The Winged Star Bonnibel von Bubblegum and Umbra

[Umbra do urden]

It happened on a day like any other. Zuri was outside painting by the lake. It was a bright sunny day for the most part, with a few clouds in the sky. She wore her pale blue sun dress and a straw hat. She was painting a picture or the lake and the swarms of fish in it. By the time she was done the sun was setting. deciding to walk back inside the house she got up and put her thing's away in her bag. she always carried her bag if she ever needed anything she would just have to think of it and reach inside. when she was done she started back to the house she was on the far side of the lake to she would have to go back through the forest and it was getting darker still. hmmm the forest sounds were somewhat strange today. she walked into the thick foliage down the path to her house. all of a sudden it was dark and she couldn't see anything . she felt something grab her and pull her through something. It felt cold like Ice " we have her!" one shouted to another. " lets hurry the lord wont wait long. Pick her up and bring her to my horse." he sounded low and gravelly with a tone of importance. she was tied and slung over what she could only assume was an animal for she could not see. " help !" she screamed as loud as she could kicking and trying to move. " please What do you want?" she asked but got no reply from the group just a slap on the butt telling her to stop fighting. she could hear thunder and lightning in the distance as it started to rain.

Zuri

 

[Bonnibel von Bubblegum]

Dakeyras did not like to stay in one place for too long. Doing so inevitably led to attracting unwanted attention and that was not good for business. He was an assassin for hire and had become quite renown at his job, especially with one of his last jobs. Having long ago earned the nickname Waylander, he had recently earned the epitaph 'The King Slayer' for assassinating the old King. He had since come to regret taking on the job as the Kingdom quickly fell into disarray under the rule of the new King. It was not good for business, but for the first time in awhile it had also not been good for his soul. He actually felt guilty about it. He didn't know what he was going to do about it but something had to be done.

Pulling up his hood as it began to rain, he heard a horse coming up behind him and some men shouting for him to get out of the way. He already was not taking up much of the road and felt that they could go around if they wanted to get by. They didn't though. He heard them slow as they neared and he turned around to look at them. "I don't want any trouble. Just keep on riding," he told them and they only laughed. Taking a good look at the lot of them, they looked like cheaply hired thugs and it seemed they already had gotten their job done as he took note of the girl tied up on the back of the horse.

He didn't really hear what the man who approached him had said. He merely pretended to fall forward, grabbed the man's knife and stood up, cutting his throat and pushing him to the side. Seeing his ally go down, the next guy ran forward and pulled a short sword out to try and attack him. Waylander stepped just out of range before diving forward and preventing the man from swinging again. Stabbing him in the arm then the neck, he caught the man's sword as the one on the horse tried to back away and turn around. Throwing the dagger into the man's eye, the thug fell off the horse. He then parried a blow from the last of the men before cutting him down as well. Those who were not dead now fled, leaving him alone with the horse who he was now calming as he grabbed the reigns.

Cutting the woman free, he lifted her free and took the covering from her eyes. "Are you alright?" The question was kind but the tone was not.

Dakeyras

 

[Umbra do urden]

Zuri had been riding with the men for a few hours when she heard them yelling at someone to move off the king's road. It seemed very one sided but thing's changed quickly. She could smell the blood before she felt the death of the men one after the other. The man on the animal she was ridding had gotten down at some point leaving her to witness his death a few moments later. thankfully she was not touching the ground or them when it happened and so she only felt half of what it was like for all of them when they died. Still it was enough to make her gasp and squirm in pain for a few minutes before she felt some one's hands lift her off the animal and cut her free. His grip was strong, without question and she could feel his heartbeat through his hands.

Pale blue eyes looked at him through long silver lashes as he lifted her free. Zuri did not look quiet like a elf and form what most knew no elves lived in the area. Sure one would see the Elven traveler or merchant but other than that it would be odd to see her in these parts. Dressed the way she was in just a silk blue sun dress and no shoes It was obvious she was not prepared for what had happened to her. Silver hair the color of starlight shimmered in the rain sticking to her face and skin. The wind picked up and made the rain fly sideways into her eyes making her blink as he set her down asking a question. "No but thanks for asking." She replied simply with a voice that was gentle and kind.

Once her bare feet touched the ground Grass and flowers grew around her twisting and blooming in the storm. With each step back she took more and more thing's grew. Soon you could see butterflies and magic circling around her feet. as she stood on her tip toes trying not to touch the ground. She was soaked to the bone by this point as the rain grew heavier blow sideways by the wind that whipped at their clothes making hers sick to her small frame outlining every curve she had. "W-who are you?" the fear could be heard in her voice as she crossed her arms trying to cover herself.

 

[Bonnibel von Bubblegum]

Dakeyras nodded in understanding when she admitted to not being okay. It was clear to him that she had been abducted by the men he had just killed. If he cared that she looked like some elven being, he gave no sign of it. He did look at her curiously when he noticed the effect that she was having on the ground where she walked. He had never seen anyone so inherently magical before and he supposed that it had played no small part of why she had been taken. The less he knew, the better though. He didn't want to get involved in whatever was going on with her more than he needed to be. That being said, he could not simply send her on her way all by herself the way she was. Unconsciously he found his gaze drifting over her figure as the rain revealed it by weighing her dress down and pressing it against her body. It was impossible to deny that she had an otherworldly beauty to her that certainly had an effect on him no matter how he tried to hide it.

Raising his eyes as she asked who he was, his dark eyes looked into her pale blue ones, he answered, "I am Dakeyras Shepard, but you could call me Daks if you'd like. I mean you no harm." He could tell that she was afraid of him but he raised his hands innocently as he introduced himself. He really meant her no harm but neither did it seem like he could necessarily be relied on depending on what was asked of him. If anything could be for certain though, it was that he was clearly a dangerous man, able to effortlessly take out this band of villains.

Gesturing off the road, he looked to where he was pointing before returning his attention to her as he told her, "There is a hunting cottage not far from here. It is set up for hunters and travelers to use as they need. We can get out of the storm there and get warm." These were not unfamiliar roads to him and he had been heading there anyway. She did not need to come with him if she did not want to, but he figured that anywhere was better than being trapped out here in the rain.

 

[Umbra do urden]

Zuri could tell he meant what he said and soon she relaxed a bit. She looked around taking note of where he his hands where and what he was doing. He put his hands up and she flinched stepping back and slipping in the mud only to crash down onto the ground making a big muddy mess. Once her hands touched the ground she found herself in a green pond now blooming with lilies complete with fish and crooking frogs. "Oh sugar.." she exclaimed lifting herself out of the water and onto the shore which was now in front of him. "I am sorry I didn't mean to do that it is just slippery I think from the r-rian ah!!" She was cut off when she fell back in attempting to stand back up.

Once she stood back up in the pond now a bit bigger and more like a small lake by this point. She seemed even more upset and frustrated then scared by that point. Slowly she climbed back out but instead of stand up directly she used a spell to float about two inches off the ground. this would prevent her from slipping as soon as she stood back up she thought carefully ending the spell and looking up at him. "My name is Zuri um... thank you for saving me. You said there was a place we could go to get out of the rain?" She asked tilting her head up to look at him now standing inches from him. She was shivering from the rain and the fall in the now large lake in the middle of a growing forest that was sprouting up the longer she touched the ground. "If you just want to lead the way I think leaving now would be a good thing uh before anything else starts to um happen." She nodded to the tall redwood tree that now stood by his horse. Most of the bodies had been swallowed by the rapidly growing plants and animals around them. The horses had fled all but his which had moved under a tree and was eating the grass happily.

 

[Bonnibel von Bubblegum]

He watched with growing concern as mere contact with her seemed to transform the environment and for the first time he was glad that he had been too slow to catch her before fell. If she could create a small body of water and a forest just by falling down on the ground, he did not want to know what would happen if she touched him. The temptation was strong though to try and share his body heat with her as he saw her getting colder.

Grabbing the reigns of the nearby horse, he told her, "Yes. The cottage is not that far. Hop on." Standing by to help her if she needed any, he was being extra careful not to touch any of her exposed flesh and would shamelessly push her up on the horse by her ass if she needed the boost. Once she was on, he effortlessly swung up behind her as he made note to keep an article of clothing between them at all times.

"Hold on," he told her as he put the horse into a trot before going into a gallop omce he felt confident they were both comfortable in the saddle. True to his word, the cottage was not far. They were down the road for a few minutes and then down a small path till they made it to the small cottage. Fortunately there was nobody there presently.

Guiding the horse under a little roof built into the side of the cottage to get it out of the rain as much as possible, Dakeyras got off and helped her down, this time forgetting about the assumed danger of her touch.

 

[Umbra do urden]

Zuri hesitated to get on the living animal but he wasn't giving her much choice. So with his help she got into the saddle making sure not to touch anything that was not made from hide or cloth as it would last longer then anything else. She didn't expect him to sit behind her, his closeness made her suck in a breath and freeze in place. Her hands remained in her lap as his chest touched her back while he adjusted the leathers before guiding the animal into a quick walk. She could still feel his heat from where he touched her to get her up into the saddle. Zuri was very unsure what to do about it. She hadn't been this close to another person in a very long time and he was CLOSE very much so.

"Hold on to what?" she thought and reached out to grab his arm sleeve to steady herself. She knocked back into him a few times but quickly found her balance once more and righted herself. It wasn't far and soon they were getting ready to dismount the animal. She wasn't sure how she was going to get down but that didn't mater. When she went to get down she stepped wrong and fell on to him knocking into him and the air out of her lungs. Her arms circled around his neck to catch herself and she pressed her body into his only now noticing her skin was touching his. Like a rush she could feel everything he was and she squeaked mixing her panic with his guilt and awe. She sent the feelings from her to him and received them back once more and thus the loop continued growing each time it passed from her to him, tenfold.

Zuri squirmed trying to get down in a panic but only managing to get her hair tangled into his buckles and straps. Knocking her head into his she accidentally looped her foot around his taking it out from underneath him. She felt them falling and once more she flailed trying to right herself with a squeak and a moan she landed on top of him her head resting on his before she lifted it up closing her eyes to the pain they both felt from the fall. "Oooohhh ...owwww... I am sorry I did try to not make It worse but I ... I am so sorry." She said trying to get off him. She found she couldn't as her long hair was tangled in his clothes and each time she tried it pulled and so she gave in and rested her head on his chest as they laid on the ground. " I am stuck.... my hair is tangled in your clothes and I can't get up or it lose because I can't see it." She made a pained noise in her throat trying to suppress the feelings she was now felling and sharing with him. Her face turned a bright pink as she gently held herself off of him while she waited for him to untangle her hair or whatever he was going todo but whatever he was going to do he better hurry because it was hard for her to hold herself up for long.

 

[Bonnibel von Bubblegum]

It had not been until she began to fall that he had realized his mistake. Watching her felt like it was going in slow motion as he instinctively went to catch her, doubling down now even as he realized the potential threat. Then it happened. Her arms wrapped around his neck and suddenly they could feel everything each other was feeling in some sort of overwhelming emotional feedback loop. As soon as he realized what was going on, his mind suddenly became more guarded but that didn't do anything to help him. As soon as he thought of the things that he did not want her to know, those feelings were transmitted. She felt the love and grief he had for his family as well as the shame he felt for walking away from them down this dark road he was on. The whole experience was easily one of the most powerful things he had ever experienced, which only made him feel that much less safe.

Then there was the struggle to get free of each other. He tried to move away but her hair was trapped in his attire, which only brought them colliding into each other. "Ouch," he sounded off as he stopped moving. It was too late though. Instead of calming down so they could solve this, she kept flailing until she knocked them both down. Taking a few calming breaths, trying to get a hold over everything that was going on, he merely told her, "I need you to calm down. Let me solve this for us." He did not need her apologies. He needed to be free of her influence. This was all so invasive. Taking another deep breath, he looked at her hair and then at her and sighed. She had done nothing to deserve his kindness but he still found himself resisting the urge to simply cut her hair free of him. Instead he braved the connection they had and began to meticulously untie her hair from him, before dropping his arms to his sides to let her get up and off of him.

"Hurry. Into the cottage so we can start a fire and start to warm up," he told her. Inside there would be a small pile of already cut wood next to a fireplace. The cottage wasn't very large but there was a bed, a food prep area, and an open space in front of the fireplace for them to rest and relax. As soon as he was able, he would get up and go inside to get that fire started. He'd then have to return to the horse to unburden it and make sure it was covered and fed. Fortunately the fireplace was facing the wall where the horse was stabled so they would be sharing some of their warmth with it during the night.

 

[Umbra do urden]

Zuri apologized once more but then sat very still so he could work. It took time and she could feel everything. She was alarmed and panicked when she felt some of what he was feeling making her breath heavily. She held herself up looking away from him feeling both his guilt and sorrow added to her fear and growing anxieties. She felt his feelings but did not share his memories or thoughts so had nothing to go by to understand them. She could feel his anger and coldness as he shut down some of the things he was feeling. She knew one thing he was dangerous, very and the last thing she wanted to do was make him angrier. Once she was free she got up off him quickly and backed away with wide eyes. Her face was three shades pinker then when she fell and her hands went up to hide it the best they could.

"I am going no need to tell me I am going." She replied walking into the cabin at lightning speed. She saw the wood and put some slowly into the fire place watching it grow at her touch briefly before she dropped it inside the iron grate. Once she had filled it to a point she touched it saying the word for flame in magic and set the wood a lit. Zuri didn't look over at him when he came in after her she didn't speak or acknowledge him other then a nod in understanding if he asked her to do something.

 

[Bonnibel von Bubblegum]

Seeing that she seemed more than capable of starting the fire herself, he went back outside where he took the saddle off the horse and put a cover over it. He made sure it had some feed and patted it for a little bit reflecting on everything that had happened that evening. He had not expected any of it and was still unsure what to do next about it. The girl clearly was special and he did not think those after her would give up so easily. That didn't need to be his problem if he didn't want it to be though but something in him would not let him just leave.

Taking a deep breath, he headed back into the cabin where he took a look around. Seeing what he was looking for, he took the line that was spooled up on one side of the cottage and ran it over to the otherside, where it hooked into the wall. Returning to the fireplace, he began to remove his clothing starting from the top. Look at her as he did, he told her, "You should take off yours as well and let it dry. Don't want to get sick." As he spoke he hung his clothing up on the cord he had run across the room so that the clothes were hanging over the fire.

For modesty's sake he kept his undergarments on, even though they too were damp, and found a spare blanket that he wrapped around himself, leaving her to take the blanket from the bed and tend to herself. He could tell that she was not quite fond of him and was not going to push her into talking if she did not want to.

 

[Umbra do urden]

Zuri Nodded and did as he suggested without question. All she had on was the dress, under clothes were not something she thought of and so when she took off her dress she stood there in front of the fire completely naked. She was avoiding getting to close to him for fear of him touching her once more and so she kept a good three to four feet from him at al times. She did manage a small smile and only looked at his eyes most of the time if she wasn't looking where she was going. Her hair covered her body a bit as it was long and mostly dry by this point having sat by the fire for a while now. Still she was covered in mud and would have to clean herself off she thought.

Zuri walked over to the kitchen and found a cloth with which she then proceeded to walk outside for a moment to get it wet in the rain along with the soap she had found next to it. Once it was wet and now so was she, Zuri took it and washed herself from head to toe as quickly as she could to get the mud and whatever else off of her. It took her ten or so minutes before she came back inside soaking wet again and breathing heavily from the cold. She set the cloth and soap back where she found them and moved back over to the fire where she sat in the growing grass and wood made from the floor she stood on. She had hung her dress up along with the cloth before sitting back down with her bag.

Now that she was clean she thought she could put on clean clothes. She was shivering and cold so cold in fact she felt a bit feverish. She put that worry aside and grabbed a clean dress out of her bag and slipped it on. Putting her bag down next to her she leaned onto a chair folding her arms on the seat part and looking into the fire with a sigh. The fire was warm and it was slowly warming her up. She made a small whine and slumped on the chair feeling awful hot all of a sudden and closed her eyes. She was tiered and not feeling good and the best fix for those two things was sleep and so she was going to try that. Her eyes remained closed and she began to drift off into sleep. that didn't stop her body from climbing and dropping in temperature. Her face was a soft pink and she felt both hot and cold chills run up and down her body.