Crimewave - Sword and Mutations

[Ares]

Muscle to muscle, and toe to toe
The fear has gripped me, but here I go

Her head wouldn't stop hurting. Her back was sore, but her wings had come in so there was no pain. But her horns had just begun piercing her skin, and god it hurt. Blood trickled from the open wounds but it wasn't too bad. Walking helped keep her distracted. Ares had just been walking around the swamp and forest before she spotted it.

Sticking in the ground, with it's sheath beside it, was a sword of black-ish metal and silver and leather hilt. Its edges were lined in blue, and even though it was partially in the ground, it almost radiated with power. A cord of leather was wrapped around the pommel and dangled limply, a blue bead holding it in a loop. It seemed... royal. Regal.

As she held a paw toward it, she felt a horrid, sharp pain in her head as the horns grew even quicker. Still, she kept walking toward it, drawn by the blue. The closer she got, she felt her wings grow even more and her horns growing quickly. Until she was touching the blade, with a fully grown set of horns (proportional to her size) and a pair of glossy black wings. The pain had died to a dull ache now, and she was able to better examine the sword.

The engravings seemed familiar but unknown, the blue looked as though it was the hottest flames one can bring to life. But no heat radiated from it. The leather cord beckoned her and she wrapped her paw around it, standing on her hind legs and tugging in hopes of yanking it out of the ground. Unfortunately it did not budge, earning a few loud curses from the child.

[color=#98c3e1]"Damnit! Just get loose already!"

[color=#98c3e1]"Speech"

— Reggan

[trojan g.]

[align=left]there's a chip on my shoulder *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Moth knew nothing of magical swords that caused things to grow quicker, in fact hadn't even known that there were swords in Tanglewood at all, other than possibly the library in the drawings in the books and in some houses of those that used swords in battle. She never thought there would be one simply sticking out of the ground in the middle of the swamp. If she had known about it she likely would have gotten rid of it a long time ago, or, rather, dug it up and taken it somewhere where it wouldn't be a potential harm to the children and those clumsy in the group.

She had been looking for herbs, hopeful that despite the colder weather they would be around the swamp in some spots, when she saw the faint blue glimmer from behind the foliage and the sound of Ares speaking. Coming closer and seeing a sword, however, was the cause of what had caught her eye, and watching as Ares toppled over from trying to get it out of the ground cause alarm. It was possible that the young Tanglewood member would be able to be careful with the weapon, of course, but it was still a weapon and she was still a child - a child that had recently been injured already at that - so it would be understandable that Moth wasn't the most willing to simply give the other a sword out of nowhere.

"Ares?" The reaper would speak, looking down towards the other, noticing the growth of wings and horns and pausing for a moment. They had grown a lot quicker than Moth had thought they would, considering their growth thus far, and it threw her off guard for a moment, but only a moment. "I don't think you should be trying to get the sword out of the ground right now. I mean I'll help to get it out, and you can keep it but I won't allow you to use it until you're an apprentice and have had some training at least. I don't need more visitors than necessary to my house for injuries." She was a mother, she knew that children got interested in things they shouldn't at times, but so long as they were monitored it was fine, right?

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  and it's big as a boulder

[wormwood.]

[Ares]

Muscle to muscle, and toe to toe
The fear has gripped me, but here I go

She turned her gaze to Moth, suddenly feeling overprotective of the sword. She listened to the reaper, however, finding her words sound. [color=#98c2e1]"Yeah.. Yea that makes sense." The words felt foreign to her lips, as though she wasn't speaking. She looked back at the sword. It continued to beckon and practically beg for freedom. She was to entranced by the sword that she hadn't realized that Aurum had arrived until he spoke.

Ares whirled her gaze to him, wings unfurling and ears held back against her skull. Strength filled her and she hissed at him, backing up toward the sword. [color=#98c3e1]"No! There's nothing wrong with the sword - It's mine! No one else can wield it!" The words again felt foreign but right at the same time. She felt stronger, different, almost. Like she was someone else for a brief moment. [color=#98c3e1]"If we leave it here it could be stolen and I'll never see it again! I - It's mine and mine alone. No one can have it except me. No one. Not even you, Aurum." She snarled, feeling a warmth within her chest.

Yes, child. It is your sword. Your birthright, for you are the goddess of war.

[color=#98c3e1]"Speech"

— Reggan

[Grimm]

[div style="margin: auto; max-width: 475px; padding: 5%; min-height: 20px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 17px;"]To act in manner denoting his knowledge of what eclipsed her thoughts, the turmoil wrought along those fine strands, plucked until frayed as each is worn further down, deceit all he would enact. Ignorant was he to it all, even as his own mind grew heavy, threaded his crown with memories befit only the fabricated boxes they may never flee, to each their own sorrow. And to it he would make no mention, allowed the meagre comfort he may offer flourish even as the words died on his tongue.

In a manner akin to numerous present about him cared for Ares, ash the statement, however, held until it seemed spun a cage between his teeth. Present had he been in her finding, so tiny than, lost and alone, unsure grown for she seemed glass even as her rage was spoken in childish vocalisation. Best he was able there was he, away had she drawn all the same, responsibilities aplenty drawing him away towards other things.

Known her state, how the growth of new additions had begun and brought with it a cascade of blood, about her hung that copper tang, gut turning with each breath. Stomached it for what little time he was capable of seeing her, always the creeping doubt ruined things, abandoned every time with piling up excuses. Beneath the guise of a check up his approach of her home, no trinket carried to distract, only a hope his company may be accepted, the silence that met his knock enough to plant a seed of worry. Pursuit began, easy how he picked up the scent of her blood upon the wind, though it grew faint, buried beneath the sulfur thick in the swamps muggy atmosphere. Continued on his path, mouth opening, call swallowed as the voices rose.

Bad the scene Salvia intruded upon, anger common for the child, this seemed different, a potent rage that originated from the denial of blade that felt out of place. Little his own personal experience with the swamp, preferred the forest for distinct the lack of mud present about the leaf litter, what he knew enough to understand this occurrence was not normal. "What happened… You're bleeding." Over her forehead vision wandered, the accelerated growth of the keratin unkind, her lack of response to any possible pain only further igniting his worry. Brief the break away, taken in the weapon sunk into the clinging muck, yet back to Ares attention turned, well addressed the sword he bore little interest within already. "We just wanna help."

[wormwood.]

[Ares]

Muscle to muscle, and toe to toe
The fear has gripped me, but here I go

Salvia's words fell on deaf ears as Ares narrowed her eyes at Aurum, though as she turned around and saw the sword become constricted and pulled deeper into the earth, her eyes widened and her chest tightened, constricted in a mix of fury and confusion. Her body shook violently with the restrained anger, but she gritted her teeth and stared Aurum down. The sheath was free from his vines and she moved slowly, methodically, toward it, eyes sticking to Aurum like glue. Placing a firm paw on the black sheath she stood resolute, wings flared.

[color=#98c3e1]"I'm not stupid. I've read books about what swords can do. You-" she choked on the words as she was pulled back to her senses, ugly fury behind a dam and locked away but still her body shook with the strain. [color=#98c3e1]"I.. I keep the sheath. Only fair." Words quieter than snow, body nearly crumpling but still standing tall. Head lowered in defeat and she sat down with a heavy movement. She curled her wings around her body as though protecting it from outer elements.

[color=#98c3e1]"Speech"

— Reggan

[rhosmari]

Walking through the swamp the lioness just happened to come across the scene. Her constant avoidance of others had become apparent really and she had even hesitated before coming any closer. Staying back and further within the foliage though her colors hardly allowed for her to actually stay hidden. Her bright blue eyes stayed trained on Ares for a longer moment then the others before she finally rested them on Aurum and then toward Salvia. With a soft sigh she pressed forward and allowed her figure to push up through the brush. With a wave of her tail in greeting to the group she focused primarily on the sword, looking at the item that had been tucked deeper into the ground as a whole. It was what Ares was after but she had to agree with Aurum, she was much too young to be wielding a sword and attempting to use it. Even if she had read about them in books putting it into practice was another matter entirely. It was not the same and she would know. As one that wielded serrated bone weapons she was capable with her own creations.

Still she merely kept silent because she figured that Ares would not want to listen to her. After all her own daughter that she loved thought she was an imposter. That she was dead. Her ears pulled back and she lowered her eyes from the situation. Why had she even bothered showing her face then? Perhaps as backup in case she was needed to help sway the odds. She sighed softly before shaking her head a bit and lifting her gaze up them. She was definitely on the Luminary's side when it came to the child and the weapon. She needed to be older and stronger if she as ever going to wield something that was this dangerous. She needed extra care and more precise training so that she didn't end up loping off her own limb. But she was also wondering about her wings and her horns. They had grown so fast and in such a short moment of time. Something must have caused that to happen.