Worry laden thoughts were interrupted as an eerie cackle burst through the silence. Horned head jerked upward as the stallion lurched to a stop, thick body still save for the occasional anticipatory twitch of muscles. Darkened ears swiveled about, scouring the air about him for any more hint of sound, any other whisper of that mad laugh. With a deep inhale, Camdis found that where he could scent the damp earth and sun-warmed foliage that graced the tops of the hedges only moments ago, the scent of spring flora had vanished from the air. As he exhaled, twin plumes of vapor rising from his flared nostrils, the pair twining about one anther before coalescing into nothingness, Denocte's proud son at last noticed the ice and frost coating his surroundings.
He hadn't been that lost in his thoughts, had he?
No, he was sure that he couldn't have been drowning too deeply in his own head, not in a hedge maze that sprung up from the earth like magic, not when he was slowly being consumed by the bramble twisted walls of this endless labyrinth.
Another shiver wracked the male's chocolate and scarlet skin, though this time, it was from the cold. Silvery eyes trailing downward, Camdis lifted a single front hoof, noting how the blackened edges were limned in the supernatural frost. Gingerly, he pressed his hoof to the earth once more, almost jumping at the crackling of ice beneath his weight. You live in a literal castle of Darkness, fool," He thought to himself with no small amount of annoyance, You cannot let some chilly weather scare you. With a glare at nothing and a shake of his skull, the stallion steeled himself, those nerves of his returning to their usual frigid dependability.
Taking a few steps forward, the rogue felt a fluttering in his chest, that invisible string of the relic's magic going shockingly slack before yanking forward again with an almost painful force. He gasped, the sound ripped from his lips in his surprise. Pale eyes narrowing, Camdis Lohir stopped, ignoring the horrid yanking in his chest as he took a moment to twist three sections of both his mane and tail into braids, then take those three plaits and braid them again - the result was two squat, thick plaits that hung from the stallion's muscled frame. The style was heavy and not exactly comfortable, but it prevented his beloved locks from touching the ground.
With another deep breath, the stallion rounded the corner and felt his ears pin while his brow furrowed in shock and confusion; yet he had no time to wonder what the creature was before him before it launched into speech and sprinted away. Blinking furiously, Camdis only had time to call out a bewildered, "Hey! What?" before giving chase.
The creature - The Shaman? - led him through a series of turns, vanishing into the brambles and mist only to reappear again, sometimes so far ahead of the bay that he almost lost sight of it, other times it reappeared so close that the stallion feared he would crash into the monster's frail form. As the creature rounded another corner, dipping into invisibility as it was engulfed in thick fog, Camdis Lohir bellowed out a frustrated "LISTEN HERE --" Though he was cut short by the sound of a grating coo at his back.
Swallowing, the stallion whirled, eyes going wide with agitation as he saw what lurked before him.
The beast was massive. Draped in thick black fur whose color seemed to absorb light instead of reflect it, the monster's hunched, muscled shoulders stood level with the tops of the hedges. With a ruff of gleaming golden feathers ringing the quadruped's bulky neck and covering it's lengthy, leonine tail in it's entirety before coating his back haunches and thinning out back into that oblivion coat at the creature's waist and groin. It's body was feline and bear-like in nature, thick and muscled but with an undeniable lithe quality that coated it's frame. Camdis shivered as he met the gaze of the beast, two sets of pupilless eyes the same color as his own. They were set in a spiderlike manner, with the smaller of the two sitting behind one of the larger in a diagonal direction and blinking in tandem.
The monster's huge, fanged muzzle and deep chest were awash with blood, red and glistening but too coagulated to drip to the frozen earth. Saliva dripped from the creature's jaws, yet as Camdis stared, hypnotized by terror, into that depthless gaze, he did not find rage or malice. Instead, the beast almost seemed curious, even as it took a tentative swipe toward the stallion with a colossal clawed paw. The stallion leaped back, barely missing the killing-at-worst, breaking-at-best blow from the creature. A choking keen fell from the beast's maw as Camdis' jaw hung open in horror, the scent of the towering creature's breath blowing over the male with a shocking frigidity.
"H-h-h-hello," Was all the stag could think to say, all that he could think to do when faced with the possibility of mauling, "I am... I-I-... My name is C-Camdis." He attempted a weak smile, though the effort of not screaming and running in the other way was nearly overwhelming, "It.. seems we match." Camdis swallowed and tried to force the grin to reach his eyes as he motioned toward the scarlet that stained his neck, chest, and face.
"Who... Who are y-you?"
He hadn't been that lost in his thoughts, had he?
No, he was sure that he couldn't have been drowning too deeply in his own head, not in a hedge maze that sprung up from the earth like magic, not when he was slowly being consumed by the bramble twisted walls of this endless labyrinth.
Another shiver wracked the male's chocolate and scarlet skin, though this time, it was from the cold. Silvery eyes trailing downward, Camdis lifted a single front hoof, noting how the blackened edges were limned in the supernatural frost. Gingerly, he pressed his hoof to the earth once more, almost jumping at the crackling of ice beneath his weight. You live in a literal castle of Darkness, fool," He thought to himself with no small amount of annoyance, You cannot let some chilly weather scare you. With a glare at nothing and a shake of his skull, the stallion steeled himself, those nerves of his returning to their usual frigid dependability.
Taking a few steps forward, the rogue felt a fluttering in his chest, that invisible string of the relic's magic going shockingly slack before yanking forward again with an almost painful force. He gasped, the sound ripped from his lips in his surprise. Pale eyes narrowing, Camdis Lohir stopped, ignoring the horrid yanking in his chest as he took a moment to twist three sections of both his mane and tail into braids, then take those three plaits and braid them again - the result was two squat, thick plaits that hung from the stallion's muscled frame. The style was heavy and not exactly comfortable, but it prevented his beloved locks from touching the ground.
With another deep breath, the stallion rounded the corner and felt his ears pin while his brow furrowed in shock and confusion; yet he had no time to wonder what the creature was before him before it launched into speech and sprinted away. Blinking furiously, Camdis only had time to call out a bewildered, "Hey! What?" before giving chase.
The creature - The Shaman? - led him through a series of turns, vanishing into the brambles and mist only to reappear again, sometimes so far ahead of the bay that he almost lost sight of it, other times it reappeared so close that the stallion feared he would crash into the monster's frail form. As the creature rounded another corner, dipping into invisibility as it was engulfed in thick fog, Camdis Lohir bellowed out a frustrated "LISTEN HERE --" Though he was cut short by the sound of a grating coo at his back.
Swallowing, the stallion whirled, eyes going wide with agitation as he saw what lurked before him.
The beast was massive. Draped in thick black fur whose color seemed to absorb light instead of reflect it, the monster's hunched, muscled shoulders stood level with the tops of the hedges. With a ruff of gleaming golden feathers ringing the quadruped's bulky neck and covering it's lengthy, leonine tail in it's entirety before coating his back haunches and thinning out back into that oblivion coat at the creature's waist and groin. It's body was feline and bear-like in nature, thick and muscled but with an undeniable lithe quality that coated it's frame. Camdis shivered as he met the gaze of the beast, two sets of pupilless eyes the same color as his own. They were set in a spiderlike manner, with the smaller of the two sitting behind one of the larger in a diagonal direction and blinking in tandem.
The monster's huge, fanged muzzle and deep chest were awash with blood, red and glistening but too coagulated to drip to the frozen earth. Saliva dripped from the creature's jaws, yet as Camdis stared, hypnotized by terror, into that depthless gaze, he did not find rage or malice. Instead, the beast almost seemed curious, even as it took a tentative swipe toward the stallion with a colossal clawed paw. The stallion leaped back, barely missing the killing-at-worst, breaking-at-best blow from the creature. A choking keen fell from the beast's maw as Camdis' jaw hung open in horror, the scent of the towering creature's breath blowing over the male with a shocking frigidity.
"H-h-h-hello," Was all the stag could think to say, all that he could think to do when faced with the possibility of mauling, "I am... I-I-... My name is C-Camdis." He attempted a weak smile, though the effort of not screaming and running in the other way was nearly overwhelming, "It.. seems we match." Camdis swallowed and tried to force the grin to reach his eyes as he motioned toward the scarlet that stained his neck, chest, and face.
"Who... Who are y-you?"
Holy cow this is SO MUCH FUN
@Random Events
