Below Zero
my frost philosophy will put no curse on me
The air around the island seemed to be buzzing with activity and excitement. A generalized feel of eagerness at the approach of explorer. However, it was too soon. The truth hadn't been relieved beyond the original note. And Bel was far too new to Novus to know much of the stories of the Gods. To know what, or rather who Time was referring to. If she had, perhaps she'd have treated her decision to explore the island in the dark of night. She would have treated it with more caution, more . . . . delicacy.
As it was, Bel was still eager to prove the fact she feared darkness and evil hid behind the guise of the beautiful island. She had felt the wrong-ness of the location, the whispered secrets hidden in the sands, the feeling of something not being as it seemed, and her mind had jumped elsewhere. It brought back the stories of foreign planets. Of dangerous creatures, leviathans, who would hunt you down for food and sport. Of a naturally glowing atmosphere that lit the entire world at night. Of odd creatures, and an empress who ruled the sea before being trapped away by those who wished to understand the planet. Before contagion had broken out. Before the virus spread to the waters, and like those who researched and tried to solve the mysteries, her own people had escaped the planet too before they could be infected.
But those were just stories told by the elders, there was little truth to it. Who actually believed in . . . . aliens. Bel treated the stories as stories, but even she knew she didn't seem normal of this earth. She didn't fit into the mold of earthling. She didn't seem normal. Trapped in a form of two worlds, half aquatic, half land-based. Her natural protections against the cold seemed to be edges for more extreme weather and cold conditions than what this land, this planet had to offer. But the stories were just stories, surely. Still, this island brought them back to her in force, reminding her that not everything was always as it had seemed. This island, she was convinced, held it's own secrets, and she was just as equally convinced that like her own people's secrets, it would hold it's cards close to it's chest.
For now, her attention moved back to the task at hand, trying not to give away her uncertainty and fear as she stared into the forest. Her body glowed with cyan markings, literally illuminating both her form and the surrounding area in a way not typically seen above the depths of this planet's oceans (and if the stories were true, fit far more into the wildlife of another planet completely). She would be hard to miss, a vibrantly colored coral among a bed of seagrasses. She felt more like a spineless jellyfish though, her limbs locked into place to keep from shaking even as her tail flicked with unreleased pint of anxious energy.
What was she really doing here? Was it truly such a good idea to test the island . . . a part of her hoped another might come - more than one others to be honest. A whole pod of adventures to discover the island's secrets, a whole pod to take on what ever the island may throw their way - from sand-monsters to trees that limbs may try to swipe you out of existence. A sharp shake of her head quickly rid those thoughts. She was no guppy! She needed to be strong, she needed to discover the truth. She needed to figure out this . . . this island. Before others stumbled into traps, swallowed by the unsettling feeling of the island.
She had a mission . . . that was distracted by the sudden hissing that had her head spinning towards the hardened lava bridge, her mind immediately painting the image of the hard rock reducing back to it's heated and liquid state trapping her on the island. As her eyes lit upon the black and gold figure of a . . . . . large . . . . beast, she froze for a whole different reason. Through the darkness her eyes peered at the large form, thick with muscles, large wings feathering out from where it had landed with a hissing sizzle. Alarm raised it's ugly head as she feared this was the beast the island must surely cater to! A large creature with jagged teeth, and a taste of fle- oh . . . . it was another horse.
As he moved closer, she felt a sort of relief as she began to make out more equine features, proving indeed he was a Pegasus of sorts (she was certain she had counted one set of wings too many though), black and gold that seemed to blend into the night. One could hardly blame her for assuming the worst at first. Illuminated from below by re-introduced lava had cast his heavily furred lower limbs into a red tinged inky site. Mixed that with a dark appearance had him blending into the night, silhouetted into a form of danger and horrid cryptic depictions. As he moved closer he seemed less of a cryptic, and more of just a large, and dark stallion. Hopefully only in coloring.
He spoke suddenly, and her finned ears flicked back in uncertainty at his words, though his voice held no clue to any intentional threat, even if they could be perceived as such. Dual set of eyes narrowed in tandem, both focusing on him briefly, before the second set seemed to do a quick surveillance of the island's middle behind her (least something sneak up on her while she was distracted, she wouldn't put it past the mysterious island to throw such a wrench at her . . . she wondered when she decided the island could think and act on it's own). The majority of her attention remained on the black beast, starting to recognize him from earlier, when the unicorn statue and note had first appeared.
She kept her expression calm, her eyes narrowed and cautious as she answered him, "Scary perhaps, but with less souls for the Island to try and trick, I thought it be easier for it to relinquish it's hold on it's secrets." Her gaze returned to the island, her head turning to focus on the center, even as her smaller eyes kept tabs on the stallion. The island seemed to hold more secrets than the story of Davy Jones' Piracy, and while Bel had no desire to drown in an attempt to dredge them to existence, she was a mare on a mission. She flicked her finned ears forward as a sound from the depths of the island was heard, before turning back to the stallion, "This island has it's mysteries . . . I intend to recover them from where they're buried. It might be a bit like sorting seaweed from seagrass, but that won't stop me. I have no time to be terrified. I'm no spineless jellyfish . . . . and this island isn't going to have me swimming away like a shark's on my fins." She added with a firm nod, even if part of her words were meant to reassure herself. She was no guppy . . . she was a betta; a siamese fighting fish, and like a warrior, she'd tackle this mystery.
Thoughts
Speech
@Random Events @Sol Bestiam
Notes: This is still open for others as well! Bel is going to want a party to brave the land properly :P As a timeline note - this thread is BEFORE the relic hunt, and as thus, it's IC-ly not had the rumors spreading around Novus yet.
As it was, Bel was still eager to prove the fact she feared darkness and evil hid behind the guise of the beautiful island. She had felt the wrong-ness of the location, the whispered secrets hidden in the sands, the feeling of something not being as it seemed, and her mind had jumped elsewhere. It brought back the stories of foreign planets. Of dangerous creatures, leviathans, who would hunt you down for food and sport. Of a naturally glowing atmosphere that lit the entire world at night. Of odd creatures, and an empress who ruled the sea before being trapped away by those who wished to understand the planet. Before contagion had broken out. Before the virus spread to the waters, and like those who researched and tried to solve the mysteries, her own people had escaped the planet too before they could be infected.
But those were just stories told by the elders, there was little truth to it. Who actually believed in . . . . aliens. Bel treated the stories as stories, but even she knew she didn't seem normal of this earth. She didn't fit into the mold of earthling. She didn't seem normal. Trapped in a form of two worlds, half aquatic, half land-based. Her natural protections against the cold seemed to be edges for more extreme weather and cold conditions than what this land, this planet had to offer. But the stories were just stories, surely. Still, this island brought them back to her in force, reminding her that not everything was always as it had seemed. This island, she was convinced, held it's own secrets, and she was just as equally convinced that like her own people's secrets, it would hold it's cards close to it's chest.
For now, her attention moved back to the task at hand, trying not to give away her uncertainty and fear as she stared into the forest. Her body glowed with cyan markings, literally illuminating both her form and the surrounding area in a way not typically seen above the depths of this planet's oceans (and if the stories were true, fit far more into the wildlife of another planet completely). She would be hard to miss, a vibrantly colored coral among a bed of seagrasses. She felt more like a spineless jellyfish though, her limbs locked into place to keep from shaking even as her tail flicked with unreleased pint of anxious energy.
What was she really doing here? Was it truly such a good idea to test the island . . . a part of her hoped another might come - more than one others to be honest. A whole pod of adventures to discover the island's secrets, a whole pod to take on what ever the island may throw their way - from sand-monsters to trees that limbs may try to swipe you out of existence. A sharp shake of her head quickly rid those thoughts. She was no guppy! She needed to be strong, she needed to discover the truth. She needed to figure out this . . . this island. Before others stumbled into traps, swallowed by the unsettling feeling of the island.
She had a mission . . . that was distracted by the sudden hissing that had her head spinning towards the hardened lava bridge, her mind immediately painting the image of the hard rock reducing back to it's heated and liquid state trapping her on the island. As her eyes lit upon the black and gold figure of a . . . . . large . . . . beast, she froze for a whole different reason. Through the darkness her eyes peered at the large form, thick with muscles, large wings feathering out from where it had landed with a hissing sizzle. Alarm raised it's ugly head as she feared this was the beast the island must surely cater to! A large creature with jagged teeth, and a taste of fle- oh . . . . it was another horse.
As he moved closer, she felt a sort of relief as she began to make out more equine features, proving indeed he was a Pegasus of sorts (she was certain she had counted one set of wings too many though), black and gold that seemed to blend into the night. One could hardly blame her for assuming the worst at first. Illuminated from below by re-introduced lava had cast his heavily furred lower limbs into a red tinged inky site. Mixed that with a dark appearance had him blending into the night, silhouetted into a form of danger and horrid cryptic depictions. As he moved closer he seemed less of a cryptic, and more of just a large, and dark stallion. Hopefully only in coloring.
He spoke suddenly, and her finned ears flicked back in uncertainty at his words, though his voice held no clue to any intentional threat, even if they could be perceived as such. Dual set of eyes narrowed in tandem, both focusing on him briefly, before the second set seemed to do a quick surveillance of the island's middle behind her (least something sneak up on her while she was distracted, she wouldn't put it past the mysterious island to throw such a wrench at her . . . she wondered when she decided the island could think and act on it's own). The majority of her attention remained on the black beast, starting to recognize him from earlier, when the unicorn statue and note had first appeared.
She kept her expression calm, her eyes narrowed and cautious as she answered him, "Scary perhaps, but with less souls for the Island to try and trick, I thought it be easier for it to relinquish it's hold on it's secrets." Her gaze returned to the island, her head turning to focus on the center, even as her smaller eyes kept tabs on the stallion. The island seemed to hold more secrets than the story of Davy Jones' Piracy, and while Bel had no desire to drown in an attempt to dredge them to existence, she was a mare on a mission. She flicked her finned ears forward as a sound from the depths of the island was heard, before turning back to the stallion, "This island has it's mysteries . . . I intend to recover them from where they're buried. It might be a bit like sorting seaweed from seagrass, but that won't stop me. I have no time to be terrified. I'm no spineless jellyfish . . . . and this island isn't going to have me swimming away like a shark's on my fins." She added with a firm nod, even if part of her words were meant to reassure herself. She was no guppy . . . she was a betta; a siamese fighting fish, and like a warrior, she'd tackle this mystery.
Thoughts
Speech
@Random Events @Sol Bestiam
Notes: This is still open for others as well! Bel is going to want a party to brave the land properly :P As a timeline note - this thread is BEFORE the relic hunt, and as thus, it's IC-ly not had the rumors spreading around Novus yet.
i feel no cold, i feel no fear inside my mind
Now I'm full of energy
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
