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The Guardian and the Mage(Anaeria and ShadowBlaze27)

Anaeria

Anaeria

Star
Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Location
In your Closet, Scaring your Boogeymen!! Heheheheh
Imalia sighed tiredly, making her way through the gloom filled forest that was her home, and had been, for the past thousand or so years. Her horn and chest and hooves were covered in gore, in blood and bone and tissue and, as she moved quietly past the thick briars and thorny vines that surrounded her small clearing-like den within the center of the forest, she sighed again. Her hooves chimed, dully as everything and every sound was dull within the Dark Space where her Forest had been exiled so long ago by those filthy creatures called humans, and as she slipped into a deep, clear pool of fresh water to bathe away her filthy hide, her four hooved, single horned form dissolved like so much blood in water, becoming the figure of a tall, lithe woman with black hair and white skin and eyes the colour of hard, weary emeralds.

The Seals were breaking. It was both a relief and a terror to most of those animals whom she protected within the forest, and Imalia, Queen of the Forest of the Gods, was exhausted from having to reassure or fight the animals as their natures saw fit. Those hideous, gargoyle-like beasts known as Rathgnarls were also becoming more plentiful, sensing the weakening in the magics that held the forest within the Dark Space and seeking to try and tear them apart further in order to feast on the flesh and blood of those who survived in the Forest. Not that there were many left of course, Imalia could only protect so many despite her immense power and stubborn control over her own magics. As she was washing off the blood and muck of her recent fight, the strange woman mulled her thoughts over carefully, then climbed out of the pool of clear water as it carried the filth away downstream, and settled into a thick pile of fresh clover and lavender, the scented, comfortable bed holding her tired and aching body as she fell asleep, resting her mind as best she could.

While she slept, the Seals finally broke. Not with a crash or a crack or a loud noise, but with a tiny breath, like a whimper as most of the Seals holding the living beasts and creatures to the Dark Space shattered. Within moments, the animals of the forest, including the Rathgnarls and Imalia, were taken from the Forest and placed within a new one. One with a sky filled with stars, and a breeze that blew suddenly cool and sharp against flesh and furs that had not felt such a thing in a millenium.
 
Kieth Evans was falling asleep under a remarkably large and old tree. The tree was roughly two miles away from his house which was located at the edge of Prayer Fields, a medium-sized town nestled against the edge of a sprawling forest. At the age of 23 he'd only been a resident of the town for a year and a half, but he'd visited it almost yearly suring his childhood and that's when his love of the forest began. He'd quickly admit that he only knew a fraction of thr forest, but fron what he'd seen it was just beautiful and peaceful.

That sense of peacefulness was the main reason why he was currently in the forest late at night. Whenever he couldn't sleep he'd grab a lantern and wander into the forest to sit under the largest tree. With a small biy of magical aid even the fiercest of animals paid him little mind, and several even came to be near him as he dosed off.

At the age of 23 Kieth was very fit. While he wasn't overly muscular he still managed to have a noticeable muscles that suited his 5'11 frame well. His hair was a light short blonde that never dipped below his shoulder, his eyes were a deep blue, and his features were angled and handsome according to most who meet him.

Just before he managed to fall asleep a shift in the air made his eyes snap open and look around into the shadows beyond the light of his lantern. As a shiver ran down his spine he slowly rose to his feet, the small animals around him looked around in panic before they ran off into the forest. He could almost feel the magic thay the arrival of the new creatures brought with them.
 
The tree was an Ancient, old as time and held within it a deep, Earth magic, that slow, heavy energy that called to those with peaceful souls. It also called to those of the ancient breeds, and it was instinctual for Imalia's power to seek the old tree out as the Seals that held her people to the Forest in the Dark Space broke finally, sending them back to a world that was entirely strange...and overrun with humans. A faint glow, like that of a firefly, was the first thing to show itself as the magics awakened, the one glow splitting into twos, then tens and then hundreds until the clearing where the enormous old tree sat was fairly glowing with the light. All around the forest, these small lights hovered over the ground, going right through trees and stones and the like in a way that resembled ghosts, but the magic that began to come from them was old....more Ancient than the magic deep within the earth, more powerful than a raging forest fire and yet smooth like a still pond in the morning.

Within less than twenty minutes earth time, the animals, strange and beautiful and terrifying, coalesced within the lights, their forms growing as the light faded, their souls having transferred over to earth first, followed by their corporeal bodies. Imalia's body however, was a collection of those lights. Several dozen coming together into an orb of light and soft, yet overwhelming power that hardened and shifted, becoming her pale skinned, black haired form. Deeply asleep, as most of the animals' were now, the magic of the Seals breaking having sent their minds into a deep rest while their souls and bodies made the journey, the woman was a strange one indeed; entirely naked except for a small black eight pointed star on her forehead, she lay in the thick grass in a fetal position, her human form the last that she took before she fell asleep to rest, and thus the one that she hourneyed over in. Her power was strong as well, but foreign, entirely ancient and held in tight control as the wind began to pick up, brushing over her skin and causing goosebumps to form.
 
When the lights began to appear Kieth stared at them in wonder and apprehension. Once he determined that they weren't a threat he reached out to touch one of the orbs of light only to have his hand pass clear through it without disturning it. He could tell that each of them was magical, but it felt nothing like any spell he'd used or witnessed another use. There was definitely something mysterious going on around him and his curiosity was the main thing keeping him there.

His attention was easily pulled towards the dozens of lights that would reveal Imalia. He wondered why they were the only case of multiple lights coming together. Was it an immense magical presense? Was the thought that ran through his head as the lights fully faded to reveal the sleeping animals.

He could tell from a single glance that they weren't normal animals as they looked quite different from anything he'd encountered along with the feeling that they were magical in nature. His eyes widened when they first landed on Imalia's nude form where the dozens of lights had been. Assuming that she was a human since she looked like one he slowly made his way over to her, mindful og ghe resting creatures and making sure to not accidentally step on any of them. Once he reached her he did his best to look her body over for any forms of injury, a deep blush on his cheeks as he tried to ignore her nakedness.
 
The cold woke her up. Slowly, sluggishly Imalia shivered and stirred lightly against the grass as the temperature, something that hadn't been in existence in the Dark Space, registered in her mind. That, and the breeze. Wind wasn't in existence either in the Space, and she opened her eyes slowly after about ten minutes or so of deep sleep, her body curling in on itself in a bid to keep warm, an instinct. "....Mn...." The world around her was blurry to her eyes.

She distinctly remembered how she had fallen asleep on the bed of lavender and clover, the feeling of grass under her bare flesh was unpleasant, and she shivered as she sat up, thinking that she had rolled off of her bed for some reason. Then, she sneezed, shivers suddenly running up and down her back as the wind hit her again. "Mmmph-ngh..." Blinking rapidly, her head feeling as though someone had shoved cotton into it, the woman peered around at her strange surroundings, then looked up and gasped, seeing lights in the sky for the first time in a millenium and going completely still as her eyes cleared and her mind did as well. Imalia didn't notice the human mage who was nearby, her gaze on the stars immediately and intently, thinking that she was still dreaming. The various animals, all dark furred, were still sound asleep as she peered up at the sky and then blinked and finally looked down, her clear, deep emerald eyes stopping on the human male who was close to her....and made her freeze again.
 
Kieth made sure to keep his body relaxed as she began to stir. The one thing he didn't want to do was alarm or frieghten her, he was assuming that she was powerful and as an admittedly average mage he had no desire to scare her in the middle of several dozen magical creatures. Since he was watching her so intently he noticed her shivering and without much thought removed his jacket and held it out towards her.

"Can...can you understand me?" He asked once her eyes landed on him. He was intrigued by the symbol on her forhead, but he doubted now was a good time to ask about it. "Did you somehow transport yourself and these animals here?" He asked. That still wouldn't explain her nudity or intense interest in the starry sky.
 
The human was speaking to her, his voice strange and rough, it almost echoed in her ears, and she shook her head quickly, skittering away as he took some of his hide off and offered it to her. His words were strange, and it took her a moment to readjust her magics about her to be able to understand him, his words playing back in her mind in a way that she could understand. Eyes wide, the woman looked at his coat and shook her head slowly, looking about at the animals that had come with her. It appeared as though all of them were there in the clearing, all of those who had survived the Rathgnarls and other nastiness.

".....I do not....I do not understand...where....?" Blinking as she saw her surroundings beyond the animals, the woman scrambled to her feet and stumbled back, her legs numb from the cold. Instinct, to stay warm, to flee and to hide, were intense however, and wihin seconds the woman shimmered, her body and entire molecular structure changing, shifting until an enormous black horse-like creature stood in her place, the animal staring about with black eyes that sparkled like the night sky above their heads. A single, crystaline horn rose from her head in a slim spiral, sharp and deadly while hooves the same crystal clear colouring hit the earth and chimed, startling her into snorting and backing away further towards the forest. A long lion like tail lashed behind her, a thick tuft of soft black hair flicking over her hind quarters and she shook her head in confusion as to her surroundings, though her mind was beginning to grasp that she was in the human world again, but she was so confused as to where she was that the animal within her temporarily took control.
 
Kieth visibly frowned when she scrambled away from him. Surely she hadn't thought that he was trying to harm her by offering her his coat. When she initially looked confused by his words he worried that she couldn't understand him at all, that would've made matters far worse. A small smile appeared on his face when she spoke english, even if the words were just an expression of her confusion.

He thought things might actually turn out well with her understanding him, but a jolt of fear struck him as she began to shimmer. His muscles tensed in preperation to dodge an attack that never came, instead his jaw dropped and eyes widened as she turned into a large unicorn looking creature. He'd heard of powerful mages that could alter their form, but this was his first time witnessing it and instead of being impressed he was becoming terrified.

He slowly raised his hands in a placating manner and made sure to keep his voice gentle and soft, "I'm not going to hurt you or anything else for that matter. I was just relaxing when you suddenly appeared and I was trying to make sure you were alright." He would say just about anything to not get attacked. It was hard to see her in the shadows so he had to keep his eyes on hers.
 
Imalia snorted again, shaking like a leaf in a gale as the human spoke, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. But that didn't mean anything to her; she knew he had magic of his own, though it wasn't very strong. It had been a weak mage who had killed her older cousin when she had been a child after all. Humans in general were an inspiration of fear and hate, not safety and peace. Lowering her head slightly so that her horn was level with his chest, she snorted again, her hoof stamping the ground with more purpose as she gained control of herself. ~"Human....you are Human. Die!"~

Her mental voice, cold and menacing as her thoughts had become, were rude, and not very coherent as yet, she was still confused as to her surroundings as she stepped forwards a pace, tail lashing like a pissed off cats'. Her hooves were music as they hit the ground, but she ignored the sounds in favor of watching the human carefully. She needed space. Time to think. Her power was stronger here than in the Dark Space and she didn't yet have complete control over it, as seen with Mage Sight if he tried; 'flames' of power licking from her body and aura as she struggled to get it contained. She would need a night, and possibly a day, to become better attuned to this worlds' energy, and until then she would probably be unstable emotionally as well as physically, her forms would change between the three physical bodies that she had in order to spend magic. ~"Go Away!"~
 
Kieth had no plans to argue with her demands as he slowly backed away from her and towards the ancient tree where his lantern sat. If he wasn't terrified of what she could probably do with that horn of hers he would've pointed out ghat she was blocking his direct route to his house, but he opted to keep his mouth shut. From the moment she'd transformed he'd been viewing her through Mage Sight and that only made him shut his mouth tighter.

Once his back hit the tree he reached down to grab his lantern before he edged around the tree, planning on circling around to reach his home. He only hoped that she was the only crazed and powerful thing present in the forest now.

His coat laid forgotten on ghe ground where he'd offered it to her earlier.
 
Once the human was gone, Imalia let out a shaky breath of air and all four hooves collapsed, forcing her into a laying down position as her body shifted once again, becoming an odd, elegant mix between equine and human. Within minutes she had shifted forms again, going through all three forms before she became human, her concentration shifting to the tree, where she began to pour her magics, syncing her power with that of the earth. Her animals woke up slowly as the night passed, and were wide awake and fearful as the moon sank and the sun began to come up, every single one besides a large white wolf having never seen the sun before.

It was for them that she got herself together, her power now dangerously low in order for her to regain control. Calming her animals was her sole priority however, and the wolf somehow vaniched as she dealt with the smaller creatures. Once the sun had risen to the middle of the sky, the animals scattered to find their own territories, none of them too terribly frightening in appearance. Leaning back against the tree finally, once again in her human form and huddled in the shade of the tree. Her eyes were too sensitive after so long in the Dark Space, the light hurt her eyes, and the coat that he had left became a blindfold of sorts to protect them. Her skin turned red quickly in the sunlight, and she was effectively stuck by the tree, her power completely gone but for enough to keep her alive. Within the next few hours after that however her eyes began to adjust slowly, and she got to her feet, her four hooves touching the ground and pushing off as she began to run, the coat still tied about her head though it was more of a necklace type of thing now than anything.

Within an hour, she was at the edge of the forest, a place she was beginning to think of as a new place to live. Her new territory backed onto a strange sort of barrier, a short one made of wood that would barely stop an enemy from attacking at all, and she nudged it curiously(It's a white fence) before she snorted and started to go further only to get pulled up short, his coat stuck to the fence by a large nail that hung out of it.
 
Kieth had made it home without much difficulty once the animals were out of his sight. Once he returned to his house he put the lantern away and made his way towards where he kept his art supplies. He'd spent the remainder of the night drawing pictures of the scenes from last night that refused to leave his mind.

He was still in his studio drawing when the sun rose. By the time she made her way out of the forest he would just be leaving his house with the intention of going into town to grab some lunch since he'd eaten a lighg breakfast. He managed to force the events of the previous night from his mind until he heard something hit the fence that seperated his home from the forest.

The fence hadn't been his idea, instead his grandparents who orginally owned the house he now inhabited had put the fence up. Instead of letting it wither away over the years his family kept it in surprisingly good shape, he'd even used magic to make it more durable when he moved in.

He just hoped that it was s normal animal messing with the fence. He slowly made his way around to ghe back of his house to investigate.
 
Kicking the fence didn't work, stuck as she was with that damned coat around her neck tied tightly. She hadn't meant to get stuck, but it seemed she was and began to try and turn her head to slide out of the makeshift collar/necklace only to snort as she was brought up short by her horn. Shaking her head, she began to lean on the fence, hoping to break the nail or tear the coat, which didn't work and as she began to get frustrated the unician let out a snort of annoyance and stamped her hooves impatiently, the chiming of one against a rock audible and pleasant to her ears, keeping her from getting more ticked off.

((Gah, shooorrrrttt....>.<; Sorry! ))
 
It didn't take long for Kieth to spot her and once he did he swore under his breath. He was stuck contemplating whether he should help her or not. On one hand he wanted to help her and wanted his coat back, it was his only one at the moment. On the other hand watching her struggles was highly amusing and he feared that if he got close she'd attempt to kill him. He could see that she was weaker and calmer than last night, but that horn looked like it could still hurt.

He decided to stop being a coward and slowly made his way over to her, he was even scraping his heels to make sure she heard him. "If i try to help you I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to kill me." He said as he leaned against the fence a few feet away from her.
 
The sounds of two feet on the ground brought Imalia's head up, her ears pricked forwards and her eyes wide in her black face. Hearing the human speak, she turned her head as best she could to see him and snorted when she recognized who he was. His words registered fully as she stared at him, going completely still for a moment before she forced her head to relax somewhat and stopped pulling on the coat.

She herself only had the option really of allowing him to help her, and he didn't have a rope or chain with which to tie her thankfully. Plus, she was too tired and, yes, weak, to really be able to do much for herself beside speak. ~"........I will not kill you human."~ Her hide shivered as she said that, mental voice conveying the dislike for touching that she had. Other animals were fine, but she had never had a human touch her, and was truthfully terrified of them.
 
"I was hoping you'd see things my way." Kieth said with a chuckle as he slowly made his way over to see what the coat was caught on. Seeing that a loose nail was the problem he just reached out and freed the coat, a small hole the only damage done.

"You just reminded me that I'll have to buy a new coat today." He said as he moved back to his spot against the fence. He could see that she was uncomfortable with him being near her so he decided to keep his distance. "Have the other animals woken up?" He asked sounding genuinely curious.
 
His amicable, quiet tones helped to calm Imalia somewhat, and she had shivered as he had come near to her and began to get the coat freed. When the human finished freeing her, she shook her head lightly and then stopped still to watch him cautiously as he went back to his spot on the fence.

His words were.....odd to her. Friendly almost, curious definitely, and she felt almost compelled to respond, still skittish but less than she could have been if he had attempted to touch her ~".......Yes, they have scattered in order to find homes....it appears they are better at adapting to this world than I am...."~ Trailing off tiredly, she considered her next words carefully, then lowered her head and shifted her head along the inside of her leg to try and get the coat off of her neck, as he had lifted it from the nail yet it remained about her neck. ~"....Human, you can remove this....yes? Do so...please....?"~ Adding the please at the end was hesitant, she wasn't certain if that word was still used, but she tried it anyways.
 
"Are you the only of your kind here?" Kieth asked as he walked back over and aided her in removing the coat from around her neck. He considered any tone better than the anger and fear filled one she'd used the previous night to threaten his life.

"Why aren't you trying to find an adequate place in the forest?" He asked as he hung the coat on the fence once she was free of it.
 
~"I am the last of my kind....entirely."~ Her tone was mildly despairing as she said that, then pranced back a little as the coat was removed and she shook herself out fully, her long mane tangled in some spots where the coat had rubbed. ~"As for the forest.....I was exploring...and then I found this oddly short barrier and got stuck."~ Snorting as she lightly kicked the fence with a back hoof, the hollow sound of the boards being loud in the air and making her ears twitch.

~"I am not....I was not in control of myself last night, I appologize."~ Her tone was slightly surly as she spoke to him next, her head lowering slightly in appology to him before she raised it again and closed her eyes, concentrating hard for a long minute until her form faded again, replaced with her very naked, very human self. Sliding down the wall as her energy drained past the point of letting her remain upright, she let out a soft "Oomph." As her bottom hit the ground and she winced.
 
"What is your race called?" Kieth asked as he looked her form over. He had to resist the urge to just call her a unicorn even though it fit her horse form very well. "And this short barrier is known as a fence. It did a pretty good job at stopping you." He said with an amused grin as he moved away from the fence when she kicked it.

Kieth gave her a small smile as she apologized, and once she was finished his smile grew and he shrugged. "Nothing to apologize for. You're grumpy when you wake up and it was clear that you didn't expect to be where you were and i was too close."

When she transformed his eyes widened slightly before a blush found it's way onto his cheeks and he quickly looked away from her. He'd managed to refrain from thinking about her human form until just then. "A-are you alright?" He asked when he heard her hit the ground.
 
"I am...Unician." Shaking her head slowly to deal with her sight, which was blurring slightly again, she frowned at the redness that formed on the humans' face, his cheeks pinkening as though he had been slapped or some such thing. "If there is nothing to appologize for....then that is good...." Trailing off yet again, the dark haired woman rubbed at her eyes and winced at the effort it took. "I am alright...just....tired. You know, mage, how it is to use too much energy."

Looking at it sidelong, her hair having shifted to cover her breasts at least, though it was not quite long enough to cover the rest of her body, Imalia tilted her head and blinked hard, trying to focus again. "....My sight is...impaired somewhat. Do you have a fever human?"

Imalia didn't have any concerns over her body, no modesty to speak of, and she was entirely puzzled as to the humans' reactions, now that he had proven himself more of a help than a hindrance or a threat.
 
"Seeing as how you're too exhausted to stand or see properly I'm willing to give you a place to rest under the condition that you promise to not harm my home when you awake." Kieth said after he shook his head and rid himself of his blush, at least somewhat. Since she had no problem with being seen like that the least he could do is not visibly react to it.

"To answer your question about my health: I'm perfectly fine. No fever to speak of." He said with a soft laugh at his own expense. His blushing was moreso due to the suddenness of her nudity than the fact that she was nude.
 
Narrowing her eyes at him, not out of annoyance or anger but in order to focus on him better as she listened to his words, Imalia frowned and then considered her options. Truly, she had no choices though, not really. Her body ached it was so tired, and she had this insane urge to curl up into a ball and pass out completely. Accepting his offer would at least aid her with her resting, and she would not be seen by other humans hopefully. Struggling to get to her feet, her legs visibly shaking as she leaned against the fence the woman was quiet for a moment or two longer then nodded slowly. ".....Alright. In exchange for a place of safety to rest, I swear to not wreck or bring harm to your home." Her words were calm as she spoke an Oath, something her kind rarely did, especially as she was the last of her kind.

Pride wouldn't win out on this one though, and just after she spoke the Oath, her legs buckled again and she yelped as she hit the ground, scraping her knees up until one of them began to bleed. Unlike a humans' blood, which was red, hers was silver, and there were sparks of gold within it that was pure magic, something many humans had covetted in the past before the Sealing. Imalia put her hand to her knee to hide the blood, frowning as her vision began to go tunnel like and she swayed where she sat. "....I don't....think I can stay...awake much longer....I'm sorry..."
 
If it wasn't for the fence between them Kieth would've at least attempted to catch her before she fell and hurt herself. He winced when he saw she was bleeding, but before he could get a good look at the wound or her blood she was covering it. "I've got s first aid kit at the house so we can take care of that leg soon enough." Kieth said with a reassuring smile as he made his way over the fence and to her side.

Before she could fall from her sitting position he was kneeling down to lift her in his arms bridal style. He made sure to pick her up gently, a blush not present on his face as he kept his thoughts serious. Once she was in his arms he made his way towards his house.
 
Blinking dazedly at him as the human picked her up like she weighed no more than a small bird, Imalia frowned slightly then dropped her head to his shoulder and watched as his home came into view. Now, the last human dwelling she had seen was a log building with a rough, straw and mud roof on it, or tents made from animal hides. To see a neat, tidy place with four sides of equal symmetry was bizarre to the woman, who blinked again and squinted to make sure what she was seeing was the right thing. "You....live in a cube.....?"

Her query was quiet, not wishing to offend the human who carried her so...well, easily. The last thing she wished for was to be rude, and she hurried to correct and/or explain herself. "I did not know that humans had advanced so far in their technologies and constructions....your home is interesting...I'm sorry if I offend...Again."
 
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