The Antique Woman

[Adam Masou]

His head tilted at the words. She dressed like a royal, like how he saw the queen dressed. Like Ashina used to. At one time he had dressed that way… for her. The striking resemblance between this woman and his long gone love was too much for him. He had to be one or the other, the beast or the man, the savage or the tamed. He couldn’t be both, only with Ashina. Only she had really understood what he and Naavah went through looking like one and feeling like the other. “It is free land. We will not make you leave…” he said, hoping that he was interpreting what she said correctly in that she planned to stay in the area. Though that he found odd, for she was obviously not like them, she was a human. Why would she bother with them?

Grunting softly as he heard Naavah’s sour tone. She was very possessive, though he was much the same with her, and so it only brought a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth. As he turned the long tattoo of a fiery tree that sprawled across the right side of his back rippled on top of the massive deltoid-trapez muscle head. The effect made the black painted tree look as if it were actually burning.

Adam came up behind Naavah and wrapped a giant arm around her, his forearm as thick as her tiny neck, and gently grabbed a shock of her dark hair in his teeth. He began on all fours to drag her (or so it seemed, in all reality, this was a game they often played and the girl was not hurt at all) towards the pond. At the water’s edge Adam wrapped her up in his arms and rolled himself off the rock into the water on his back, plunging the both of them into the clear spring of the pond despite the chill it had. When they surfaced he could stand, the water only came to about his shoulders hiding the more ferocious looking part of himself beneath the top. Dark hair was slicked back and to the sides so that the features of his distinctly Yuudo face were easy to see.

As Naavah came up for air a big paw like hand came up and pushed down on her head, dunking her raucously into the water again every time she tried to jump on him. As she began to laugh and smile at the duly deserved attention a strange thing happened- Adam began to smile as well. It was a real smile, a very human gesture that accentuated the high cheekbones and smile lines that had been passed down to him from his mother. As Naavah wrapped her arms around his neck he would try to swim away, only losing her when he ducked beneath the water’s surface and she would be forced to let go or be submerged.

Adam often used his unique abilities in their games. He would stay under for four minutes or more at a time, circling her and pulling on her feet as she tread, playing and nipping at her much to the child’s glee as she had never had a real parent or playmate to Adam’s knowledge. Finally after about half an hour of the aquatic roughhousing Adam dragged himself to shore, Naavah paddling right up next to him. He licked her face a few times for effect, and then let her go scamper off towards the fire to curl up next to Ban and dry off.

Adam himself took the chance to shake himself dry, water drops raining down on everything around him as his shaggy hair aired itself out in the cooling twilight air. He stood, shaking the water from his limbs and huffed as a few pieces of black hair twisted into his line of vision, masking his features once more. Dinner, he could smell, was almost ready and it was making him hungry. Sauntering to the fire he made himself comfortable and warm, pulling Naavah over away from Ban, who lying by the flame didn’t seem to care about much but chewing on the good sized chunk of raw deer Naavah had saved for him. Adam made sure Naavah had her own portion and nudged her and babied her a few more times before settling in to eat as well.

Looking up at Amariette he motioned with a hand for her to join them, and pointed to the portion of the meat that had been cooked enough for her to eat it. His eyes trailed with her, studying her. She moved like someone of the court, she moved like a Lady. It intrigued him. He had always hoped that perhaps Ashina would have found the time to help Naavah learn to read and to write and the manners of someone who lived civilized. It was getting so that there would not be much space for them left in the wilderness, and in order to survive she might one day have to learn to deal with the humans on her own. Adam knew he would not always be there for her, and with the recent development of Kirihito beng in Ulster, he somewhat feared there was less and less time each passing day.

But Ashina was gone. For good, he was sure of that. He had his family out here in the wilderness, but… perhaps… it was not too late to try to help Naavah learn what he wanted her to. Looking away from Amariette finally he gazed at his little girl tearing away at her grouses. Purring softly he bent down and pushed his nose into her cheek, and kissed her there. Always a perfect dichotomy. Was he man, or animal? Not even he knew. But he did know that no matter what, he could not give Naavah everything she needed. And so he would try any way he could to remedy that. Even if it meant reliving the heartbreak of losing the woman he had loved by allowing her almost-double to live with them.

[Amariette Willowbane]

Seating herself near the fire, Amariette put on her most polite smile and helped herself to her portion of the meal, grateful for Naavah's cooking skills. In truth, it was rather good, with the smoky flavor enriching the meat and making her senses swim. She hadn't even known she was so hungry until those good smells began to fill her belly and drove her to almost ravenous drooling at the sight of the venison. Grease dotted the sides of her mouth and cheeks as she raised an arm to wipe it away casually, she may have had finely crafted manners, but she did not lack common sense. After all, who was she trying to impress? Human nature beget consumption of food when one was hungering, so she was content to enjoy the offering as much as she could.

"Naavah, this is very good. I don't know many little girls who can prepare so fine a meal. If you have secrets, I'd be honored if you'd share them." It may have been overkill, but Amariette was trying desperately to get the little girl to warm up to her. After watching Adam frolick with her, Amariette was reminded of her own father and became choked up with emotion. Was she doomed to forever mourn him? Smiling genuinely in the small child's direction, she finished her piece of meat and curled her legs up to her chest. Wrapping her arms about her knees, she set her chin on them and stared into the roaring fire still heating her skin pleasantly.

The flames flickered and crackled lively, the light playing off the rose flush in her cheeks and the intense, contemplative sparkle in her lovely green eyes. She let the fire swallow her gaze completely, withdrawing deep into her own mind to decide on the best way to continue with the strange pair. It was becomely uncomfortably clear that she was struggling to maintain her high spirits and naturally friendly persona amongst them, especially given her own situation.

And then, there was Daniel.

Would he be out searching for her now? Would she ever be able to return to the Carter home? A sigh escaped her then, her thick, curling eyelashes sealing for the time being. She should never have gone for a walk without leaving him some sort of note. If he grew sick with worry, it would be her fault and her fault alone. There was a empty sadness in her heart at the thought of not being with him, not when things were growing bright between them once again. What was he doing at that moment? Where was he at that exact point where she was settled somewhere out in the wild with a beast man and his even stranger company? The thoughts were fleeting though, and she soon drew herself out of the small coma she had been reduced to, lifting her head and settling her eyes on Adam. Ringlets curls of red caught gold in the firelight and she smiled.

It was odd, being here with him when she knew so little of his nature and history. She felt as though she was in some dream where, should she reach out and touch him, the entire world would shimmer out of existence, precious Naavah and all. The atmosphere was humbling, that much she acknowledged, and the young woman's curiosity was one of the few personality traits that kept her intrigued with the entire situation. Clearing her throat and gathering her resolve once again, her gentle voice pressed from her full lips in somewhat of a sigh. She was walking a very thin line and she knew it, still, it was time that she got answers.

"Adam, you said that the creature who attacked me would return. Tell me, who or what was it that spun that strange web? Why was it after me? Why....." She grew silent, that helpless feeling descending over her, that lack of control and power over one's situation filling her mind with dread. Hugging her legs tighter, she buried her worried features behind her knees and peered out toward him with her haunted emeralds. "Where did you come from Adam, why....why are you here?" There was nothing but soft and urgent need in her voice, a despairing but imploring tone about her as though she would surely crumble to pieces without answers.

.....Answers she could understand and believe. Yet she didn't think Adam was one to lie about anything.

No, not at all.

[Naavah]

Naavah let out a yelp as she was dragged towards the lake squirming the entire time. There was never any hope that she would be able to twist out of Adam’s grasp, but that was never the point of the game anyway. In all her efforts, she managed to slip out of her wolf cloak, leaving it stranded on the grass, not far from the water’s edge. But her breeches were a lost cause as she was bodily dumped into the water. It was no matter. The old pants need washing as much as she did anyway. She squealed and laughed in the water, fighting for breath and pretending to make a mad dash for the shore at ever free chance. Despite her seeming aversion to the pond, she relished these moments of play with Adam. Though she could not hold her breath as long as Adam, she was a smooth self taught swimmer, when she wasn’t being tugged and nipped at.

When their play time was over, always a little too soon, she was left panting and wet by the edge of the pond like a slippery brown seal. But wearing Naavah down was a near impossible feat and in a moment she was back up, grasping the fallen cloak with loving care and running barefoot and dripping into the cave. By the time Adam and Amariette entered she had traded the soaked pants for a simple loin cloth. It was obvious that the concept of feminine modesty had never fully been explained to her. Certainly Adam, for whom she modeled much of her life after, was no help in this matter. The fire flickered off her still-shiny little body as she ran a bone comb haphazardly through the jet black locks that reached down almost to the small of her back. Having lost her mother when still young, and more importantly, having spent their time together on more important skills such as hunting and survival, she had never learned the appropriate way to detangle her now-massive knots. She started at the roots and merely comb down, causing little snares to build up about half way down where she promptly gave up. The entrance of Adam and Amariette meant it was dinner time, and she soon forgot the efforts completely.

There was no fanfare for dinner. As the animals had been blessed at the time of their deaths, portions were merely doled out and devoured with amazing speed and voracity. For such a small child, Naavah seemed fully prepared to eat her weight in cooked meat. If Amariette relaxed her social graces for meal time, Naavah did not make any efforts at all. Her face was smeared with grease as she bit off large pieces and chewed happily. No one would guess that she secretly lunched with the queen, copying her posture and attempting, often unsuccessfully, to spear it on a fork and get it to her mouth without it falling on the grass. But Amariette’s compliment made her pause. She could sense the effort that was put into it, and was unsure whether that meant the words were still true. Lies were generally beyond Naavah’s ability, but not beyond her knowledge.

“The best wood is spiky, good smoke smell. The bird has other foods, apple and onion where the organs were. I cooked all my life, I learned my…” her eyebrows lowered in thought “fourth summer. I am not so little anymore.” Being a small child at thirteen meant that she had indeed been tiny when she was young. Still, at four she had been expected to begin taking over responsibility of running the household. It was her job to tend the fire, sweep the cave, clean and prepare the meals, even hunt small rodents and birds. When she was six and a half, her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her to care for the home and her step father on her own. It was no wonder that Naavah had grown up without playmates, believing, in contrast, the Other children were stupid, lazy oafs.

As she finished the meal she passed the last of the bones to Ban, knowing he would finish the scraps that she could not. The conversation had moved beyond her for the moment. She knew the answers to Amariette’s questions, of course, it was Kirihito, the Kiryuudo man who had attacked her, but the questions were for Adam to answer, not herself, and she would not speak out of turn. Instead she moved to her small pile of belongs, that denoted her personal space. For the most part it was her blankets and furs, a few sparse items of clothing and a growing collection of carvings. These were totems, images of the spirit animals made mostly of wood or bone, with the rare exception in stone. They were simplified representations of animals, sanded smooth to fit in ones hand. From their midst she picked up one that was still rough and poorly formed as well as her carving tools and returned to the fire. Most nights, when Naavah carved, it meant that she would tell stories, as her mother had once done for her. The stories then would seep in to the totem, making it strong and holy, filling them with life. But for the moment, she stayed silent, letting them talk of Kirihito. This figure would be a woman, with large breasts, stomach, hips and buttocks, Muna, the Mother of All. It would not due to tell the story of why the spider has so many legs tonight.

[Adam Masou]

The questions were not unexpected. They were quite reasonable. Adam looked up, slate like eyes fixing on Amariette like a predator on prey, though he did not speak. He did not want to speak of such things in front of Naavah. But his little girl was quite quick, and was already off on her own in the cave tending to her needs. Night was falling now, and after a long day of hunting and gathering and chores, the little one would tire soon anyhow. His eyes only left Amariette to follow his adopted child into the cave and make sure she was sound there. A low rumble reverborated in his throat and Ban perked up. Responding in kind, the great bengal tiger shook himself off and lumbered towards the cave. Naavah, it seemed, was a well coveted possession here.

After several minutes Adam stretched and yawned a great yawn that came out more as a dull roar than a human breath, shaking the leaves of the nearby trees. He laid himself stretched out next to the fire and propped his head on his hand, staring into the flames. Questions... that he would have to answer as delicatly as possible. "I am from Tsalaya." he said at long last, eyes shifting to her almost expectant of the look of confusion she wore. "Many miles south on the main land. My people come from this place, but it is unknown to your race." he emphasized 'race' heavily, giving the inclination that his was entirely different from human beings. "The man who was after you comes from there."

Wetting dry lips Adam looked back to the fire, pupils dancing with the flames as they leapt and crackled. "Many moons ago, I came here to meet the ruler, to keep soldiers off my lands. They are sacred, and your kind does not understand why. They do not hear and see what we do. I met a woman, and she became a... lover." He looked to the grass and idly began to pick at it, obviously uncomfortable. "She came back to Tsalaya with me. The man who attacked you s my enemy. He tried to do the same to my mate, to get to me. One day, she disappeared, and I followed her to the island owned by your people. Then she faded away. Possibly back to the earth spirit. I do not know. I went back to Tsalaya, but my enemy was gone. He had come here to find me, so I follow, and I watch."

He sat up, massive body heaving to sit rigid and cross legged by the fire. "I think he attacked you for hunger. It is the only sense." He said, tripping on a few words. "And he will come back, because now you know. No one must know we exist. My people... you must understand, we have existed as long as this world has. We live long lives, and it is code that we must never mate outside our people. Ever. lines must be pure, because we are what your people call... what is it... missing link." He nodded and ran his fingers through his mess of black hair. "We must keep balance. And your kind must not know of us more than legend. When man first came to Tsalaya there was a war, a great war. My people were used as alves in the mountains by drow, and taken away to be sold by you..." He pointed to her ominously, "by Kachadan. If we all die, this world is doomed. So you must never know we exist."

Nodded again as if to put emphasis behind the words he sighed and laid down once more. "And so he will come back. Eventually. But I will watch, and I will wait. Whatever you do, you must not let the spiders bite you, or they will do this." He said, tapping on his shoulder. Even in the dim light of the fire it was easy to see the long, black scar spreading out into his viens from a central stab mark just below his left collar bone. "Three years ago. Cardinal spider poison. It never goes away." Laying his head down in the grass with a grunt he fell silent then and watched the fire, like an animal, entranced with the beautiful dance.

[Amariette Willowbane]

The young woman watched as she sat curled in her spot, large, inquisitive eyes noting his discomfort when a few, more sensitive topics were discussed. She had gotten the information she wanted, and trusted that it was the truth of the matter, her assumptions confirmed that he was indeed far from human. A soft but understanding sadness was conveyed to him from her emerald gaze, wondering how deep his loneliness truly went for his lost love. It was a painful reminder of the absence of Daniel in her life, her wish to return to him slowly proving to be a bit more difficult than she first supposed. Slowly, she moved closer to Adam, her fingertips gliding along the scar at his shoulder, she would never have known had he not been the one to rescue her.

"Thank you Adam, I....I will guard your secret with my life. I swear it." Withdrawing her hand, a shy smile on her lips, she sat on her heels next to him a bit closer to the fire, relishing in the warmth of the frolicking flames though the weather was not as cold as she would hae expected it to be. There were lines of weariness on her face and for some reason, she could feel a dull ache in her knees and fingers, as the though bones and muscles were a bit more stiff then they should have been. Shrugging it aside as being mild fatigue, she could feel the sweet pull of sleep making her eyelids heavy, Amariette's thoughts of the days events fading away to offer that strange sort of peace one rarely gains in the mind. She was reluctant to entertain the idea of sleeping in the dark cave another night, the black sky above filled with vast numbers of sparkling beauties, too vast to even count in a single lifetime.

A nudge at her shoulder roused Amariette from her solace, a turn of her head centering Lyra in her misty gaze. The mare whickered softly and nuzzled the woman's cheek, gently nibbling the soft ringlet curls and staring down to her with imploring brown eyes. "Couldn't stand another night alone huh girl?" Amariette got to her feet and took Lyra's head in a gentle hug, her fingertips stroking along the mountain horse's muscular neck. Setting her gaze on Adam, she spoke softly, "I'm going to spend the night out here with Lyra. We won't be far, just over by that tree in the tall grass, my things are already gathered there. Goodnight Adam." Turning with a flare of white skirt, the young woman walked silently on bare feet, her mount trailing at her side as they melded into the weaving meadow lands to rest.





Madame Lillian Cerise was beside herself with delight, clutching a new mirror and staring at her image and the smooth lines about her face. The spell was working! And faster than she could have imagined! Fingertips touched at her shapely brows and eyes, the crow's feet that had haunted her now smoothed completely over. Her skin had lost its chalky pallor and was now flushed with a soft pink, milky white eyes filled with a faint tinge of sky blue, there once natural color. Even her hair, once gray with age and patchy, fell more full about her shoulders, laced with traces of hay colored strands soon to be full blonde and shining like spun gold. "It's a true marvel indeed!"

The wraith was upon her before she even noticed, his aura surrounding her less bent body and those red glowing eyes peering at the reflection of his mistress, "You are pleased then? That is good. In a few days time, you will have all that you wished for sweet Lillian, and I will claim my reward." A claw like hand emerged to cup her chin and lift her head higher, his appraising gaze not bothering her in the least.

Lillian was to busy enjoying the fruits of her labor to pay the demon much mind. There was a slight nagging conviction that filled her mind, wondering if it was just her imagination. Was the demon taking on a more physical form? When she had first summoned him, he had been little more than a pool of black, a shadow that followed her about the store no matter the time of day or the angle of the sun. Yet now she could sense the malicious cold of his touch....and felt nothing. There was a time where she would have trembled or even made an attempt to shy away from the overpowering sense of evil. Something was different. She felt a small emptiness, as though her very body was becoming hollow. Still, she could not deny the results. She would have her beauty, her vigor, her youthful life.

She would be free.

[Amariette Willowbane]

The rays of a fresh morning sun pierced the dusky and cob-webbed windowpanes of the antique shop of La Lune Noir, rousing a tender maiden from her slumber. Thick and curled lashes opened to allow vision from eyes that were the purest and brightest blue to be found in the land, a soft yielding moan escaping pouting lips. She sat up in bed, long tresses like spun gold spilling along her shoulders and down the length of her spine, a flush of pink filling flawless cheeks.

Pushing the worn coverlet aside, she tested her barefeet on the ancient wooden floorboards, gaining her footing and drifting across the room to sweep up a gleaming silver brush. Sitting before her mirror, the woman finally lifted her gaze to the image awaiting her and a gasped emerged, angelic features caught in a perfect expression of rapture and delight.

"At last!" Lillian Cerise exclaimed, throwing her vibrantly young self up from her seat and twirling on the balls of her feet. Gone were the discomforts of arthritis, the aching of bones, the weariness of muscles, and the chalky pallor of cracked and scaly skin. She skipped, she pranced, she frolicked amongst her many pillows, delving into her closets and ripping the already tattered rags from their hooks to be trampled over.

Perfumes were sprayed, powder puffs powdered, and all manner of jewelry modeled before that mirror that knew no age. "I'd almost forgotten, oh, I'd almost ALLOWED myself to forget!" Her chest heaved as she laughed merrily, her voice musically sweet and betraying none of the wickedness that lurked within her withered heart.

The shop owner never noticed the shadow rising up behind her.





Amariette stirred as Lyra shifted in her place beside her, the mare still caught within the throes of sleep and warming the body of her mistress. A groan escaped the woman's lips and she found it rather difficult to even sit up, a hand rising to massage the back of her neck and the sore muscles within. Had she slept in a bad position?

Bones cracked and creaked as she got to her feet, a grimace on her face at the painful stiffness in her limbs, a rising suspicion forming in her struggling mind. She couldn't help but hunch as she shuffled her way toward the pool to cure the dryness of her throat, a strange sensation of being dehydrated taking over her entire body. Her skin felt rough, leathery even, and the limp feel of her hair wracked her with growing concern, her body settling uncomfortab ly on her heels so that she kneeled at the water's edge.

Nothing could hide the horror of what awaited her.

Fingertips trailed her thin cheeks, her skin chalk white and pasty, the remnants of her hair completely white with areas missing strands and scabs replacing them. Her emerald eyes were barely colored and completely filled in with milky cataracts, teeth rotted in the gums and a giant wort growing on her chin. Lifting her trembling hands to appraise them, she whimpered at the cracked and peeling skin, ash white and bone thin. In fact, her entire body felt 'lighter' than it should have been, the tightening of her stomach turning into a burning flare of pain that could only have been an ulcer, or two.

She supposed now, that her figure had been left as little more than skin on a skeleton, as though she had not eaten for weeks, if not months. Why had she not noticed before?Amariette was panicked, and as she stole another glimpse of her reflection, staring withered and aged before her, her voice rose in a piercing and terrifying shriek that carried high and wide across the clearing in a blood curdling tone of despair.

[Naavah]

It was Naavah who was closest when she heard the scream. She had woken up early to try her target practice at birds during their morning chorus. It had been rather unsuccessful. The early morning clouds had kept the birds asleep in their nests and she had found nothing of a size worth eating. Luckily it was not a complete loss. She had discovered a bird nest and, like a monkey, had spanned the thirty verticle feet in a matter of a few minutes for the tastey little treats, sucking out the yolky goodness as her legs dangled a dizying height about the forest floor. It was from here that the human scream echoed through the tree tops, causing Naavah´s hair to stand on end and her muscles to tighten. Had Kirihito returned for his kill as she had overheard that he would? For Amariette´s safety she worried, but it was for the safety of Adam and Ban who would, no doubt, fight the Kiryuudo, that the girl felt real fear. With graceful agility she swung down from the tree, taking the final ten feet in a single drop and hitting the ground running towards the water´s edge.

Beneath her bare feet, the grasses and leaves gave her strong purchase and her strong young body propelled her forward at such a speed that her chest rose and fell heavily by the time she arrived in the clearing. The last egg had broken in her hand as she jumped and she had dropped the shell to pull from her bag her sling and two stones.

Imagine her surprise, breaking through the clearing to see no Kiryuudo poised for the attack but an old woman wailing at the water side. She stood there, panting and confused. Was this a stranger who had wandered into their land? Another outsider? The old woman was wearing the same dress that Amariette had the day before. Certainly it was possible that two such gowns had been made but something did not seem right. Too much was similar and too much was wrong. Still, an old woman was an old woman, and even the impertinent savage knew a few manners. She dropped her weapon and spoke softly "What is wrong, Munsah?" She used a term of respect, mostly reserved for grandmother or any old woman. Naavah had never had a grandmother of her own but there was certain privledges that came was lasting as long as this stranger had.
It was just as she spoke these words that Ban came bounding towards them, drawn out by the blood curdling scream as well. With a hand motion, Naavah called the Bengal over to her, still watching Amariette with uncertainty. She whispered into his ear. "Does she smell of the Other woman? Is she some sort of shape shifter?" There would be also something said for the old woman´s reaction to the little savage and the huge tiger. If she was truely a stranger than the fright of them both might certainly kill her.

[Adam Masou]

He knew it was coming even before it happened.

Sitting alone in darkness just before the dawn the Yuudo looked as though he could be sleeping sitting up. He was quite the opposite. The balls of thick calloused feet perched him precariously on the small shelf of rock overlooking the pond and pitiful excuse for a waterfall next to where his party deemed 'camp'. Toes had dug firmly into the rock around the grody lichen masses clinging to the igneous for survival and the daily ritual of meditation had begun. It was a well practiced gift that he used now, something not only passed down by his bloodline but honed in the darkness of the under mountains east of his homeland. Thoughts often brought him back there to those times, dark times that he could only pray the world would never see again.

It had been a miracle that the forest of Tsalaya had remained hidden and untouched, perhaps the mercy of the gods or the clever cloaking of the one eyed demon now held prisoner within its walls. But the rest of the lands of Ela lay burnt in ruins of scorched earth, pillaged and raped for all that could be salvaged by the invading army of Drow that had spurned their way across the upper land in conquest of everything they could lay greedy hands upon. It was a time Adam Masou had never witnessed in this form of flesh, but had been shown to him as both a blessing and a curse by the spirit that now haunted the empty lands of the Enchanted Forest that he called home. Seeing through the eyes of Himiko was enlightening, and yet it was to him a scar that would never fully heal. It was in those times when the Drow ruled those lands many moons ago that he had been born and raised in a hidden village within the safe borders of the protected woods. It was only after the massacre of his village by his own blood, though distant cousins in the form of Kiryuudo that he had been forced to flee.

And then came a far worse enemy than either side of his people's civil feud could imagine. The chill of wrought iron tight on his wrists and the humiliation that came with the beatings and enslavement by the dark skinned elves was almost too much to remember, though at times like this when the world was still and the song of the earth petered out into the darkness Adam found himself left with only these memories and no convenient way to distract himself. There in the dungeons of the cold underground did he discover and practice a birthright of a most peculiar nature that was, much to his ally, greatly enhanced by his stay on Avalon among the unicorns and other beast of mythic proportion of the Protected Forests.

As all things come from Earth and all things return to Earth when their time is complete, so too were all things tied to Earth in the interim. And he, part Earth, understood this in a way so intimate words of any language would never truly describe it's infinite nature. In his language there was a word for this acute intuition; Soqua. Oneness. When he concentrated hard enough and lent the senses he had practiced over the course of his life to his mind's aid Adam found that he could intuit the very vibrations of life itself, changing and pulsating like the heart of the world that connected every living thing in its cyclic and multi-faceted web, from the explosion of a distant volcano to a human heartbeat's change in rhythm. It was difficult but possible, and after his stay in the lands of Avalon, increasingly more so. The Yuudo were now, as they always had been, far more than mere stepping stones for the evolution of mankind. They were the bestial side of man incarnate, and also, in their own primitive way, shepherds of their "advanced" brethren sent to watch over and herd them in the correct directions.

This was both a blessing and a curse just like the visions Himiko had given him. It came bearing with it extraordinary gifts which he had used to survive as long as he had and to allow others such longevity- but it also trapped him in the ill defined role of mentor to a race that did not want him, and the feeling was rather mutual. He had little cause to aid those of the human race in their futile and backwards efforts towards higher understanding and advancing of their status as he saw it as most unhealthy and trodding the path going the wrong direction anyhow. But there were times, such as when he made the decision to rescue Amariette, that he felt compelled to do so despite himself. However, in this moment, he was very much regretting it.

There was something very wrong, a vibration on the air that did not old the strains of the world he knew. This was something discordant and stagnant that reeked of malevolence. Whatever it was, it had no place here in this world. There were many things that Adam did no profess to understand, His place was among mortal and corporeal things, and these are the things e had an understanding of. What happened beyond this world far off in the cosmos was nothing of his concern, until it came to rest in a spot where it did not belong. Clearly the resonance of this flat note in the melody woven by his world did not belong. And whatever it was, it was beginning to take its hold, and for that reason there was a feeling of fear and extreme animal urgency welling up in a knot in Adam's insides.

Opening his eyes he could see the first rays of the dawn laying across the fields beyond the forest rim in streaks of crimson and pink. Had it not been for the scream that pierced the air it would have been what some consider a perfect morning. Adam was already on his way down the hill in the half stupor of his senses before Amariette awoke to find herself in such a state.

In the clearing Adam found, unsurprisingly, Naavah hiding behind a protective Ban who were both staring incredulously at the wizened woman before them. Adam also halted, though no emotion registered on his face. Irises contracted and for a brief flash seemed to fold in on themselves turning them momentarily to the yellow of a cat's eyes, and then back to their natural gray. It was still the royal court member. "She is the same." He remarked as if thoroughly unimpressed by the situation. The only hint as to the ascertation would be his nostrils flaring slightly, drinking in her scent. It was so strong and so unique that it was hard to miss. But something here resonated with dissonance. Normally the aging process was completely natural and did not throw the harmony of the balance around them. This was obviously, if not just from the sight of it alone, something of other designs. Turning his head away from the girl and his fellows Adam looked up into the sky, where there was nothing to see at all. It was an odd reaction to the given situation, but they others would not understand that there were things of greater gravity at hand than what their eyes took in now.

"Something is very wrong. The nearer I got to this clearing the stronger the feeling has felt. This is no accident of magic." Looking back sharply at Amariette his voice dropped to a sandy hiss as if he was afraid of someone listening in. "What are the last events you remember that may have lead to this?"

[Amariette Willowbane]

Amariette was frantic as she turned to watch Naavah come upon her suspiciously. Did she look so different? Of course she did! Had she aged naturally, she would never have looked so horrid. No, this was something far worse. Oh, what had she done to cause this? Hiding her face in her hands, she didn't want the girl to look at her, didn't want her to see. She wept now, the sound piteous and full of despair.

Until Adam arrived.

His firm voice broke through her madness and she gasped in surprise, her eyes drifting up towards him again. The tone of his voice was almost commanding and she was grateful for it, because her mind pulled itself back together to form cognitive and intelligent thought, which seemed to be a great deal more difficult for her now. Her brows furrowed and she thought hard, her lips moving with the line of thought processes emerging in her forgetful mind. "I....I don't know. I remember leaving the house and going for a walk with Lyra. People kept staring at me so I ran into a shop to hide. A..jewelry shop? No. No, that's not right at all. It was...an....antique shop. Yes. La Lune Noir. An old woman greeted me. Madam Lillian Cerise. She gave me....a...a gift, a dress....."

Could it have been? No, Amariette was almost positive that the old woman had nothing to do with this. And yet, what could have caused such a transformation? Of course there was the attack she had been rescued from, but that had been days ago and she was fine until this morning. Well, to be truthful, she had begun to feel under the weather just about two days ago. No, not under the weather, she had begun to feel....aged. Amariette bit her lower lip and fought back the rise of tears pooling in her eyes, a sob choking her throat. Crying would not help her now, and she refused to do so in front of Adam. Instead, she decided she would have to get to the bottom of this herself and almost as though they were telepathically linked, Lyra nudged her gently, a wrapped parcel carried in her teeth.

Lifting her thin hands, Amariette gratefully accepted the package and settled it down on the ground before her, a groan emerging from the pain in her knees and spine. Drawing away the paper, she exposed the dress for them all to see, the material still beautiful and flawless as the day she had tried it on. "There is something more here. Something, I did not see. Or rather, did not let myself see." With trembling fingers, she ran them along the lace and sighed, wondering if she still could use the talent she had not felt the need to test for some time. Closing her eyes, she gripped the material in both hands firmly, that unnatural cold filling her body and extending itself outwards along her fingertips and into the antique dress.

Her lips were turning blue as though she were catching her death in a bitter winter wind, and her body sat rigid in its place, her eyes rolling in their sockets behind closed lids. Images began to emerge, a veritable slideshow of the nature and history of this item of clothing. What she saw not only shocked her, but stunned her mind in horror almost to the point of breaking the spell too soon before she learned the truth. There was a woman, not old or feeble, but young and full of vigor, a maiden in the prime of her life. She had hair that shone like gold and eyes that were so blue they could very well have swallowed up the sky itself. Her skin was supple and yielding, soft and resilient, with a rose flush that only enhanced her lovely features. Yet there was something else too, and Amariette noted this with grave concern. The woman, was covered by a shadow, a great moving pool of darkness that sat in observation of its prey. A Demon!

Gasping for air, the spell was suddenly broken by a force that was not her own, as though something had known of her intrusion and had done away with it swiftly. Coughing and struggling for air, the old woman collapsed onto her side, her frail body shaking and cunvulsing with the force of each breath. Lyra looked on with obvious concern in her large eyes and shifted uncomfortably in her place, pawing the earth and whinnying softly. Finally gaining control of her body, Amariette rose slowly to her feet, struggling for purchase and taking support from the powerful body of her horse. She knew where she had to go now and it would be a marvel if she could make the journey, no matter how short it may have seemed. Clicking her tongue, she was pleased to see Lyra respond eagerly, the horse bowing low so that her mistress could crawl atop her back without much struggle.

There was no bridle or reins, but Amariette knew she would never need them again. Her love and trust in her equine companion had surpassed all those mortal restraints. Lyra helped her now out of friendship and for that, she was eternally grateful. Letting her eyes fall on Adam and Naavah, she did her best to smile, her voice flowing without the slightest change to be heard. "I won't ask you to come with me Adam, I'll not be responsible for your discovery. I'll attract enough attention on my own. I'm going back to the antique shop to confront Madam Cerise. It appears that La Lune Noir is not as hospitable as I first thought. I'll return soon, I promise."

Nudging her heels into Lyra's sides, the mountain horse turned her head towards town and settled into a gentle trot that would not shake her mistress in the slightest. It would be slow going, but Amariette suspected she would make the shop by evening, and there would be more than enough time to plan for what she meant to do.

If she could face the two in her state....

[Naavah]

Naavah stood with her hands upon Ban, watching the scene unfold with a stoney expression and dark eyes. This was beyond her expertise, beyond what the myths of her childhood had taught her about the world. When Amariette knelt over the dress, going pale and trembling, Naavah was certain that once more, she was about to witness death. She did not look away, only waited. For her kindness and respect, Naavah would offer prayers for her spirit what it might find the say to the Great Forest. These were the same prayers that she had once offered up over her Mother’s body, and a few strangers whom she had found along the way.

Having accepted death as predetermined, it was shocking to see Amariette rise again, let alone climb precariously onto the back of the mare and turn to ride away. The part of her that remained a selfish child was glad to see her go, to have their little nuclear family back as it should be, but in truth, Naavah knew better than that. With a small sigh she turned to Adam “She needs you even though she says she doesn’t. She goes to face big magic and has forgotten the Kiryuudo is still a danger.” This was not a time for Naavah to tag along. Adam could move faster without her, could accept more danger without worrying about her safety. Anyway, Amariette was his idea and no one else’s. If he wanted to protect her, this was certainly the time to do it. With this she turned her back. There was still food to collect, hides to cure, a cave to maintain. She would leave Adam to make is own decision.