Secret Places {Private Hyper and Accalia}

[Accalia]

Aleila giggled at his tone of voice and said "Alright master, I will watch quietly and let you work." Aleila did as she said and took a step back before carefully sitting and watching every one of Xorens movements so that one day she may be able to move with the same deliberate steps and build a fire.

As the nest caught fire her eyes lit up at she gave a large grin as she moved her glance from the fire to Xoren and to the fire again. As the flame spread and the first log was in place she walked closer to the fire and looked at it in awe. She had seen fire before, but only natural fires that brought death and destruction, it was strange to her how small and controlled this fire was compared to the others she had seen. She went to the elderberry bush, picking just enough to fit in her upturned paw. She walked back on three legs, keeping her front right leg in its upturned position with the berries within her paw.

"What are we going to cook them in?" she asked slightly puzzled, only just now realising that they had no way of suspending them over the flames.

[Hypercube]

"Actually" Xoren said smiling when he noticed she had picked the berries from the bush "it's easiest to cook them right on the branch. The water in the plant is enough to resist the flames while still allowing the berries to cook." Brushing his flank along Aleila's as he passed, he walked towards the berries and continued explaining: "the trick is hold them such that the flames are just licking the berries and barely skimming the branch itself." Using the tip of his claws, Xoren skillfully removed a medium-sized branch that had many berries growing from its appendages and extended it to Aleila. "This one's for you" he told her as he looked for another suitable branch.

[Accalia]

Aliela gave him a nervous smile and placed the berries on the ground. As his flank rubbed against hers she shivered involuntarily and blushed slightly. When he extended the berry filled branch towards her she smiled and took it graciously before turning back towards the burning fire and suspending the branch just above the orange flame. The branch was heavy and she felt the tip of the branch tipping into the flames slightly. She strengthened her grip on the branch as she attempted to lift it once more, eventually she did and as she brought the branch away from the fire to inspect the berries she saw she had managed to lift it just enough so that the burning was not horrific and many of the berries were unscathed

((OOC: I am really sorry it took so long to post, my internet is being a bit off..))

[Hypercube]

Once Xoren had procured his own berries he moved beside Aleila and held them slightly closer to the fire than she did. "They need to be a bit lower" he said in a suggestive voice, "you should see a bit of white liquid coming from the tips of the berries." As he spoke, he readjusted his branch so that a few small, constant drips of cyanide solute fell into the flames each making a small sizzle as they touched the scathing wood.

[Accalia]

Aleila smiled at him and replaced her branch within the fire, lowering it until the cyanide fell from the berries as Xorens did. "Thank you Xoren, for all of your advice." she said with a small smile as she listened to the sizzle of the cyanide on the burning logs. It was comforting having the fire with them as the night descended and darkness set in.

[Hypercube]

Xoren returned the smile as he remained still in the heat of the fire. It did not take long for darkness to envelop the clearing, but the glow of the fire made Xoren feel safe against the fear that seemed to ooze from the each and every dark niche in the forest. "These should be ready" he said removing the branch from above the flame now that the berries had ceased dripping "we should let them cool off just to make sure."

[Accalia]

As Xoren removed his branch from the fire and said that they should be ready and she looked to Xoren and said "Are these ready?" her tone was hopeful and she looked at the berries, unsure as the whether they were dripping cyanide, it was hard to see in the near black and past the leaves of the branch. She nodded in agreement as Xoren suggested that they should let the berries cool, "Better safe then sorry." she said with a smile.

[Hypercube]

Xoren took a look at the berries Aleila held in the flames, checking to be sure that the cyanide had completely cooked out. "Yes," he said "they should be ready." He moved around the fire, carrying the branch in his mouth as he looked for the large flint rock he had started the flame with. Once he had located it peeking from beneath a few larger sticks he slid it along the ground until it was between Aleila and him and lowered his branch delicately onto it, being sure not to let them touch the dirt that surrounded it. "They should only need about ten minutes or so to cool off" he said as he sat in the warmth of the fire.

[Accalia]

Aleila gave a slightly proud smile, she was proud that she had managed to do it correctly. She watched as he slid the large part of flint between the two of them and lowered his branch onto it so that the berries didn't touch the dirt beneath it. She did the same, making sure her branch didn't push Xoren's from the flint to the ground. "What should we do while we wait?" she asked as she too enjoyed the warmth and safety of the fire.

((OOC:Sorry took so long, internet again..))

[Hypercube]

(OOC: No problem!)

"We could just sit here," Xoren proposed as he laid on his belly, "and listen to the forest as it speaks to us. In the quietest of nights, it is very verbose and speaks many tongues." Xoren closed his eyes and perked his ears to their highest place, absorbing the crackling of the fire, the brushing of the leaves against the opposing wind, and the far-off sounds of many insects chirping away. Despite his eyes being closed, he watched the vibrant greens of the trees sway in the passing air and the red of the logs being consumed by the fire dancing in circular patterns as they flew around the clearing and he smiled when his vision passed on to Aleila and her familiar aura was with him.

[Accalia]

"the forest is a complex being, which can communicate in many different ways, but I am it's speaker for I can hear the great souls of the trees and feel its ancient memories." she to lowered herself to a laying position and closed her eyes, her ears and mind not focusing on one thing but smily absorbing the moulding words of the trees and grass and beings that surrounded them. Through it all she heard a melody and as she heard it she sang it in a soft and quite voice, the song she sang moulded with the many sounds of the night and used them to form a complex sound of weaving melodies and noises. She smiled as she sang for this was her haven, beside Xoren and the warm hearty fire, her mind lost in her unheard world.

[Hypercube]

Aleila's song seemed to have perfect synergy with his vision of the forest, every swell and every movement perfectly coinciding with a similar movement in the aura of the forest. Soon Xoren began to sing along, following the kinetic forest with his voice as if it rode along the path it produced in perfect harmony. He continued the duet as it became more complex through his focus on one conductor in the myriad of maestros before him. The intervals he and her created together were something that made his mind swim in emotion he didn't know he possessed as the music took hold of him and forced him to continue.

As Xoren sounded his final pitch, he opened his eyes and stared at Aleila's face and her closed eyes knowing that she, whether as a friend or more, would always be by his side. "That was amazing" he said to her, his voice still imbued with the wonder he experienced while singing.

[Accalia]

As Xoren joined her song and he created perfect melodies with the sounds of life she could feel the grass and trees as they too joined the song causing the wind to curl around them and lift her mane from her face as she continued singing, the pleasure of having Xorens voice unite with her own and the whole of the surrounding forest filling her and making her feel truly alive after for what felt like a lifetime. She could feel his intense energy in his voice and she smiled as their song finaly came to an end as she to let out her last pitch. Her eyes remained shut as she listened to the call of the forest and she slowly turned to Xoren and open her eyes a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "It truly was.." she said with a light tone of awe and joy.

[Hypercube]

Xoren stared at Aleila in silence for a few moments, nothing but the crackle of the fire sounding throughout the open woods. "They should be ready by now" he said looking to where they placed their dinner. He slowly stood and then stretched, elongating his body in every which way as to stretch each muscle equally; it had been far too long since he had conducted this ritual and he could feel its necessity in each movement.

[Accalia]

The sound of the fire crackling filled Aleilas ears though the drone of the forests melody still continued even without their voices joining it. Xorens voice woke her from her half present place and it took her a little while longer for her to process what he had said before she smiled and nodded. She too stretched her body, though was not quite as particular as Xoren, she then walked over to where they had placed the branches and looked at Xoren her eyes wide and unknowing "Are you sure they are alright to eat?" she asked

[Hypercube]

"They should be" he said with a tone of expertise, "but there's only one way to find out." He stared at Aleila for a moment with a serious look in his eyes before giving a quick flash of a smile and eating some of the berries from his branch, his little joke now over. "Well..." he spoke through a full mouth "they taste fine to me!"

[Accalia]

She gave Xoren a large smile, relieved to hear that they should be ready. #she was starving and felt as if her stomach was slowly eating away at her.

Aleila stared back, her eyes equally as serious, her mind thinking of the multiple ways he could die, but she felt that he knew what he was doing and trusted his instincts. She awaited with baited breath as he ate the berries, her eyes full of worry.

When he said how they tasted fine her body relaxed and she sighed with relief before taking a mouthful from her own branch

[Hypercube]

Xoren laid by the fire, letting its warmth surround him as the trees rustled again, but unevenly this time. He froze in place, his ears perked up and his tail straight and alert. "Aleila" he whispered as he closed his eyes, "I don't think we're alone." With his eyes closed, he could see the outline of the same menacing figure, his blood-red aura seemingly staring at the two. But that wasn't the most concerning thing Xoren could see.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw a dark blue aura shifting in the water to his left just before his eyes snapped open to examine the pool. There's nothing here... he thought as he moved to the edge of the water without catching a glimpse of any being in the water. "Aleila, be care-" before he could complete his statement, a pure blue lion materialized and pulled Xoren into the water, disorienting him.

[Accalia]

Aleila took several mouthfuls of delicious berries before her stomach no longer felt as if it were eating itself but when Xoren's body went rigid she listened to the voices in her mind and felt other presences, but she could no longer read their thoughts as clearly as she once could, she was out of practice and it now felt strange. As he stated his feelings aleila nodded vaguely and shrank back on her haunches the hair along the back of her neck standing on end.

As Xoren went closer to the now murky appearing water Aleila wanted to shout for him to come away from there, for she didn't like the feeling filling her stomach and all of her senses, but she settled for a harsh whisper "Xoren!" As the creature pulled him into the blue abyss she really did shout his name "Xoren!!" she to came to the edge of the water, but not to close, she couldn't see a thing, her heart was racing, she didn't want to lose Xoren after everything they had been through, after he had changed her life so much made her who she was. She didn't know what to do, there was no point going in after him as she would just get caught herself

[Hypercube]

The creature seemed to dematerialize and rematerialized at will, keeping Xoren underwater whenever he attempted to reach the surface. If this keeps going for too much longer he thought in the frenzy with panicked speed, I'm going to suffocate! In his desperation to reach the surface he clenched his eyes tightly and pushed from the bottom of the pool only to watch as the dark blue aura swiftly moved in front of him and push him backwards, only becoming a physical being when it pushed him down into the water. Inside of his nearly oxygen-deprived brain he formulated a plan and allowed himself to sink to the bed of the pool.

Once he reached the bottom he powerfully pushed off of the ground, propelling him towards the surface. When the aura showed itself in front of him he quickly changed his body's direction, just barely making it past the now lion-shaped aura and breaking the surface with a huge gasp as he reached for anything he could grab the shore. As his claws met a root buried beneath the weak dirt his enemy's claws grasped him, attempting to drag him back into the watery grave. "Aleila!" he cried as he frantically clawed into the only hold he had on the land, "help me!"

[Accalia]

Aleila was distressed and franticly calling Xorens name, tears streaming down her face. Her eye stinging and her claws digging into the ground as she lost herself in her small oblivion. The only thing that eventually pulled her back to the dark surroundings was the frantic call of her name.

Her eyes snapped open and she ran towards Xoren, whether he was real or not she didn't care. She gripped him between both her front, pulling him as hard as she could, him being the only part of her she had left. Her eye began to glow and she pulled harder, her back legs anchoring both her and Xoren to the ground. Her muzzle was wrinkled with the effort she was putting in to pull him from the unseen enemy. She couldn't and wouldn't loose Xoren, for if she did she would loose herself. She felt a deep pain in her heart as she pulled and she said softly "Xoren.. I cant loose you.." she pulled harder yet again and gritted her teeth as she felt the opposing force doing the same.

[Hypercube]

Xoren's muscled tensed themselves incredibly hard, all of his strength being used to pull his body up onto the shore. As he and Aleila managed to drag him a few inches from the water's grasp he felt the claws of his enemy tearing into his legs, the once clear water now speckled with blood. The pain and desperation forced him to close his eyes with intense pressure and his face to morph into a lurid form that he himself wouldn't have been able to recognize.

His body cried for him to let go , to end the struggle, and just hope for the best. No! he screamed in his head at hearing Aleila's plea, I will not give up! "You don't have too-" he said with pained power as he gave one final pull with his forelegs that resulted in him flopping onto land his back legs riddled with four long claw marks each, "because I can't lose you either."

[Accalia]

Aleila could feel Xorens tense muscles and she continued to pull. Once his body moved a few inches inland she saw the blood trickle through the water, its once silken waves now laced with Xoren's blood. She continued to pull him further from the creature that existed beneath the waters unforgiving blue. She looked at Xoren and was mwt with his struggling expression and she half let go, but then remembered what it felt like to loose him and pulled again.

She listened to Xoren as he heaved the rest of him upon the land and she could help but embrace him, before stepping back and nodding a tiny glint of salty water behind her eyes as she did so. She had almost lost him again, and for what?

Her eyes meeting the long strokes of blood trailing down his back legs and she simply stared and then in turn the water, her eyes a burning fire, but she simply sat there in silence for quite some time before saying quietly "Do you need any herbs?" she didn't bother asking him if it hurt, she knew it did, she could feel his pain as if it were her own.

[Hypercube]

"Not yet," Xoren said with a serious tone, "first we need to deal with whatever that thing is." Aware that whatever it was would not stop until they forced it to he stood against the searing pain of the scratches and looked with intention to the water. With closed eyes he continued to stare into the blue, watching the murky figure as it moved freely through the pool. His eyes opened again and were filled with desperation; there was nothing they could do against it if they had to fight it in the water.

"Wait..." Xoren whispered out loud as he turned towards the forest next to the water and closed his eyes, the blood of his wounds dripping onto the leafy floor. A bit further into the forest he found his target; the original aura he and Aleila had encountered still stood statically in the shrubs. "Aleila," he said watching both of the creatures' auras from the corners of his sight, "I need you to listen to me very carefully. Through the woods, directly in the path that I am looking towards, is what I think is controlling that creature in the water. If you can go attack it, we may be able to stop it without even fighting the beast itself."

[Accalia]

She nodded softly, she knew that whatever was in the water needed to be taken care of, before anything else. Aleila felt distressed and was unsure what to do but as Xoren looked into the water she created a thin but enforced strap over his front two paws with dirt. She had powers that would allow her to build a bridge across the water,but she was unsure as to what good that would do but still once Xoren had re opened his eyes she said quietly, "I could build-" but he cut her off and she knew there was something else behind her, she caused the dirt to collapse from Xorens paws and swivelled her body around to face the forest. She did as Xoren asked and listened. She nodded. Heaved a breath and stood. Her eyes glowed softly and slightly but she had a glimmer of hate in her eyes she closed her eyes briefly and listened to the sway of the leaves exploring them to guide her to the beast. She took a few slow paces before sprinting full speed at where she believed the creature was, allowing instincts and nature to guide her towards the beast in the dead of night. Her claws spread out as she pounced upon the being, her paws feeling the slick coat beneath them and gripping onto the creature, a low growl erupting from Aleilas throat,

[Hypercube]

The moment Aleila pounced upon the lion in the forest Xoren's head quickly turned to witness the blue lion leap form the water and begin to rush towards her. Without a second thought Xoren attempted to sprint after the creature only to have his legs fail due to the pain of his wounds. "Aleila! Look out!" was all he was able to muster against not only the pain his legs experienced as he forced himself to slowly limp towards her location, but also the pain he felt for being unable to help Aleila.

The blue lion managed to run through the forest with only a few missteps in the unfamiliar terrain. Once he was upon Aleila and the other lion he pounced towards them with frantic speed. He aimed not to attack Aleila but rather make contact with the lion she had pinned down, a vendetta that was reflected in his unbroken stare into the closed eyes of the black lion he jumped towards.

[Accalia]

The sound of Xorens voice caused her eyes to soften slightly and she swivelled her head only to see Xoren limping towards her and she cocked her head slightly, temporarily forgetting of the lion beneath her. She then felt the pelt of the blue lion slide beside her own and the hair on the back of her neck shot up on end and she growled loudly, unsure which lion to attack. "Xoren??!!" she called behind her, unsure what to do. She decided to continued clawing at the black lion, for now being in allegiance with the blue lion.

The lion beneath her was resilient and furiously fought back, however with both her and the lion from the deep pool of water upon him he would most likely not be able to get up, that was as long as the lion continued fighting for her not against her. She heard the anger of their thoughts in her mind and the distant echo of the woods calling to her but she continued to fight against the lion, her claws slicing through part of the lion line by line. A low growl flowed from her mouth as she tried to destroy the lion who had caused her so much pain. She flew backwards as she was tossed from him and shook her head lightly, shaking the slight dazzle from her eyes and pounced back upon his hide and bit down hard.

[Hypercube]

The jet black lion roared in pain from Aleila's bite, blood falling from the wound. "You've made allegiance with the wrong lion!" the injured creature shouted at Aleila as the blue lion pounced on her, knocking her off of the prior. With his claws, the lion that now had Aleila pinned to the ground slashed across her, leaving a series of long lesions across her underbelly before rushing to the other attacker.

It was at this moment that Xoren finally walked within viewing distance of the brawl, his legs still screaming in pain from earlier in the encounter. "Aleila!" he yelled when he saw her bleeding on the ground. fighting against the intense pain it caused Xoren forced himself to run to Aleila's side, his body between the two lions that stood together and his friend. "This stops here!" Xoren shouted, his voice echoing between the trees as the two enemies stood solidly. After the echo had dissipated the black lion smiled a vicious grin before turning to his ally and closing his eyes. Xoren watched, his mouth agape in amazement, while the blue lion became nothing but pure aura as he spread around the larger lion before being absorbed, leaving nothing but a single enemy.

"I've been waiting for the moment I could finally encounter you two directly without worrying about your combined strength" the creature said with a menacing voice, "and it seems that time has finally come." In the heavy silence that followed his words, the lion finally opened his eyes and stared directly into Xoren's, his pitch black pupils peering deep into his soul.

[Accalia]

Aleila listened to the dark lions rumbling words as she was pushed from atop him and felt the searing pain of slick claws pulling through her underbelly fur and skin. She yelped out in pain, her face noted with struggle. She heard the call of Xorens voice and turned her head to face him just enough to see him as she regained her bearings and stood. She could see and feel Xorens pain, and she hated it. He was in no condition to run, let alone fight, but as he stood before her she felt slight stronger as if some of her strength had been renewed. She saw the shadowed faces of the lions who had led them to near death and how their faces curled with a pure malicious grin as the blue lion dissipated into nothing but a cloud of aura around the other until finally consumed. It amazed her, but she wouldn't let that show. She could feel all of this lions emotions and past pain and hate, though deep down within the being she felt a tiny shred of acceptance and life.

She listened to his thick rumbling voice and how it curled with early victory and revenge. Her eye burned slightly and she looked into the lions dark eyes and stepped in front of Xoren, calmly walking towards the dark enemy. "Kantu." she said evenly, staring into his eyes, surveying his response. She closed her eyes and watched as several images blew past her vision, ones of hate and rejection and back stabbing and death. Her eyes snapped open, her blue eyes furiously taking him in.

She leapt for him, pinning him down, her teeth inches from his face as a loud growl erupted from her thought. "that's your name. Your curse is death, it follows you it fills you it ends you." Aleila dragged her claws down his shoulders leaving thin lines of pink in his sandy pelt. Her eyes were hard, her teeth bared, this lion had experienced a hard life, but had no reason for attacking them, she wouldn't let him leave without learning something.

[Hypercube]

Xoren stood in awe as Aleila walked in front of him, her stance full of confidence and her utterance of the lion's name heavy with both anger and understanding. He watched her stand before the lion with her eyes closed and mind racing through memories that couldn't be hers before they snapped open and she pounced on the creature. "Aleila-" Xoren said as he stepped forward before the pain of his injuries forced him into submission upon the bloody forest floor.

Kantu remained unwavering as Aleila dug her claws into his shoulders, his expression remaining as it was when he spoke to them. "You're words mean nothing to me little cub" Kantu replied in a stern tone, "death has already enveloped me in its icy claws, it has already filled me with the hatred that only comes with the pain that I have faced. My curse is not the death that follows me," he said as he silently positioned himself to push Aleila from her perch, "it is the life that somehow escapes me which curses me." As Xoren's sight reached the scene his quick reflexes saw Kantu's legs begin to flex as his teeth bared in a sinister smile that filled Xoren with fear for Aleila's safety. "Watch out!" he screamed as Kantu pushed his legs up towards Aleila, his throat producing a bellowing roar that nearly shook the ground Xoren laid upon.