[BaalsBaby]

It was a peaceful, breezy today. The view up here was fantastic, so much so that the dark Calamikuhna could not remember when last he'd ever seen such a pleasing sight. They stood at the tip of a flat, rock cliff over in opposition to the vast waterfalls streaming down into a fresh river far below. Beneath his paws, soft grass sprouted in the warm daylight, and behind, the thick collection of trees made sure that no wandering passerby could easily find this place. Concentrating, the Calamikuhna shifted into human form and sprawled out lazily. Soon Kismet would be here, and so he waited.

Behind him came the small shuffling of a white and pink-ish Lubshi, crawling out awkwardly from the foliage. Brushing himself off and squeaking once, the little dragon sat down beside his fellow pen mate, and though he'd never really gotten to know the odd Calamikuhna before, he was sure they'd become close friends soon enough, for already Straiph had let him come along on this little vacation...

[25][5]

[Kheisa]

Indeed, it was a marvelous view. The waterfalls were causing a sort of rainbow in the mist towards the bottom, and the clouds in the sky seemed to have been placed by an artist. Kismet had always had a strange fascination with clouds. They were so free and so fragile. He had caught the scent of Straiph and had followed it through the trees, and as he made his way out of the underbrush, a leaf caught on a more recent (comparatively to the rest) scar, one that had almost finished knitting, and dragged, causing pain to shoot up his hind leg from the scar. Furrowing his brows, he gave a short little huff, pulling his hind end completely out of the brush and trotting to Straiph quietly, the grass between his toes feeling splendid.

Being as the Calamikuhna was in his human form, Kismet too shifted, and as he came up on his other side, he was an anthro, now wearing jeans with a rip in them on his inner thigh so that the scar wouldn't rub. "Straiph..." he said, the name falling from his lips like a fluttering sigh.

Straiph had been the only one to console him in his darkest hour. Straiph cared-- genuinely cared-- for such a lowly being as he. In return, the Ancient Kuhna had given him the only thing he could. His love. A tentative love, but an enduring one.

On the other hand, Cupid, who had followed Kismet, was here strictly on business. He came out of the trees fairly easily and immediately laid eyes on his brother. That stupid pink... Thing! He growled and marched up behind Promise, cuffing him on the head. "What are you doing here?" he asked gruffly, putting his paws on his hips and awaiting an answer, eyes narrowed.

Sure the view was nice. But there was this stupid pink dragon ruining it.

[BaalsBaby]

"Kissy," the human Calamikuhna shifted his gaze upward at the mention of his name. Rolling over and pushing himself up on rest on his elbows as the other shifted forms, the priest patted the soft earth beside him. "Hey there," he gave a small wink, for he hadn't yet noticed the new scars of the Ancient.

Meanwhile, even before he could turn around and acknowledge who was coming, the pink Lubshi received a rough bump on the head. "Owwwwwwwwwwwww..." the pink Lubshi whined, pulling his small paws and cupping his wound as if it were bleeding. Shying away some, he peeked one eye open! His brother!

"Brother!" he immediately perked up, flailing his hands cutely for a hug, which in all of his history, he'd never before received. Tail wagging, seemingly forgetting his pain, the Lubshi smiled warmly. What could have brought him all the way out here? Cupid didn't really seem the sort to come out for a stroll and a picnic...

[26][6]

[Kheisa]

Kismet's pale human face flushed heavily at the use of his nickname. His ears went back shyly and he accepted Straiph's invitation, plopping his tush on the ground ungracefully and wincing slightly as a blade of grass touched where the leaf had rubbed. A pouting expression crossed his face and he shifted position, leaning towards Straiph and putting most of his weight on the uninjured leg. At the wink, his flush, which had subsided with the grass-attack, returned again in full bloom. "Hey..." he said softly, to return the Calamikuhna's greeting.

Would he ever get the message? Cupid eyed him grumpily, the unreasonable anger that always was present when his brother did anything flaring up. A hug? He had never once given his brother a hug. Perhaps he might have given their mother a hug... Once... But if he had, he didn't remember. Now... Was there anything malicious he could do from a hugging position? Perhaps, but he didn't want to risk his dignity and his reputation to find out. Annoyingly enough, though, his tail seemed to have begun wagging as well, but only very slightly, not much more than a twitch, in response to his thoughts of causing his brother pain. Was he really that masochistic and sadistic?

What kind of question was that, really? Of course the answer was yes.

[BaalsBaby]

Straiph watched as the other winced as a small blade of grass prodded into the rip of the Kismet's jeans. Concerned, the white and lime haired Calamikuhna pushed himself up and crossed his legs, leaning over the Ancient to get a good look at the wound. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" It was then he noticed a fresh scar cut into the soft flesh in the form of letters of some sort. "Oh... Kissy, I told you that you don't have to do that anymore," he pursed his lips and brushed a few strands of stray hair from the other's face gently.

Promise sat there a moment, arms outstretched before he realized that today was just like any other day, and that he would not get any sign of affection from his older brother. This however, did not dampen his spirits in the least. Moving to sit closer to his elder sibling, Promise still kept up a smile and curled his tail around himself. "Whatcha doing out here brother?" he asked curiously.

[27][7]

[Kheisa]

Kismet let out a soft whine as Straiph leaned over to look at his leg. His ears, though not the Kuhna ears of his normal form, seemed to go back and he almost turned his head away to hide his shame, but for Straiph's hand brushing his hair. Instead, he dropped it a bit and looked up at Straiph through his long bangs, a worried expression on his face. Would Straiph stop caring about him if he didn't stop? His ears colored slightly, signaling his unease, and he swallowed heavily. "I just... I'm no good at anything else..." The Ancient Kuhna's ears burned with shame and he brought up his hands in a defensive position, unconsciously putting a barrier between himself and the Calamikuhna to prepare for the almost inevitable rejection.
.
Cupid grunted and sat, too, putting his own tail between himself and his brother. Best not to be contaminated with the stupid. "Does it matter?" He asked, and it almost sounded sweet but for that he followed it up with, "I can't enjoy it if you're here." He raised his head and stared at the waterfall, watching Promise out of the corner of his eye and waiting patiently for the opportune moment to cause him pain.

[BaalsBaby]

The Calamikuhna sighed and brought a warm smile to his face, brushed the other's hair again, and wrapping his arms gently around the small barrier of Kismet's arms. "Don't worry. I won't push you away. Not ever," his voice purred gently. "I'm just concerned, that's all. I don't want people hurting you anymore. Perhaps, when we go back to town, we can go and see if you can pick up on a hobby or something," the priest said and sat down beside the Ancient, curling out on the ground again and hearing the hiss of the waterfalls not too far off in the distance.

Promise, on the other hand, was still full of energy and bounced a few times in front of his brother. "Hey hey heeeeey," he said, having brushed off one of his brother's awful comments again. The harsh remarks always slipped from memory like... like ducks on water. "Let's go exploring brother!" He made a cute, puufy face at the two humanized Kuhnas a few feet away.

[28][8]

[Kheisa]

The gesture was welcomed. Hugs... Just hugs... Could brighten anything. His hands changed position from curled protectively against his chest to be facing outwards, onto Straiph's chest. He felt the loss as Straiph went back to the ground and followed him, snuggling against the Calamikuhna's side affectionately. "Thank you..." he said softly, then perked up a bit. "I am interested in storytelling and art: perhaps I can make money from those?" Were he in his normal Ancient Kuhna form, his tails would have been swaying back and forth in an almost wagging motion, as he set his hands tentatively on the other's chest.

Cupid frowned, his own face puffing out a bit. More of a pout than a frown, really, but was Cupid even capable of pouting? Really. He held his paw out to Promise, a perfect plan formulating in his head for causing his younger brother pain, and took a step back. "Well if you wanna explore let's go." he managed to say as one sentence.

***

Meanwhile, underground... There was a shuffling going on as creatures scurried about, unbeknownst to the two Kuhnas and the two Lubshi. They were all different colors, each one varying slightly within each of the three general colors.

Abruptly they all stopped, creating a general unrest from one creature to the next. As one, the three creatures began to shuffle back and forth softly, flapping their wings and creating a sedating rustling sound-- a calming sound like rain pattering on a roof. Obviously they were up to something.

(That a good 'nough introduction of 'em for you? XD)

[BaalsBaby]

Straiph breathed in the cool air of the jungles as he listened to the Ancient Kuhna's words. "Well there you go," he smiled, gazing up at Kismet's face. "You have a safer way to continue your life now. And if you ever need help.. well... uhm... I can try?" Straiph laughed and twisted his mouth, unsure about how great he was at either art or storytelling.

And it was odd. Strangely, the Calamikuhna felt all at once dizzy and a wave of different emotions washed through him. Shaking his head at the odd feeling, Straiph looked up and around at the surrounding area...

Promise squealed cutely as his brother actually allowed him totake his hand and lead him away from the Kuhnas and down into the dense jungles to explore. Tail wagging happily, the little Lubshi knew nothing of the malicious inner workings of his brother's mind, trotting past tree stumps and odd plants. This was so exciting! There were enticing smells and refreshing sights all around. Easily distracted, the Lubshi stopped before a towering rock face covered in green moss, pausing to pet the softness of it with his tiny paws. "Ooo!"

[[29]][[9]]

[Kheisa]

Kismet gave a smile. Straiph was so kind, to be willing to help one such as him. Of course, he always thought that. Only because it was true. He reached over to tentatively touch the handsome Calamikuhna's face and stopped, whipping his hand back before it had even reached its destination and clutching it to his chest. He looked horrified, staring at Straiph with a kind of disgusted mortification. Of course, said feelings weren't directed at Straiph, but rather at the Ancient Kuhna himself. "S-Straiph...?" his voice cracked and his eyebrows knitted together in a sad and worried position. He steeled himself, holding his hands to his chest.

"S-Straiph... I think..." The Ancient Kuhna took a big gulp and rose to his feet, taking a staggering step back as tears threatened the corners of his eyes. "I think I need to go... For some reason--" he choked on his words. "For some reason I have the urge to hurt you." The tears spilled over, down his cheeks. He let out a sob. "I don't want to hu-- hurt you!" He held his hands up to his face and rubbed at his cheeks, taking a defensive posture... Yet... The posture was so innocent... So frightened... He was unconsciously putting up the barrier again between himself and Straiph, but now more than ever he felt like he needed it. He didn't want to hurt him. More than anything, he wanted Straiph to be happy and well.

Cupid frowned at his younger brother's antics. He was such... Such a child, really.. As Promise released his hand, he smirked. Promise wouldn't be allowed to hold that paw again-- he'd given it up so he'd given it up for good. A perfect plan. Promise would be emotionally damaged by his own inability to concentrate. As he opened his mouth to tell the other off for letting go of his paw, he noticed the rock face. It had... A rather interesting design. He speculated that it had been carved into ages ago and had been covered up more recently by moss as it was worn down by rain. Some of the grooves were still visible between patches of moss. How peculiar.

***

The three critters underground were having a blast, sure thing. They shook their bodies, dust from their scale-like plate constructions somehow defying gravity and absorbing through the soil. It would seem that the dust was causing the change in Kismet and Straiph... Though they would not know it unless they had exceptionally keen hearing.

[BaalsBaby]

"K-Kismet..." Straiph reached out at the strange reaction of the Ancient Kuhna as he stepped farther away from him. The barrier was up again. "Wh-what?" Something was definitely wrong here, and faintly he could recall hearing a strange sort of shuffling beneath him in the earth. But that was crazy, nothing underground could cause something like this, could it? Perhaps Kissy was still just experiencing all the times he'd been hurt and wanted to lash out at someone, to let it all out. And Straiph would have been more than happy to take the blows, should the other decide to do so, if it meant helping to heal the poor soul.

Pushing himself up to stand, the priest took a few steps towards the frail kuhna ahead of him. But suddenly, something also felt odd within himself. One eye flickered red for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat... No... What was this?! Stopping, Straiph too felt as if he should stay away from Kismet in turn... Not again...

Meanwhile, Promise still busied himself with petting the mossy rock, unaware of anything else that could have been essentially important. "Brother, brother! You should feel it! It's a soooft rock!" he squinted and smiled widely, trying to wave the other closer.

[[30]][[10]]

[Kheisa]

Kismet let out a wail as Straiph moved towards him and backed away again. "No! I don't want to hurt you!"

Something underground had other plans, however. His arms moved from his chest of their own accord and held out in a hugging position, though there was an irony in their movement. A horrified look crossed his face as his pupils enlarged to take in more light... Again... Of their own accord. And more light... More light... Too bright... Too bright! He gave another wail and shut them, cracking one open a peep to look at the priest through new tears of fright. "Straiph! I... I can't move my body! It... Ahh!"

His hands were becoming slightly more Kuhna-ish... What was this? What was doing this? Was it possible for his form to be part Kuhna and part human? Whatever was happening, it was painful! When they were done morphing, retractable claws shot out, gleaming in the light and giving him reason to squeeze his eyes shut again.

"My hands!" he squeaked. "They're not human! B-but they're not Kuhna either!"

And then his eyes snapped open, wide despite the pain the light intake was causing him, as he stared at Straiph in horror. "Straiph... Run! I-- I'm going to hur--" his throat convulsed, and he was suddenly unable to speak. Swallowing rapidly, he managed to blurt "I'm sorry!" before his body jumped at the other, claws outstretched, ready to rip and tear and cause hurt. He closed his eyes tight.

He didn't want to watch Straiph get hurt under any conditions. Especially if it was himself who was hurting him.

~

And Cupid frowned... Promise was still enjoying himself... "Stupid kid, it's the moss that's soft, not the rock." He waddled over and grasped the moss firmly, ripping it from the rock face in one smooth rip. Flinging the moss behind him, he stared at the rock.. It seemed to have... Runes on it?

"Hey Promise... Look. Look at these runes." He tapped his younger brother on the shoulder, uncharacteristic curiosity making him forget how much he hated his brother.

And the unexpected occurred again! (Boy, how much of that are we gonna have in this roleplay?)



The Hunter seemed to come out of the sky, appearing on the top of the rock, crystalline mane bristling and shifting around itself due to the unnatural energy that came from within her. Her normal golden aura had changed, becoming more flamelike and less aura-like. Her eyes, even normally white, now glowed, as did the spaces between her joints. She was the prophet. She gave the message.

"You..." Her voice was unlike her own, and Cupid questioned that. The Lubshi was unaware of her transformation into her prophet mind.

"You both have destinies. Brothers. Lovers. Enemies. Gods. You can accept this destiny or you can reject it, but it is as Syfhier has willed! You cannot outrun it forever!"

What melodrama, Cupid thought. As if they were gods. They were just Lubshi. Ha! He was chuckling in his mind.

Kris'ra, however, was not laughing. She was totally serious. She stared back and forth between them, meeting their eyes at every pass, seeming to stare into their souls.

[BaalsBaby]

Straiph's eyes also widened, but in awe, horror, confusion, and sadness all in one. He felt the urge to kill something drain slowly away as the other shifted, tortured by the process, and then lunge at him. He could hardly hear the protests and the screams of warning from Kismet... He was too far deep down in memory now... memories he had tried so hard to escape... to cover up by assuming a new life...

And yet... that animalistic look gleaming in Kismet's eyes. They looked just as his had been that one night when he had slaughtered his own mother... Lya Pointa. The red windows. All those watchers... Straiph tried to shake the crimson remembrances away, knowing too that this anger, hatred of Kismet's was also a hidden part of the Ancient kuhna... All that suffering in his own life, being alone like that for so long....

Straiph stood firm and shut his eyes, rooting his feet to the spot. Kismet's shadow engulfed him...

~~~

Promise would have squeaked in horror if it hadn't been for the reaaally cool runes underneath the moss that had been torn away. And then the strange, large kitty! Looking up, Promise tilted his head at the odd feline's words and was easily distracted by the glowyness of the creature.

"Shinyyy..." He tugged at his brother's earwing. "Hay brother. What's she talking about?"

[[31]][[11]]