the hot wind blowing -- Eirny

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]/tw for the following:
  -blood throughout
  -loss of a tooth in paragraph 6
  -suffocation from paragraph 9 onwards
  -graphic death by cave-in in paragraph 11 (italicized)

  Rin had heard rumors of a “Halls of Hiraeth,” rumors that had been confirmed by Romanempire. It was time she went to check them out, formally introduce herself, and perhaps communicate with their leader about Romanempire’s nature. Elysium, she’d decided, would be fine for a day or so as long as she hurried there and back.

  She had fletched new arrows after the Pitt battle. Though they still weren’t as precisely-crafted as the arrows she’d found at the Huntress’ site, her skills were improving- these arrows would fly faster and more smoothly than her previous batch, for sure. While she had no desire to get in a fight, she had to be ready just in case.

  The breeze blew softly, and at that moment it occurred to Rin that despite the setting sun, she couldn’t hear so much as a cricket’s chirp.

  Loud, rapid footsteps thundered behind her. She had only a moment to glance behind her, see a six-foot-six wall of muscle barreling directly towards her, and jump out of the way- the rhinoceros’ horn passing by inches away from her face. In the blink of an eye, the gray, rubbery skin became spotted fur, and her attacker spiraled and lunged at her. Eyes wide, Rin jumped over him as he passed by, then turned and fired an arrow at him.

  His form shifted, his skin thickening into what looked like rubber, claws growing from his elongating limbs- as the arrow struck his skin, only piercing shallowly, he whipped his head around and swiped at her. His heavy paw struck right underneath her jaw, pain bursting in the lower half of her mouth.

  With a yelp, she slashed at him in turn, but her claws barely even broke his skin. He jumped back, and as he shifted back into the form of a rhino, Rin realized there was something in her mouth. Turning her head slightly, she spat it out- a small ivory object falling into the grass, stained with blood.

  The rhino charged for her once more, and once more she rolled to the side. Yanking another arrow out of her quiver, she flung it at the rhino. The tip buried itself in his shoulder, but he barely seemed to notice, skidding to a stop.

  Taking another arrow, Rin approached cautiously to get a closer shot. The attacker’s fur turned a dark brown, his shape contorting into that of a bear. The bear shook out the arrow, then turned and gave a bellowing roar in her direction. A blast of flames rose from the ground beneath him as he reared up, and she barely had time to fire- the arrow flying harmlessly past his head- before he landed with another burst of fire, forcing her to jump back.

  Out of the flames, he emerged in his leopard form and slammed her against a tree, his paws pinning her neck and chest against the bark. Writhing, Rin struck out with her claws, but he pressed harder, crushing her windpipe and ribs. She tried to inhale sharply, but the breath wouldn’t come. Collapse, crashed, surrounded, wheezed, pouring-

  She could barely register the leopard’s smirk with her hazy eyes. “I am the Warrior,” she heard him speak, somewhere beyond her perception. “Do you remember how you wronged us?” Rocks, stalactites, boulders, stones- “Do you remember running out of breath the first time?”

  The rocks crashed down around her, surrounding her- within moments, she was buried, the jagged edges of stalactites and boulders and broken bones digging into her flesh, tearing up her insides. She wheezed, tried to cry out, but as crimson liquid seeped from her lips, the oxygen wouldn’t come. No sound left her, nothing but her own blood pouring out upon the stones. All she could think was pain, all she could hear was pain, just pain and agony and was this what she deserved she was going to die she would die and be left alone again-

  She clawed for purchase, empty breaths- empty rise, empty fall- in vain. She could feel the familiar pricking, burning pain behind her eyes, she could taste the blood in her mouth, but she could not think. She could only see, in the center of her darkening vision, his smile.

  “Your crusade ends here.”

  [member=8815]EIRNY[/member]

[Cosmic]

The thunderbird had been in hot pursuit of the one entity that dared force her into an unfamiliar form, a risk to her clan mates and friends. She was pissed, letting the rage boil until she finally spotted the commotion down below.

A feral sounding screech would be heard, and a bolt of electricity was aimed directly at Rin’s attacker in a deliberate, merciless way. Like hell was Eirny going to let this bastard harm more innocents!

“FACE ME! LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE CAUSED! LEAVE THE ELYSITE ALONE!”

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]A voice- a loud, feral screech- a flash of light, a turn of the head. She could feel the unnatural restraints spasm, hear a loud roar of pain- and like that the pressure was lifted, reopening her airways.

  Collapsing onto the grass, Rin gasped for air, the sudden inflow of oxygen making it painfully clear how close she'd come to dying. She could hear the voice again, somewhere beyond the sounds of her inhaling and exhaling despite the pain in her chest. Demands... orders to leave her alone. Why? Who was this?

  As her breathing steadied, her eyes struggling to focus on the grass before her, she could hear the Warrior chuckle darkly. "Well, well... Eirny, was it?" he asked, almost casually. Did he know this stranger? "I thought you would never show up." He must have.

  Rin lifted her head to look at the Warrior and her unexpected savior- a flash of gold, crackling with electricity, jagged lines defining the newfound form. She... she did know this person. With a hacking cough, she lifted a paw- to do what, she didn't know. Say she was sorry? Help her friend, as she had always failed to before?

  In response, the Warrior turned to her and struck out, landing a sharp kick to her ribs. Wheezing, Rin curled up, the pain jolting through every inch of her. "Stay down," she heard him snap, over the roaring in her ears. Struggling to breathe evenly, she shut her eyes- splitting her attention between listening to the conversation, and trying not to die.

  "You ought to know," the Warrior rumbled, "that this 'Elysite' is responsible for my being here in the first place. I wouldn't initiate a fight against someone weaker than myself unless I had a good reason." She could hear another sickening chuckle. "She's murdered my siblings as revenge for the consequences that she brought upon herself. She's quite the habit, actually, of killing those who anger her." His words brought her attention to the continuous taste of blood in her mouth, trickling from her lips. Brought upon herself.

  Another laugh, this one harsher. "Of course, you would know something about that, wouldn't you?" he demanded. "The unfortunate beast you slew for no other reason than your own selfishness... that is what caused your transformation." Forcing her eyes open, Rin lifted her gaze to the electrified creature there- distinctly avian in nature, she could at least tell that much. Not canine.

  The Warrior's form melted into a similarly avian shape- an albatross, tall and proud. "As justified as I may be in killing her, though, I would never refuse a fight, least of all with you." Fire burst from his wings, consuming his form in a flaming aura, and he crowed, "Come, Thunderbird of the Typhoon, and face your destiny!"

  With that, he took off and charged directly at the thunderbird in a blazing fireball. Rin could only watch, her limbs leaden by the shock of what she'd gone through. She had to help, but she couldn't find the strength to move.