Carry Me Home (Private Eliora and Hypercube)

[Mercy]

       The night was cool and peaceful. The stars were twinkling in the heavens, casting their soft glows upon the savannah. The sweet perfume of the night flowers hung heavy in the air and wafted in between the tall trees and brush. A congregation of crickets were chirping, giving a brilliant performance for the celestial bodies above, and the child of moonlight below. 
       
       Mercia padded thoughtfully through the serene setting, her silver eyes and pale fur gleaming ghostly in the light of the moon and stars. She had been wandering for many days now and the relaxing scene around her had her in a sort of trance. The towering trees and bright heavenly light created strange shapes and shadows while the heady perfume of the flowers made her relax and slow her pace. She had been walking all day and her paws were quite sore. She continued walking through the garden and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes, and allowing her eyes to close softly. She opened her eyes and her silver eyes gleamed in the darkness. Her strange blood-red markings pulsed with light, slowly, and calmly, in time with the beating of her heart. What was that she had scented? Another creature? She had smelled water, but there had also been a hint of...something...something else..something nearby. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and looked to her right, and then her left. Hmmm. Something or someone was near, she was almost sure of it. Or was her tired mind simply imagining things?

[Hypercube]

    Pyrex walked with a bounce in his step through the peaceful nighttime air, his gaze towards the many glistening stars that floated so close, yet so far away from his extending paws. A smile danced across his muzzle as he hopped through the taller patches of grass along the flower-filled garden that he had wandered into. The smell of flowers and glowing moonlight made him forget that he had even existed for a moment, his conscious simply flowing through the calm, silent air and his senses only a result of his desire to experience the world.

    As he regained his sense of self his paws stopped in a patch of tall grass, just short enough for his head to peak from its blades and his eyes to follow the cascade of stars that lead to the far-off horizon to the North. It was in this direction he witnessed something that he had not seen before, something that caused his head to tilt in a childish fashion expressing his confusion. He saw two stars surrounding by a set of pulsing red objects in the distance, their slow undulations becoming more pronounced as they approached. Within the shape they created with each other he also saw a pair of what seemed to be stars, flickering in and out of existence as if they were living. It took him a moment of contemplation and a pair of squinted eyes to finally see the outline of the lioness to which these entities belonged to.

    With caution Pyrex crouched in the grass and moved forwards until he was mere strands from the opening such that he could see with limited obstruction. It was clear now that the glowing orbs were in fact eyes of another feline, a lioness that began to slow her pace and search her surroundings as if she could sense him. She can't see me here, can she? Pyrex asked himself before gazing around himself, finding nothing but the huge trees and the dancing shadows that swayed in the now gentle breeze.

[Mercy]

     Mercia continued forward slowly, lowering her head as she scented the earth. It smelled like a big cat, but it certainly wasn't a lion. It smelled strange, like it was built from a hot, burning, wind. Like a bird, but, a fiery bird. She was sure she had smelled something like it from her past. Cheetah! That's what it was! There hadn't been many cheetahs by the ocean where she had lived. She could only recall one from her past, when she was very young. Her father had chased it away before it could get near her, but she had remembered it as a fascinating animal that ran like the wind. Mercia paused and raised her head cautiously. Her marks were pulsating faster now, as her heart began to pound. Were cheetahs a threat? They must be if her father had chased it away. But, she had no claim to this territory, she was just a wanderer passing through. Maybe she had encroached on it's territory? She still wasn't sure where it was.

    Mercia lifted her head and focused her attention on the gentle breeze sweeping through the moon-lit garden. She closed her eyes briefly and willed the wind and air around the area to blow towards her in all directions. The gentle breeze around the area swept past her softly and she tried to determine where the cheetah was. The perfumed air covered most of the small details; water, the beating of a mouse heart, zebra...Ah there! It was slightly to the left of her, covered by the waving grass. She could hardly make the feline out, just the top of it's head and the tips of it's ears.

    Ordinarily, Mercia would've probably tried to avoid the stranger, or assumed a battle stance, but the heady scent of the flowers, the gentle breeze, and the silver, moon-lit vegetation had worked it's charm. She was completely relaxed and felt as though she were in a dream. Except for her aching paws. She would love to place them in a cool lake or pond to soothe them. There was water around here somewhere. But there was no time for that now. It was time to greet this stranger in her dreamscape. She sat down slowly and looked right at the cat. "Hello." she purred softly. "Are these your lands? They are very beautiful. I'm so sorry if I've encroached, but I've had a long day of travel and was simply passing through. I will leave if that is your wish!"

[Hypercube]

Pyrex's ears perked up at the sound of the lioness's quiet voice and it took him until she spoke of leaving to realize that this stranger was talking to him. Normally he would be very wary of strangers, especially those with now quickly-pulsing red marks and glowing eyes, but in this moment he could not find a shred of fear or nervousness in his conscious. "No!" he said apologetically as he stood upwards in the tall grass before trotting out into the open to meet the feline, "These aren't my woods -- in fact I was too busy looking around to even know how I got here!" He moved towards her in an excited fashion, moving his head in small arcs as he observed the markings that were seemingly a part of this figure that stood in the moonlight. "These are some pretty cool marks" he said with amazement as he rounded back to the front of the lioness, "what are they?"

[Mercy]

       Mercia startled slightly as the cheetah trotted out into the open and then moved even closer to her to stare at the markings on her face. He circled her and she watched him warily. He seemed rather energetic. "Those are some pretty cool marks, what are they?" the cheetah asked. Mercia looked down at the pulsing red marks on her legs and then back up at the cheetah. "Well, honestly, I'm not really sure. I think they might be birthmarks of some sort. But they also seem to light up and, well, I can do other things with them." She smiled kindly at the cheetah. Her pounding heart had slowed more and she felt a bit more calm. "My name is Mercia. Who are you?" She looked at the slim cat's profile. She felt as though he was made out of fire. His eyes certainly danced like flames. But, maybe not, maybe just more of her imaginings. Maybe he was a desert prince! She had heard tales from the story teller in her old pride about desert princes! They were larger cheetahs, with strange dark markings on their backs, who had captured some of the desert sun inside them. They roamed the lands, chased by the sun, who was angry at them for stealing his fire. Or maybe they had been called desert kings...Hmm.

      This cheetah didn't seem to have any strange marks on him. Maybe he had found a way to hide them. But then again, she hadn't been this close to a cheetah before. How would she know if his markings were any different? She shook herself suddenly. Had the cheetah spoken? "I'm sorry did you say something?"

[Hypercube]

    As the new face spoke Pyrex's right hind leg bounced up and down as to release some of the energy that constantly built up inside of him. The cat's explanation and somewhat lack of explanation intrigued him and his his fiery eyes lit up as she spoke. Her tone was one of kindness and respect, such an odd quality for one to display to a complete stranger, especially of a different species, at least Pyrex thought. "I'm Pyrex!" he joyfully responded with a smile upon Mercia's asking of his name. He stared back to the cat's eyes which still glowed bright as the stars in the dark sky while she examined him. She did not respond as he had expected her to but that did not matter as he too was engrossed in what mysteries this feline held within her pulsing red marks and brilliant eyes.

    Pyrex chuckled a bit at Mercia's shaken question and responded with a playful smirk. "I did," he said, "but I'm sure you were too busy looking at a new creature than listening to him! My name's Pyrex" he repeated with a small step towards her. "So what other things can you do with those marks?" he asked with curiosity.

[Mercy]

      Mercia swallowed, embarrassed that she had been caught daydreaming. "I'm sorry, I've just never been this close to a cheetah before!" she smiled shyly and then laughed briefly as she noticed the cheetah, or should she say, Pyrex's leg. She looked at Pyrex's face and then cocked her head to the side curiously, as she contemplated her response to his question. "I can do this thing, my mentor and I nicknamed, 'night marking'." she said thoughtfully. She padded around to the right side of the cheetah and continued. "It only works at night, but if I place the marks on my forehead on the body of a living creature it leaves a small glowing mark on the right shoulder of the creature. The mark fades in the morning, or, um, if the creature dies. The marks also leaves a trail, so wherever the creature goes I see a glowing trail leading to him or her...but it seems that only I can see this trail."

      She looked back at Pyrex, realizing that she had been staring at his strange spotted coat. She wondered how a mark would appear on him. What color would it be? Would it be larger than the spots he already had on him? "We could try it out if you want. I've never tried to mark a cheetah!" she said mischievously, lifting an eyebrow at him.

[Hypercube]

    Pyrex listened intently as Mercia described her ability. As she spoke the young cheetah's eyes shined and he smiled; he had never encountered such an odd power before. He thought it to be very fitting though, an strange yet fascinating power for an equally unknown and interesting creature. As Mercia's explanation continued Pyrex thought to his own spots and a million questions flew throughout his mind. What would the mark look like? What color would it be? How would it show on his already spotted coat? His mind was still racing when Mercia made her suggestion to which he jumped up and down with excitement.

    "Could we!?" Pyrex asked with alacrity as he started to settle down a bit. "That would be so cool" he said as he continued moving closer to the female standing tall ready to receive the mark. "Ooh" the cheetah exclaimed as he formulated an idea, "we should play a little game with this! Once you mark me, you and I should go for a run through this forest! I would love to see if a non-cheetah could keep up with me, and whether or not you can you'll be able to see where I've headed anyway!"

[Mercy]

Mercia laughed at Pyrex's eagerness, and the nightfowl of the forest began to awaken. The songs of nightingales and mockingbirds gradually filled the air, blending together creating a symphony of chirps, trills, and warbles. Mercia stopped laughing as the birds cheerfully sang and began to flit from tree to tree in the silver woods. Never before had she heard these strange songs, and her eyes filled with wonder as she stared up and around her. The woods echoed the beautiful melodies and the gentle sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees created a soft undertone. She watched as the birds flitted from branch to branch and swooped low in between the trees, spiraling around each other and chirruping playfully.

Mercia turned back to Pyrex and smirked mischievously. "I would love to play that game! Try to hold still when I mark you. Let's see if this works." she murmured softly, as she focused and narrowed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, then inhaled deeply and pressed her head to Pyrex's shoulder. His short fur was thick and silky, and seemed to reach towards her as she made contact with the cheetah's spotted coat. The mark on her head tingled softly and a shiver ran through her. She took a step back and opened her eyes, staring curiously at Pyrex. A minuscule spot of light began to swirl into being on his shoulder, and she scrunched her nose as she squinted, trying to make out the color of the mark. The tiny beam of light swirled slowly and then faster as it grew, becoming the size of a pebble. Still no color, just a soft white pebble-sized splotch of light. The splotch continued growing and swirling as Mercia waited curiously to see what color would appear.

[Hypercube]

After Mercia's laugh had dissipated into silence Pyrex could hear the songs of the birds that occupied the forest. He followed the new feline friend as they both strutted from tree to tree, root to root, and along the patches of emerald grass that littered the floor of the forest. It had been far too long since Pyrex had stopped to appreciate the sounds of the nature that surrounded him and simply listened to their beauty. The birds had a sort of freedom that Pyrex wished he had as they circled the seemingly endless rows of trees and their little wings lifted them to the sky. He had not known anything other than freedom for most of his life but this desire was a different type of unbound pleasure; one that was so appealing because of the simple fact that he would probably never attain it.

Mercia's instructions came to him as just another sylvan sound but he was able to find the meaning in her words and turned towards her mischievous smile, standing as solid as the stone he himself perched. As the lioness touched her forehead to his shoulder he could feel her fur as it touched his own. It felt as if it was holding him, comforting him in some way that he could not place. Before he knew it she was removed and left a small mark began to materialize on his pelt which then started to swirl and grow as its color grew too. In short time it finally came to its form, a perfect circle that glowed through the orange-red spectrum just as flame would.

"Woah..." Pyrex said with astonishment, "that's pretty cool. Does the color mean anything special?" he asked as he looked back to the cat's stormy eyes.

[Mercy]

Mercia looked at the ground bashfully. "I'm not sure honestly. I suspect that the color might have something to do with the...subject's, personality." She looked up at the glowing circle on Pyrex's shoulder. It had a red-gold hue to it like the flames of a fire. She shrugged and pivoted away from Pyrex. She then turned back to him and playfully thumped her front paws on the ground. Her hips swayed in the air and the pale female lashed her tail as her blood-red markings cast a crimson light over her fur. "Are you still up for a run through these woods?" She eagerly asked the cheetah.

[Hypercube]

Pyrex smiled with a competitive excitement as the female prepared herself for the run. He was amazed at the amount of light that Mercia's strange markings put out and the red coloration that the bouncing light gave to her normally pale fur. "Of course I am!" Pyrex scoffed as he lept from the rock he had been standing on, landing just next to his newly found companion. "The question is..." he continued as he hunched close to the ground and prepared his muscles to sprint, "are you?"

As the sound of his question escaped Pyrex's mouth he began his first bolting steps into the forest, his strategic mind mapping out just the route he planned to take. The area was all too familiar to him when he recreated it in his head; all of the paths directly adjacent to his own were as clear as any marked path to his eyes. The plan was simple: use the small amount of sprinting ability he had to reach a set of large stones bridged by a fallen tree he knew to be located just out of view in the distance. Once he had made it to that location, Mercia would be far enough behind that when he rounded the corner of one of these rocks he could wait to pounce on her from above as she followed his marked path through the archway that the set of natural features created.