Welcome to the Dead Coast, home to the world's largest bucket of salt! Located nearest the Re'nee Sea, this small port-city is home for all opportunists who would gather the sea's salt deposits left on the shores and sell them for profit. (+2 to Endurance)

Moderator: Retired Staff

Return to Dead Coast

[* Starting Your Life Anew [P]

Postby Jaykobell » 01/31/2013 10:47 PM

[ Oh my Gawd okay. I will fill in the gaps as much as possible. For the creepers readers who are familiar with the Hive story, this happens WAY later in the story. Things are very different and happen much, much later. ]

On an island far, far away from the human-populated Dead Coast, was a clan of powerful and graceful Paragon. A clan that had grown both underwater and on land, and which had adapted to both environments with no difficulty. A structured clan known as the Timber Shore made its home in a thick, generous forest, along with a deep underwater world, mixing the two into a beautiful mix to give purpose to both wingless and flight-born Paragon.

It was a peaceful clan, with no major dramatic or troubling backstory. Human-dwelling Paragon who had made their home first in Dead Coast had grown endangered due to the human's pollution and bad care towards them. Feeling threatened, a group of Paragon had left the human-populated area by sea and swam for days until a new home appeared before them. Finding a small beach by the island, they also felt compelled to hunt for red meat and nest in more stable dens. Unable to live only within one environment, the clan settled for both water and land, ultimately creating arguably the first clan to adapt so perfectly to two completely different environments.

With such an uneventful history, the clan had never experienced much chaos or disorganization. While it was familiar to strangers and wild Paragon, the clan had never been exposed to meeting a fully-functioning clan of Paragon just like them.

And a few months ago, that was exactly what had happened to the Shore. Quite literally out of the blue, a whole clan of Paragon — and no small one, either — had landed into their territory, beaten, injured, heartbroken, exhausted, drained, and every other word one could think of. In a nutshell, the Shore had invited an entire clan to stay with them on their territory in order to give them some time to think and organize their future. The Shore had no idea who they had invited over until the clan leader spoke of their name: the Dragon Hive, one of the biggest clan there was. Even the Shore, as far away as it was, had heard of them. The story of how such a big clan could've fallen was an amazing story in itself.

Along the long, beautiful shore of the clan, was the source of the tragedy, sitting only with himself and his own thoughts.

Image

The one who had once looked like a beautiful Paragon of pure white and soft blues was now far from his former beauty. His body was now scarred with scratches and injuries, leaving his hues duller. One of his Crystal wings was now missing, a single awkward stump of crystal sitting on his shoulder, while the other wing remained tucked against his side, incapable of doing anything on its own. A sullen look on his face that was once bright and cheerful, and most of all: hopeful. The only thing that was left was this shell of a body that had, since that incident, lost any worth it ever had.

Months ago, Izotz had proved how unworthy he had been as the leader of the Dragon Hive. Caught off-guard, the mountain was attacked mercilessly by Jezebel and her clan of exiles. Although they tried to cope and most Paragon were evenly matched on both sides, the tie breaker was a battle between leaders, namely, between Izotz and Jezebel herself. While far from being a bad fighter, and actually sporting fairly impressive fighting skills, Izotz had been overpowered by the Voidbringer. Had it not been for the Hive holding her back all together, the Frost could easily bet that he would've died on the battlefield on that day.

Today, when reflecting about it all, he somewhat wished it had happened this way.

When his Paragon followers held back the invader, Izotz gave the order to escape, run away from the mountain. The damage had already been done: he had lost the fight against Jezebel as a leader, the mountain had been destroyed and damaged by Jezebel's Paragon, and the worst of it all had been the fact that Paragon had died during the fight. While there were more, the two that did come to mind were Mercury and Makari. The former's hatchlings, whom had been born without their mother, were now without their father; the latter left his elder brother feeling guilty and inadequate, while leaving his mother completely heartbroken. Most of the younger Paragon had been evacuated first, so young ones like Sequoia's and Sanjiv's hatchlings were safe, including all of Mercury's children. Still, losing Paragon was never a joyful thing, and the worst part of it all was that Izotz had been the cause of their death and of the agony that now plagued their loved ones.

To top it all of, those who still believed in Jezebel's practice changed sides after the escape. Palmer was one of them, leaving the Hive with not much of an explanation. If it hadn't been for Teofila, Izotz could've imagined Tapio leaving as well. Fortunately, the Lavamancer had pulled through and stayed with his original clan.

The damages left the Hive homeless, with about one fourth of the clan dead, and a good handful leaving for the winning team. And if Izotz had been a good leader, none of this would've turned out the way it had.

That was exactly why he wasn't the Hive's leader any longer. He had willingly given up the position after the incident, unable to live with the guilt that was now eating him from the inside every single day and night of his life. Despite them living under the jurisdiction of another clan, the leader of the Timber Shore had allowed them to keep to themselves as far as organization went. As such, Harlow was now the new leader in charge of the Hive: the way it should've been from the very beginning. Only now did Izotz realize how much of a mistake it was to accept the position back then, and how foolish it had been not to give it to Harlow from the beginning.

Under the Ambia's new lead, the Hive immediately moved from the plains. Harlow's logic was that Jezebel would be pleased now, happy: she had the Hive. She took back what she'd always felt was rightfully hers. By moving far, far away from their original home, the Ambia figured it would finally draw the story to a close, riding them of the Voidbringer's tyranny. It was all about starting anew, even if the very beginning would be hard. And right now, the hard part was finding their very own territory, and a place to call home again.

It was during those travels that the Hive met the Shore. Their hospitality was very welcome, especially considering how drained and exhausted everyone was. The two clans were fairly similar; the most obvious change was the different ranks. The scouts were called sentinels, and the hunters kept their name, although they also had fishers for seafood. The Shore seemingly had no other major rank, the way the Hive had had the Keepers; which left many Paragon a little taken aback by having to adapt to different positions. Fortunately, the leader had been benevolent and understanding enough to let them do cleaning tasks and other such chores in order to let the Hive adapt to the major change of lifestyle. Izotz was thankful that the leader was so understanding of their situation, even if he figured it wouldn't last forever.

The story kept playing in his head every day, every night, and the battle often appeared in his sleep as terrible nightmares that left him waking up in a jolt. Very few Paragon interacted with him anymore, considering he held no prestigious rank anymore, and since he was also flightless.

What was he supposed to do now? Where he would go from here? Would he ever be able to help his clan the right way?

"There's no word to explain all the wrongs you've done," the Frost whispered quietly and sadly to his reflection, empty eyes staring right back, looking almost like both images were but two illusions of the same thing.
User avatar
Jaykobell
Retired Staff
Retired Staff
Pets | Items
Keystones: 4511
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 12:33 AM
Status: avatar by sleepysparrow!

[1]

Postby Kallile » 02/02/2013 4:52 PM

Though the territory here was familiar and comforting to her, Hani felt badly that it wasn’t so to the rest of the clan she had grown to call home. The memories of the attack were still very vivid in her mind; the deaths of Makari and Mercury had just been two of the many. Azazel had made it out, and Hani attributed that miracle to the Sailfin’s past and knee-jerk reaction of flight over fight to fear. She had followed the hatchling sitter out—doing her best to keep the young ones herded and the once abused Sailfin focused enough not to crumble into a panicked heap that would get them all killed. The Sailfin had called out Makari’s name several times in an effort to draw him closer, but he had never come.

She could remember the sisters to Azazel, Xekoli and Anoet, fighting valiantly to try and rescue as many as they could. The human-raised Voidbringer Jael had as well, though he had fared much better. Even her brother Atl had fought, but when his role model Palmer had turned back to Jezebel’s cause, the Sailfin male had been left feeling empty. How could he have turned back to the female who had turned him into stone? After that Hani couldn’t remember; they had been long outside the territory by the time Izotz had followed—now bleeding and missing a wing.

The rest had passed as a blur as the numbers were counted—the living, the dead, and the turncoats—and the Hive fell under a new leadership. Though Harlow had many attributes that Hani found comforting she still had sought out glimpses of the once proud Izotz, though he was proving harder and harder to find as they travelled. The downcast Frost had been left alone by most everyone, and while Hani longed to speak with him she often found herself torn away. As one of the more fit and uninjured Paragon she was often asked to scout ahead or assist with hunting; anything to help the injured masses as they moved onward to try and keep all fed. It had been a tough few months.

Since coming to the Timber Shore’s clan, Hani had been able to relax and unwind a little. No longer did she have to be a scout and a hunter, and when hunting was required she found herself in much more familiar grounds to do so. Not all of the Hive had appreciated the new seafood diet she would often bring ashore but it was nice enough. It was familiar. It was safe again.

She blinked as she felt her toes dig into the sand at the bottom of her oceanic surrounding. She had not yet hit the large drop off, but her thoughts had made her stop swimming. Pushing herself back to the surface with her legs and a few pumps of her wings, Hani took in another deep breath of air and returned to the watery depths. The sandy drop off was hard to miss; where once there was sand and tropical sea-life there was now only blackness of the seemingly bottomless ocean. The fish here were larger and more filling, but they also had much more fight to them. But today wasn’t smiling on the sae-born Fairy—or perhaps her little “let me drift slowly and all dead-like to the bottom” stunt had scared them all off. Whatever the cause, today that empty abyss was just that. Empty.

Image

As Hani shoved herself back to the surface and breached the barrier between water and air she sucked in another breath and looked around. The shoreline was empty save for one very large inhabitant that was looking forlorn and just a little lopsided with his missing wing. The Fairy’s face instantly fell to a frown as she began to swim closer to him—her hide blending into the water and making her harder to spot than most.

As she approached she could hear him, just barely, above the waves lapping at the sands. She was out of the water to her shoulders now, her face held tense and quizzical. It had been so long since she had had a chance to see Izotz…and she wished she would have never had to see him like this. A shadow of his former self; a shell of a once great leader. Was this the way all fallen leaders looked? Was her father out there somewhere with this same look on his face?

“I have plenty I can think of for all the things I have seen you do right.” Hani piped up as she wadded towards the beach, hoping not to jolt the Frost male too badly. She offered him a small smile before dipping her head like she had so many times before when greeting him as a leader. “Hello Izotz…it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to talk.”

She was quiet for a moment as she tried to assess the best way to proceed. It was written all over his face how he was feeling, what was going through his head she had to imagine was the same as the images going through hers as well. “Though you should come for a swim with me—the ocean has a way of healing old wounds.” She finally settled on invitingly.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




.::.Pen.::.Sales.::.Wishes.::.
User avatar
Kallile
Ultimate Specialist
Ultimate Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 70
Donate
Joined: 06/16/2008 12:04 PM
Location: In your childhood toybox

[2]

Postby Jaykobell » 02/02/2013 6:20 PM

The clan itself was a very different setting, and the small differences were the only things that could somewhat distract Izotz's mind at the time.

The one thing that came to mind was how peaceful this clan was. The leader mentioned this clan had never been attacked before, save for very select few wild Paragon. Even then, apparently most of those wild Paragon had come to appreciate the versatile lifestyle of the Shore, ultimately adapting and joining. They didn't have a tyrant and an insane dictator hunting them daily, they didn't have a Paragon constantly trying to enjoy seeing them suffer.

They were happy here. They were a happy family of wild Paragon. So despite being here, why was Izotz not happy? Why was the more serene and peaceful environment not helping him? He was quickly sinking into a terrible slump, and no matter what he tried to tell himself, his mind refused to let him crawl out. He'd never felt so negative, so depressed, so helpless; he'd never felt any of those things. He had seen Jezebel's leadership, her tyranny, her cruelty; he had so many gory and horrible things in his lifetime. Yet, during those times, he had never let such negative feelings and thoughts swallow him so badly. Why now?

Oh, he knew why. He had the deaths of quite a few handfuls of Paragon, and he had lost some of his followers to the Voidbringer. He'd lost a battle he shouldn't have, and he had dragged his entire family — the Paragon most important to him, and more important than anything — into a homeless life as strays. He had been the worst leader to ever lead the Hive, and despite what his childhood friends said, they couldn't get him to change his mind.

As Izotz continued to mull over his current situation, a voice perked up. At first, he didn't quite register it as being addressed to him. If the female hadn't called out his name, Izotz probably would've ignored the words entirely. Even the fact he was almost literally staring back at the water-born Fairy wouldn't have jolted him to realize she was talking to him.

Being spoken to left the Frost wondering what to reply. He wasn't feeling well, nor was he really interested in speaking with anybody. His friends had been worried to see him in such a terrible mood, which was such a huge contrast to his usually hopeful, cheerful nature. But with the deaths of Paragon and the loss of their home on his mind, the Frost could think of nothing happy right now.

"I don't know how to swim," Izotz replied quietly almost a full minute later, leaving the two Paragon into a one-way conversation for what felt like more than just a minute. That was the only thing he could really think to answer, quite literally ignoring the first two statements. He had done nothing right as a leader; from the beginning, other Paragon had disagreed with Balthazar's choice to appoint him. Why not Slavica or Harlow? Why him? Even now, the Frost couldn't understand.
User avatar
Jaykobell
Retired Staff
Retired Staff
Pets | Items
Keystones: 4511
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 12:33 AM
Status: avatar by sleepysparrow!

[2]

Postby Kallile » 02/04/2013 9:34 PM

The watery female frowned a little at his lack of response at first, then a little more deeply at his answer he finally conjured up. She had never seen Izotz this way before and the depression he was harboring was not a good color on him. Taking a few steps forward, until just her clawed feet remained in the water, Hani tried again. “It’s alright, you don’t have to really swim. Wading would do fine. It might even help you feel a little better to let nature work its magic on some of those  deeper wounds.” She offered encouragingly.

She doubted it would help at all, however. The big Frost she had once known seemed shrunken now—small and frail as if he were a male just in his prime who had been denied by his first female. “You came all the way out here for something, after all, didn’t you?” She had never noticed others just gathering on the shore to sit and ponder. Maybe a water hunter or two sunbathing before diving back into the cold depths, but rarely others.

Hani paused, trying to wait for an answer before giving u her pursuit and coming fully out of the water to seat herself closer to Izotz. “You have done good things. You took Azazel in when others would have cast her away and let her keep leading the life she was. You gave Jael the chance to live his dreams away from the humans. You gave everyone a chance to be happy and at peace with themselves.” She smiled a little and looked away. “Even me.”

It might have been hard for some to ever imagine this particular Fairy in a foul or self-conscious mood. But truthfully…after losing her way of life, her clan, her siblings….there had been no real reason to keep trying. She had, it was just her personality that had kept her afloat all this time in many respects, but she had kept on going and hoping. Izotz had proved to her that no journey was in vain.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




.::.Pen.::.Sales.::.Wishes.::.
User avatar
Kallile
Ultimate Specialist
Ultimate Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 70
Donate
Joined: 06/16/2008 12:04 PM
Location: In your childhood toybox

[3]

Postby Jaykobell » 02/05/2013 12:14 AM

The thought of just floating or wading in the water was also not very appealing to the Frost. Thought of doing anything, really, wasn't interesting to him at the moment. All he wanted to do was absolutely nothing. He didn't have the interest, energy, nor the skills, even, to do anything. Even something as simple as wading through water would sap his energy like a leech sucking blood from a host. Izotz doubted the water — or anything, for that matter — would soothe his pain. It wasn't like applying a gel to a burn to heal it; his injuries were emotional and buried deep into his heart and mind. Unless there was a way to go back in time to fix this whole mess, the Frost doubted anything would ever make him go back to who he really was.

Hani's next comment left the Frost silent, but not really for long. "There was no reason," Izotz answered apathetically again, his eyes just staring off into the distance, looking at nothing in particular but in the general direction he was facing. If he had to be honest, he'd come here only to mope and let his helplessness swallow him up. He'd wanted to be alone, to sit just with himself, to let his mind be a prey to itself as it repeated the last few months again and again. There had been no other reason; he'd come here to swim, to sunbathe, or to try to fish. Only to be alone, and to wallow in self-pity in silence.

It was hard to tell if Hani's last words helped him at all, or if they made him feel worse. In a way, they did both. On one hand, he had really done good things for his clan, things that some leaders would've never done. But on the other hand, it meant absolutely nothing. He'd been benevolent and kind to his followers, but what for? "I did nothing for anybody," Izotz finally answered, closing his eyes and letting his voice be louder, even if only a little. "All I did was give them this fake feeling of security and happiness. Ultimately, all I did was pamper them and render them incapable of facing real danger. If I'd been a good leader, I would've focused on what mattered instead of trying to make everyone happy." Making people happy wouldn't get anyone anywhere, and the result of that terrible invasion had proven just that. Paragon had died because of him, their home had been taken and destroyed, and some Paragon had been so disappointed and disgusted that they'd turned over to the winning side.
User avatar
Jaykobell
Retired Staff
Retired Staff
Pets | Items
Keystones: 4511
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 12:33 AM
Status: avatar by sleepysparrow!

[3]

Postby Kallile » 02/09/2013 7:59 PM

Though his answer didn’t yield the response or reaction she had hoped it would have, Hani tried to keep her head up. He had given her a coherent thought process and said more than a single sentence to her; that was something. Perhaps if she kept him talking it would lend to something greater. Perhaps…

“You know deep down that isn’t true Izotz. Look how far Azazel has come—she is a perfect example. She’s still easy to shake, yes, but she can hold her own against a male now. She has found a real purpose by helping to raise the hatchlings. She has so much more to her life now than just being an egg provider for the highest bidder. If it hadn’t been for you she might have been dead long before now.” She paused, trying to think quickly of what to respond to him next.

“Yes, you were a benevolent leader. But that does not mean you were a bad one or gave us any false security. You kept the best of the best in the highest ranking positions in their factions, after all, and they all had to earn it. We all worked hard and got to enjoy our lives—that isn’t shameful. Look at how many followed here; if it had been only false security and sunshine you had given all of us I doubt we would all still be here. Life is what matters, and if we would have done nothing but prepare to defend ourselves we wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities to live our lives as we did.”

She paused and looked down to her claws for a moment. She really hadn’t ever seen him like this and it was hard to know what to do to help him. She wouldn’t leave him here alone until it was either her shift to work or he chased her away…but she didn’t know how to help him either. “No empire is eternal. This is just another leg of our journey. I should know, I’ve been on my journey for a long time.” She offered with a small chuckle.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




.::.Pen.::.Sales.::.Wishes.::.
User avatar
Kallile
Ultimate Specialist
Ultimate Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 70
Donate
Joined: 06/16/2008 12:04 PM
Location: In your childhood toybox

[4]

Postby Jaykobell » 02/10/2013 3:47 PM

It was hard for Izotz to tell if Hani's words were making him feel better or worse. Although some of it was true, the Frost was determined that, overall, his leadership had been horrible. The things Hani mentioned he'd done really hadn't been his doing to begin with. "I accepted Azazel in the clan. I did nothing more," he explained as his mind refused to see the Sailfin's progress as anything he'd done. The Sailfin had evolved and grown on her own, thanks to the resources she had been given. You couldn't force a Paragon to change, nor could some Paragon even change. "Her growth is entirely from her own efforts, not from anything I did."

Her words about him being a benevolent leader left him bitter more than anything. "That's exactly what I said," the Frost started again, his eyes narrowing slightly as he continued to stare at the water. "I let others do as they wanted. I should've evened out the clan, I should've made sure that we were realistically prepared for attacks." The reason why he'd never done it was because he'd taken over after a dictator. If he had organized his Paragon to start battling and learning battle strategies, it probably would've put the entire Hive into a state of insecurity and fear at the thought of having to do such things. Not only that, but the clan had had to be reorganized, rebuilt; it was like now, having to start all over again. There was no time to think about battling and defenses.

"But you're wrong," Izotz added flatly, still without making eye-contact with Hani. "No one followed me here. They followed Harlow, not me. If I had remained their leader, I know the majority would've refused to follow." They probably would've started their own clan, or clans, away from the drama and away from irresponsible leadership. From the very beginning, the Hive Paragon had trusted Harlow and his judgement. Right from the start, the Ambia had shown that he had an idea of what to do, despite the Hive having lost its home. It had been his confidence and his strong personality and charisma that had put the Paragon at ease. "He should've have been leader from the very beginning."

As for his empire, it wasn't so much that as it were about a family. The Hive hadn't been his kingdom or his empire or his country. He'd always seen the Dragon Hive as his family, his home, rather than a plethora of Paragon for him to lead and control. He said nothing about that, nor did he feel better after hearing the Fairy chuckle. He wasn't so foolish as to think things could last forever, but if anything, his lead could've ended happily. He could've died of old age, or he could've resigned to a younger leader. It was the fact that his journey had ended with the destruction of their home and the deaths of others that completely destroyed the Frost, deep down.
User avatar
Jaykobell
Retired Staff
Retired Staff
Pets | Items
Keystones: 4511
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 12:33 AM
Status: avatar by sleepysparrow!

[4]

Postby Kallile » 02/10/2013 4:29 PM

With her speech getting seemingly nowhere, Hani couldn’t deny the fact that she was feeling a little defeated. But that was what drove her resolve; she was the daughter of a leader, and despite what her life might have been had she returned home successfully to be a trophy female, she was also raised to be strong and resilient. “You give yourself too little credit. You accepted her, yes, but it was your encouragement that helped light that first spark in her. Had she met anyone else first, who’s to say she would have made this much progress.”

Her good humor had ebbed away, but her resolve to make him see hadn’t yet. “Maybe. Maybe not. I wasn’t there, but from the stories I have heard how different would you have been if everyone would have fallen instantly into a state of paranoia over the possibility of attack? It wouldn’t have felt like a safe home, if you ask me, and I doubt we would have half the hatchlings and youngsters to our ranks if everyone was constantly on edge. You offered everyone something different and hopeful…”

The next words dug right through her. “You know, maybe I’m not entirely right. Maybe some did just stay for Harlow, maybe he is who they followed. I cannot speak for everyone on that matter and I’ll admit that.” She paused, thinking of just how she wanted to word her next statement. She had been ignored by the Frost in courtship seasons past but she hadn’t taken it personally for the fact that Izotz had really never paid special attention to anyone. But she had tried again and again and denied other interested males she caught the attention of with her display. It seemed ill-timed, but maybe it needed to be said before she lost her chance to be heard entirely.

“But I can speak for myself. I followed you here, Izotz. I followed you because I believe in the way you chose to lead and I admired your bravery to give it all up instead of hanging on. If you would have gone elsewhere, I would be there with you instead. Harlow can lead how he wishes and I will comply, but you were the one who really changed my life. Harlow wouldn’t have been so kind.”
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




.::.Pen.::.Sales.::.Wishes.::.
User avatar
Kallile
Ultimate Specialist
Ultimate Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 70
Donate
Joined: 06/16/2008 12:04 PM
Location: In your childhood toybox


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


cron