Skewed Reflections

Featuring Ava and Nimwen

Summer, Y767 of the New Age

Lake Alba, Windborne

 

Nimwen

 The  evening felt sleepy and serene, with the soft chirping of insects and a  faint orange glow being cast over the grass. Nimwen, however, sharply  contrasted that of her surroundings; her coat was a stark bluish-grey  against the warmth while her movements were swift and purposeful. She  practically marched alongside Haven Creek as she approached the lake,  fueled by her daydreams of patrolling like a full soldier. For now, she  was a recruit, and her exploratory stroll was certainly not a patrol --  but the young doe could help but fantasize.

 Little  bugs were floating here and there, having been disturbed from the grass  by her steps. The evening sun turned them white and gave them an oddly  pretty look -- that is, until Nimwen had the unpleasant experience of  getting one up her nose. Of course. She  snorted it out in disgust and gave the buzzing insects around her a  cross look. With a final sneeze she held up her chin and got back into  her brisk walk.

 

Ava

 Lake  Alba had become her favorite place to be whenever she wasn’t around the  herd itself. Usually she took the trip three - maybe four times a week  and it wasn't often people questioned her why she did it. How come lake  Alba gave her something she couldn't find other places? As a matter of  fact she had been thinking about it on her way out today, but hadn't  come to a conclusion just yet.

    The evening was  sleepy. Spring had really taken its time this year but all of a sudden  the weather had changed to the merrier and a golden hue spread across  Windborne. The scarlet had a hard time believing it had been winter just  months ago, but there was no way she wasn't enjoying the warmth and  smiled gently. Yes, summer was just around and she was ready.

    As  she walked over the last hill, she noticed someone already walking  around at lake Alba. From the distance she couldn't see who but it was  almost like the darker fawnling was patrolling, and the scarlet smiled  slightly. Maybe it was someone she knew! Maybe Amon! Loyallist patrols  took often trips around lake Alba, and it would be rather funny if it  was a friend of hers.

For a moment she forgot allied  herdmembers sometimes also travelled to lake Alba and therefore she  called out on the stranger, believing it to be a friend of hers.

"Hello there!"

She chimed and smiled widely. The stranger looked like Amon by its darker coat and grinning she moved closer. 

 

Nimwen

 The  young roan slowed to a halt at the sound of a stranger’s voice. Upon  sweeping her gaze over the plain, Nimwen spotted a red doe just a few  yards away, making her way down a bordering hill. Nim’s ears flicked  attentively forward. The doe was unfamiliar, but she appeared friendly  by her soft smile and relaxed gait; it wasn’t uncommon to bump into  herdmates Nim hadn’t met. She called back, ”Hiya! Didn’t see you there!”

 A  gentle breeze came drifting from the doe’s direction just then. The  pleasant tingle of the wind made Nimwen relax, as it often did, as she  felt her magic pick up on the sense of the air -- but the feeling was  cut short as an odd scent reached her nose. She blinked. She couldn’t…  quite place it, like a distant memory or a phrase that stood on the tip  on the tongue. Perhaps they’d already been acquainted… A friend of her  aunt’s, or…?

 ”Have we met before?” Nimwen asked as the stranger came closer, narrowing her eyes to get a better look at her. The doe certainly didn’t look familiar, at least not from where she stood.

 

Ava

 When  the roan colored fawnling noticed her, it became very clear that this  wasn't Amon. Firstly she wasn't a stag but actually a doe, and secondly  she wasn't even from the herd. Upon noticing that Ava slowed slightly,  unsure and maybe a bit embarrassed by how wrong she had been, but the  other one didn't sound hostile and thus she took a decision to keep on  moving towards her. Well, she couldn't just leave her when she had been  the first to greet her, could she?

As the wind came  from her direction, Ava didn't notice just where the roan doe came from  but assumed she was a nomad traveling by. Yes, she assumed much, which  eventually was one of her greatest weaknesses.

The  scarlet smiled slightly and stopped at a pleasant distance from the roan  colored doe. Ava looked at her for a few seconds, admiring how  beautiful she actually was - her silvery hair and coat, before noticing  how she had narrowed her eyes slightly at Ava, as if she was trying to  place her.  

 

"I don't think  so, I'm sorry - I thought you were someone else. A friend of mine has  his patrols around Lake Alba and by the coat  you look  alike. My name  is Ava".

She clarified but kept her smile around. And she did until the breeze suddenly turned and the scent of danger made her stiffen shortly. Allied. Measa, the other allied member she  had met carried this scent. The roan doe wasn't just a nomad.

Ava  had frozen for just a moment, in a glimpse of surprise and a sudden  shivery feeling down her neck had made her close her eyes shortly,  before opening them again, still smiling. Maesa had been too much of a  coward to fight her, and Ava didn't wish to hurt someone who wouldn't  cover themselves. But this doe... knowing she was from the allied and  then letting her stay wouldn't be right. This was their territory. Maybe  she could avoid a fight again... It was a long time since she had hurt  someone.

All of those thoughts lasted merely a few seconds, given they were in awkward silence, before she breathed in deeply.

 

"...but you need to leave now. It wouldn't be good if you stayed around for too long".

Quietly  she raised her head a bit and her smile turned slightly troubled.  Somehow she had grown.. soft. The crimson doe was deep down scared of  allied members and feared them. At some point she had grown from scared  to... callous. But month, yes almost years without a sight of them had  made her soften up and facing one now made her tremble slightly. 

 

Nimwen

 Nim’s stare hardened. ”Wait, leave? Now?” she echoed, an instinctive pang of anxiety beginning to stir. Something  had changed; the recognition that flashed in the lithe doe’s eyes had  shifted her nature so quickly. The name “Ava” wasn’t ringing any bells,  and a sudden urgency flared in Nimwen’s heart to reach the same  conclusion as the stranger. Why couldn’t she place that scent…?

    The  doe had a certain reluctance in her voice, but Nimwen knew a threat  when she heard one. Her confusion only increased as she scrutinized the  crimson frame. Nothing in Ava’s smile or stance, however anxious,  suggested hostility, yet the tension seemed to have suffocated the  pleasant lake setting. Nimwen became dimly aware that she was lowering  her head in a defensive pose, despite having dropped her horn earlier in  the season.

    ”Listen, lady…” Nimwen said, her eyes never moving off the doe, ”I’m picking up the vibe that you’re not too fond of me... but unless you’ve got a good reason for it, I’m not going anywhere.”

    Then  she felt it hit her in a rush, like a hard slam to the chest, the  moment she finished speaking. This doe was not her kin -- this was a  Loyalist. A Loyalist! The scent seemed to have a distasteful tang  to it now that it had been placed, and it made the recruit let out a  snort of indignation.

    ”Besides, I’m pretty damn sure it’s you who doesn’t belong here.”

     

Ava

 It  might have sounded like a threat. The scarlet couldn't quite tell if  she actually was threatening the roan colored doe or merely suggesting  her leave, but either way, she didn't take it well, and thus she found  herself standing rather defensive against the crimson. Ava wasn't used  to much... hostility. Although she had met lots of fawnlings, whereas  lots hadn't exactly been fond of them, she had always been in the  company of friends. Now she found herself alone with the doe and it made  her insecure as she didn't just agreed to leave but choose to face her  instead.

In response, the scarlet narrowed her eyes  more. She would not hesitate, she had to be strong. There was no reason  to fear them! No, she had every reason to hate, not fear and yet a  glimpse of hesitation shone in her brown eyes. This could've gone so  easy... but no. Breathing in deep, she chose to make it clear that she  wouldn't be the one to move. Despite her light and dainty features, the  scarlet was a force to be reckoned with and she would prove it if need  be. And as the roan doe realized who... no, what she was, Ava slowly shook her head in a firm no and silent no.

 

"Please... this could've been so easy."

Quietly  she spoke before bracing herself... and the evening seemed cold all of a  sudden. The merry and dear feeling from dusk was gone, leaving the  scarlet with tension in the air between them.  Carefully she felt how  her body loosened up, ready for whatever the roan might throw at her.  Because should she choose to attack, Ava would be ready, feeling how  magic worked its way through her body she was ready to react.

 

Nimwen

 The  doe’s visible despair was confusing at first, but Nimwen refused to let  it affect her. Did Ava really think she would believe a Loyalist?  Never; in Nim’s eyes, she saw nothing but a ruse, meant to make her drop  her guard and give the intruder the upper hand. As if she would ever  fall for that! She may not have been alive to see the war, but she had  heard the stories all her life and been trained to defend against such  threats to the peace. Granted, she had pictured someone far more  brutish…

    Nimwen kept her eyes fixed on the  scarlet doe as she shook her head, unconsciously heating the air around  them. Nim had been dreaming of serving in a real patrol and now it  seemed she had just that. A distinct prickle swept over her flecked  hide.

 “Easy?” Nim repeated with a disbelieving snort. “I doubt that. If you want ‘easy,’ you’ll be the one to scram.”

 The  roan took a step closer to prove she, unlike Ava, had no qualms in  making a move. Ava was taller and older than Nim; lean and slender, even  dainty, yet with a rigid strength pulsing from her gaze. Still, it  didn’t deter the young recruit. It was her duty to protect her herd, and  she would do so -- no matter how hard her heart was pounding in her  chest.

 A harsh gale was shot towards the Loyalist. “Last chance.”

 

Ava

 If  the scarlet had expected the doe to surrender, she was soon proved dead  wrong. Instead of taking her advice, taking her words and leave, the  darker doe narrowed her eyes in a defying manner. At some point they  weren't all that different - neither of them wanted to disappoint and  fail. Turning a back on an enemy could be fatal. But whereas Ava  flinched, this stranger showed almost no hesitation when taking a step  closer.  She... she  actually wished to harm her. The sudden chill was  taken over by warmer winds. But not those who meant comfort or rest.

The  sudden realization came in a matter of second and was later confirmed  with her words. Last chance. She had lived through the war. She had  survived the loss of family and betrayal of friends. And she had no  intention of  letting this doe... this young but foolish doe treat her  or what she stood for this way. She refused! The scarlet felt a snarl  form on her lips as the stranger raised her voice against her. How dared  she! No. How dared they..! Ava locked eyes with the dark does and felt  how the pressure increased, since neither of the strong does wanted to  yield.

 

In a matter of seconds  she stepped forward. She was tall, the scarlet doe. With an imposing  length of 10hh, she looked down on the dark stranger and a shimmer of  sudden temper and bitternes shone in her usually warm eyes. While many -  for reason she did not know, seemed to underestimate her, she had power  to prove them wrong. And as she tried to shove the darker doe back with  her body, the wind suddenly became loud and violent and aided her push  to force her stumbling back. For if she fell, she would be easier to  kick... and for Ava, who didn't have much brute force to use preferred  fighting maybe rather dirty.

And almost as if it had  anticipated the fight between the two of them, Ava felt how her magic  made the area around them a dangerous and raging, suddenly set alight by  the frustration she felt because of the doe.  

 

Nimwen

    Nimwen felt her heart jump as the doe suddenly shoved her back, not just from the rush of knowing it was time to fight,  but also out of surprise – she hadn’t been too sure Ava would have it  in her. The new assertion flaring in her eyes proved otherwise. But Nim  had military training on her side, and knew well that Loyalist does  lacked such a privilege. She may have been thrown off balance from the  combined force of the push and the gale, but Nim’s feet were quick; she  scrambled back before she could fall too close to the scarlet’s swift  hooves, though dangerously close to slipping.

    As  Nim darted to one side, a split second realization hit her: Loyalists  may not train their does as soldiers, but they could still train them in  magic. This doe – somehow it was hard for Nim to think of her by name  when she was now an enemy – clearly had a far superior control of the  wind. She had only used it to aid Nimwen back but the strength of it was  beyond what the recruit could do. Molach, was this a mistake?

    How  useful a horn would have been…! The young roan’s mind flashed back to  sparring sessions with her fellow recruits. Twisting to the side and  digging her feet in the dirt, Nim found herself barreling upwards,  aiming the weight in her front at the red doe’s shoulder.

 

Ava

 The  allied doe was swift and darted to the side, avoiding the what would  have been fatal hit from the scarlet. Dang it, she was too fast! If she  had been surprised, she hid it well. Ava knew that allied does was  trained in combat, and knew that she didn't have much of a chance if  this roan colored doe managed to get her into physical combat. But she  hadn't expected someone that young to have such self-control. When did  they start training! Had they been sparring, she might have been  impressed. But they wasn't .

As Ava landed on the  ground, the roan colored was already on the move again. Barreling  upwards, the scarlet had little time to move before the stinging pain of  her blow made Ava scramble to one side. Dang it, again! She was too  fast! The scarlet narrowed her eyes in a defying manner. They were too  close, she needed distance between them! Without looking at the dark  doe, Ava released another and a stronger blow of magic than before,  trying to create some distance between them before taking a short look  on her shoulder. Crimson blood mixed with her scarlet hide. Oh....

 

Oh  the fury she felt. She turned her head, her expression twisted into a  cold yet burning growl as she backed away from the dark doe. Not because  she was fleeing, no, because a devious idea had taken form in her mind.  Something she wasn't very familiar with, something she had never dared  to use against anything but thylacines. But she had no other way of  fighting.

Digging her feet into the ground she braced  herself, knowing she needed to concentrate to perform such magic and  hoped that she would be able to do it before the allied regained ground.  A flash of doubt shone shortly in her eyes, before she shrugged it off  her. Would she be able to make it?

"You ignorant brat!"

She whispered through her grit teeth and the flow of magic began.

Asphyxiation of opponents. Suffocating.

 

 

Nimwen

    Satisfied  with the impact, Nimwen prepared to round herself again and prepare for  another chance to strike. Just as she turned to face the doe, a thick  scent caught her nose. Blood? Had she drawn blood? Nim could see a  darker red starting to rise through the scarlet fur of the Loyalist. Ha!  So she could land a decent hit! A  short-lived relief came over her, barely hearing Ava hiss under her  breath. Perhaps Nimwen could pull through after all—

    And in the next second it felt as though the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

    The  young recruit instinctually started gasped for air. For a few panicked  moments she didn’t understand how she’d lost her breath and could only  back away. She was struggling, she was vulnerable.

    Her  eyes darted around wildly until she saw the expression on the  Loyalist’s face, the mixture of dark rage and concentration. This was  Ava’s doing. What had Nimwen done, taking on this stranger?

    The  strain made her eyes water and her head pound. It felt as though her  legs were being weighed down and her lungs were being crushed. She  couldn’t get a proper grasp on her magic, couldn’t breathe in the wind  and allow it to pulse through her veins – not that it would’ve done much  good anymore. It felt foreign and far away; stretching out her magical  reach was suddenly slow and weak, as if in a dream.

    All  she could do was stand with failing knees and fight for air in vain.  Never had she felt so helpless as her wide eyes locked on the doe. A  cold and unfamiliar sense of dread rushed through her body; Ava could  take the recruit’s life away with only the will to do so.

     

Ava

 The  scarlet hadn't concentrated this much since her early days as a  aspiring stormbringer. As she stood there, focusing on her magic she  felt how her heart began to pounded faster and faster.  Dark spots of  sweat began covering her body and the scarlet narrowed her eye s to keep  the magic in control. Just a little more, just a little further.

And  so it began. The roan doe, the dark doe had an expression of triumph on  her face, but suddenly she gasped for air. Panic shone in her eyes and  she began shaking, like somebody had her in an iron grip. And then she  noticed Ava. Her eyes... desperate eyes as she suddenly realized the  crimson doe had her locked in a deadly situation.

 

What  was this weird feeling? The scarlet saw her fell to the ground, her  breath stolen from her lungs and by force she now found herself on  kneeling, gasping to breathe. And Ava... she didn't stop. This feeling  of power, this feeling of control... she had never been in control, she  had always been at the mercy of others and never been able to defy them.  But finally she had the power... and she loved it. Had she been  watching herself from afar she would've felt disgusted by her actions.  But in the moment it felt justified and the scarlet felt a smirk creep  across her face, a smile of self-righteousness and an uncaring stare.

 

"That's just pathetic, dear... is this all you can manage?"

 

No... not like this.

 

The  scarlet froze. This voice of reason came from far, far away and was  merely a whisper. But enough to break the trance Ava was in. No... she  didn't want this. She didn't need this. She was no murderer.

Shaking  slightly she stopped the flow of magic around the doe. Confusion as  well as fear, but this time she didn't fear the stranger. No, the magic  she had been using was not okay, it was sickly and wrong and everything  she had promised never to use. And she just had. Looking at the poor,  young and frightened doe she felt a bitter taste of loathing towards  herself, and Ava shook her head.

 

"You fool... just get out of here... go, crawl back to your land. I don't care, just go.."

Her  voice as well as body was shaking and slowly she backed away from the  dark doe. Her eyes darted around before she once again shook her head.  Why had it felt so right... Ava was shaken by herself and felt how panic  crept closer. But she refused to break down in front of this doe and  therefore she left her on the ground. She would find her way somehow,  she just needed to get out of here.

 

"And don't return". 

 

Nimwen

    The  instant the choking force vanished, Nimwen felt her chest break into a  fierce coughing fit; the air came rushing back into her lungs faster  than she could swallow. After several moments her breath grew steadier,  though still deep, and she started to raise herself off her knees again,  eying the doe with caution.

    Nim regarded her with something caught between intrigue and fear — she supposed most would call that respect —  and didn’t dare move closer but couldn’t bring herself to turn away,  either. She’d been warned countless times that a Loyalist was fully  capable of killing her, and here it would seem the warnings had been  proven true. Yet it didn't feel that way, not when Nimwen wasn’t seeing  the lawless beast she’d always imagined. There was only a lithe red doe,  exhausted and anxious, whose eyes suddenly seemed to reflect her own.

    Such  power in the doe’s magic, the likes of which Nimwen had never seen  before; she’d witnessed all sorts of miracles, but assphyxiation was  something new and incredible and frightening.  The scarlet stranger had ordered her to leave, yet looked more shaken  than Nim, now fully poised to flee. Could anything really be so powerful  as to make her fear herself?

    “How did you do that?” Nim breathed, not actually expecting an answer and unsure if she even  wanted one. The question came naturally, like the words of an awestruck  child. Finally she took a step back. It was her dream to master the  wind, but… was that the sort of power she wanted?

     

Ava

She didn't flee. Why didn't she flee? The scarlet had made it very clear, that she

did  not want her company. Heck, she even dared ask her something, as if Ava  had shown her something amazing. Taking a step back she herself created  some distance, before shaking her head violently. How did she do it? A  question she didn't feel like answering. Flickering her tail nervously  she looked at her.

 

"Just go..."

She  said, almost pleading her to leave now. She moved back now, slowly the  dark doe was on her way back to the main lands. She would get home safe,  Ava was sure of it. She wasn't afraid of much, this young doe, but  maybe a bit more careful in the future.

But she  needed to go as well. She needed to talk to someone, she needed to hear  Aila reassuring her that it would be okay. She had done nothing wrong,  merely defending herself. But why did she feel so unsettled and nervous.  Why was she afraid? It didn't make sense.

Backing  away slowly, she made sure to keep an eye on the dark doe. She didn't  look away, didn't say much but made sure to not turn around before the  roan doe was gone behind the hills. And even then she felt like eyes  followed her on her way home. 

 

 

Nimwen

    As  the stranger turned away, Nim felt like her legs were heavy, too heavy  to move -- yet she knew it was in her best interest to leave. Something  wouldn’t allow her to do more than take a few more hesitant steps  backwards while she watched the red doe’s shape grow smaller and  smaller. She simply watched. Her mind was whirling, and frankly, her  body wasn’t feeling grand, either.

    It was  somewhat surreal; the evening was just the same as the one she’d walked  into mere minutes ago. Warm light cast over the grass and slowly the  insects were starting up their strange songs again. Besides the odd  marks in the ground, a newcomer would’ve noticed no sign of a  disturbance. Nimwen doubted anyone would believe she’d run into a  Loyalist at all. The roan swallowed; what had she hoped to accomplish in  challenging the doe, scare her off? Prove how much stronger the Allied  herds were?

    Play soldier?

She’d  managed no such thing, but then, she was still standing. The same  question clung to her brain like a fog: how could one wield magic in  such a way -- no, how could one bring themselves  to wield it in such a way? Little by little, Nimwen kept inching  backwards until the doe was a mere red dot in the distance. Only then  did the recruit force herself to turn her back and tread the way she’d  come, suddenly feeling small as a fawn.