her and she wanted to respond but didn't know how. Wanting to add to the beauty, Chenoa lifted her hands into the air and closed her eyes. She let the life around her flow through her and her body tingled. Suddenly without even meaning it, Chenoa felt her power dancing out of her fingers. When she opened her eyes though it was not woven red as it had been before, but rather every color imaginable woven in thick ropes of light. The light danced from her finger tips and swirled around her like birds preforming a mating flight. They dived and swoop around her, filling the area of the trees and fog with brightness and a music that seemed to hum everywhere. Chenoa laugh in pure pleasure as everything felt so wonderful. Her power weaved among the branches of the trees, which seemed to stretch up like children's hands trying to capture fireflies.
It was amazing and joyful. Streams of the fog followed the light, twirling around the rainbow light as if the fog too were a bird joining in the dance. Chenoa couldn't stop smiling or laughing. Somehow it just felt so right.
Distracted by her happiness, Chenoa did not see that two people watched her silently, both unaware of the other. One stared with large surprised eyes, his body trembling in a mix of fear and excitement. Never had he seen such a glorious sight. He was sure he had come across a goddess in the woods. The second watched with pride, love, pain and hate. His emotions conflicting as he watched Chenoa's innocent bliss. How badly did he wish to hold her and strike her at the same time. Yet all he could do was wait until the time was right as he had for the last fifteen years.
After a while Chenoa stopped the light show, panting from exhilaration. She felt ultimately free. Beaming, she headed into the woods. The trees bent as if they were trying to follow her, but they could not uproot themselves from their solid earth. Chenoa did not notice though. This land was special to her. She already loved it more than her world, Maa-Vallan. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing have been stranded here.
The joy of being alone in the in between realm lasted for several hours, but eventually it wore off. Chenoa grew bored of playing with her light powers after a while and found herself growing hungry. While the trees were beautiful, they held no fruits or anything that Chenoa thought was edible. Aside from the trees, there were no other visible plants for Chenoa to forage from. Rubbing her stomach, Chenoa wanted food very badly. She hadn't eaten since lunch, which was who knew how long ago. She had definitely had her work out for the day between fighting with Osiris, Ark, and all that.
As if her thoughts called to him, Chenoa felt someone inside her mind, a familiar presence. He walked around for a moment before settling in her mind. The sensation was unpleasant to say the least.
"Osiris?" Chenoa thought cautiously.
"Hello, my darling Spellbinder," his voice purred inside her mind once.
"What the hell are you doing in my mind again?" she snarled mentally.
Her eyes darted around, trying to find him. To her knowledge a TruthSeeker's power was limited and could only work when in close proximity. Yet Chenoa was all alone. How could he be in her mind?
"I missed your beautiful mind, Chenoa. So I thought I'd try to visit."
"How is that possible? TruthSeekers have to be near a person to per into the mind."
Osiris laughed in her mind, making her skin crawl.
"Ahhh, well, I am no longer limited like that. I was just testing how far my reach is. Now where are you, my dear?"
She felt him pry around trying to see what she saw. Closing her eyes tight, Chenoa tried to block him out. He made a noise of frustration but kept working at her memories. An image of Chenoa's hand on a vanishing, silver tree appeared for a brief second before Chenoa pulled it back away.
"Oh, you are in Portae. Interesting. Are you alone? Do you need me there with you?"
"Leave me alone! I don't understand how you are doing this but leave me alone!"
"How can I leave you alone when you are the one who blessed me?"
"What are you talking about?"
An image of Osiris's face burned into Chenoa's mind. His face grinned sadistically at her, but what caused Chenoa to gasp was his left eye. Instead of being the neon blue that it had been, it was now a blazing red with a black tear for a pupil.
"Such a gift, though I won't mind saying it was quite painful when you gave it to me."
He laughed bitterly.
"I almost died, but in the end I didn't and now we are tied together, little girl, more tightly than you can imagine."
Staggering to the side, Chenoa felt his words weave into all of her being. Osiris filled her body and mind. Every part of him filled every part of her. For a brief moment they were one person. When the feeling finally let up, Chenoa collapsed to her knees. She felt violated and weak. He merely chuckled again. The sick bastard.
"I must go for now, my dear. I just wanted to check in on you. Let you know you were on my mind."
Guffawing at his own joke, Osiris leaned into Chenoa's mind and body one last time. She felt as if his lips were on hers and his hands on her waist for a long minute before his presence totally disappeared. Bending over, Chenoa vomited. She hadn't meant to, but she couldn't help it. For about five minutes, her body shook. She had to figure out how to block him out. His power was too great and violating now.
Shakily she stood up and forced herself to keep walking. The sooner she found Cor and Ursa, the sooner she could find a way to block Osiris out. Wiping off her mouth with the back of her arm, Chenoa grimaced. Her mouth now burned from her vomit and she wished she had something to drink to at least wash out her mouth.
Blinking Chenoa remembered that fog was merely condensed water vapor in air. Stopping yet again, she lifted her right hand and took ahold of the solid fog. She willed it with all her might to turn into water, but nothing happened. Trying again, Chenoa saw her power crackle around her hand as the fog shimmered and wavered like water before it returned to its original form. Tears pricked at her eyes.
"Please," she begged the empty air. "Please may I have some water? I am so thirsty…"
To her surprise the fog shifted and a small stream of water poured out of thin air. She had not expected her begging to work. She did not even think that there was anything or anyone around to hear her. Without a second thought, Chenoa thrust her head under the trickling stream of water that just poured of the air, gulping for a second. After her belly felt full, she swished the water around her mouth to clean it of her stomach acid. Spitting it onto the ground, she watched the ground suck it up instantly and a small puff of fog lifted from the ground.
"Thank you," she mumbled, bowing to the fog, unsure of where to direct her thanks.
Pausing, she thought.
"Could I have something small to eat?" she asked cautiously. "Not a lot, just a small piece of fruit. You have been gracious already and I will understand, but I am very hungry."
Nothing happened for a moment. Then there was a popping sound and a bright red apple fell from the fog. Catching the apple before it hit the ground, Chenoa bowed two more times in gratitude. Biting into the apple, Chenoa moaned as the juices filled her mouth and splattered onto her cheeks. It was the best apple she had ever had. It seemed perfect in every way.
When she was finished, Chenoa knelt and dug a small hole in the ground. Placing the left over core in the hole, Chenoa covered it and gave final thanks. Her stomach no longer hurt from hunger and she could think clearly. Drawing a protective circle around the apple with her power, she blessed the earth and the mist for its kindness. Standing Chenoa made her way towards Taikaa.
As she left, Chenoa did not look back. If she had, the young Spellbinder would have seen a small sprout spring up from the ground where her apple had been buried. It was small and fragile, a silver stem with a small gold leaf, but it was there and it was new and it was alive.