vatheon | Terror under the sea

Entry tags:

Terror under the sea

Who: The Disciple and whoever
Where: The Plaza, The forest, and the path in between.
When: Early morning 3/29
Style: whatever suits your fancy.
Status: Open

Water. She was Wet.

She came to lying down, somehow drenched in saltwater. Blood mingled with seawater, on her hands and face. The Disciple was unable to remember how she got here. She seemed to be in some sort of city. A heavy fear caught in her chest. She shook herself awake to figure out where exactly she was.

"Where...am..." Her voice cracked from disuse.

Her conscious brain began shutting down as her senses were pounded with information. The sights and sounds of this new place, hammered into her mind. Unfamiliar beings were all around her, some even looking at her, in the open. Her mind scrambled for purchase. Worst of all was the scent. With so many...things together in this dome, compounded with the ever-present smell of seawater. Flooded with input, her animal brain took over.

FLEE!

DANGER!

Finally, she caught wind of a familiar scent. Trees; there were trees here. She flung herself after the scent, knocking aside anything in her path. Desperate for survival she attempted back alleys and other paths that didn't reek of these many strange beings.

She fled to the southeast.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There are tiny happy squealing sounds from Nepeta when the Disciple started grooming her; a kitten mewling at being played with or tickled, and whereas she'd give her poor moirail the fight of his life every time he tried to get her to take a bath, she now allowed the Disciple to groom her however she liked, remembering with fondness how her lusus used to do this for her too.

She snuggled up with her, completely trusting, one hand patting her ancestor's cheek as she gladly submitted to having her face licked or her hair fussed with or whatever the older troll thought was appropriate grooming at the time.

Each lap or hug was met with a giggle, hoping to perhaps hear the Disciple laugh with her, having caught that earlier giggle and wanting to hear her make the sound once more. It was an echo of a different troll than the feral one she'd met here mere minutes ago, an echo of who she knew the Disciple to really be.

The Disciple's grooming went on for awhile, lost in the simple bliss. The smile stayed spread across her lips. She had grown to enjoy this tranquil feeling. Her feral side rallied against her, demanding action. But, it was once again shuttered, this time by the adorable noises emitted by the smaller greenblood.

A look of confusion crossed the elder greenblood's face. She had stumbled upon a strange marking on the skin of the young one, during her attentions. Carefully, she traced a small part of the design with the tip of her claw.

"What...this?" She asked, her voice still raspy. One eye raised in query.

Nepeta blinked, startled out of the comfortable sleepy feeling brought on by a proper grooming. The tingling of the Disciple's claw against her skin had her looking down at the back of her hand where the mark was, and she rubbed her face against the Disciple's shoulder as she tried figuring out the simplest way to explain.

"It's a mark everyone that was brought here has. It shows that we're not locals. And since they were the ones who took us away from our homes, if we show it to them in their shops they let us have food and blankets and things, and whatever else we need. A hive, too. I've got a very nice hive, I share it with Tavros. That's my matesprit. Would you like to visit it purrhaps?"

She spoke slowly, trying to make it easy for her ancestor to understand her. She'd feel a lot better if she had her safely with her and Tavros rather than leaving her wandering on her own out here, not that she doubted for a moment that the other troll could look after herself.

"Everyone brought has?" She asks, her voice growing a little more accustomed to speaking again. Most of the other words said by Nepeta are lost on the Disciple as she begins a thorough inspection of her own body, looking for the mark.

At the mention of the visit with her matesprit, finally looked up from her search. She had already examined the easily viewed parts of her arms, and had started on her legs. Her right foot held aloft, she had been looking at the bottom of her foot, still no success. But the young greenblood's question managed to grab her attention.

"Meet mate, yes. Make sure he safe, yes." She nodded then recommenced her search.

She had finished her legs and had started on the hard to see parts of her arm. The odd mark becoming visible just above her left shoulder-blade. Impossible for her to see, but quite visible to Nepeta.

Sometimes, when he's trying to work through a problem with his robotics work, Equius likes to take walks in the woods. It's not the same as home, where he would climb the mountains and STRONG leap from peak to peak, but it's the best he can do. And so he's out in the woods, wandering and thinking, when he hears a very familiar giggle.

"Nepeta?"

He follows the sound, blundering through the bushes and into the small clearing, where he sees his moirail and... who is that?

One would think he'd immediately make the connection and realize that's Nepeta's ancestor, but no. No, he's just going to stand there stupidly and stare.

She had been too relaxed. She had allowed herself to drop her guard. Careless fool. A scent hit her nose the same instant there was a rustling from the edge of the clearing.

Highblood.

Her feral mind smashed free of its cage, instantly resuming control. In one smooth motion she exploded up from her position on the ground into her savage fighting stance. She bared her fangs and claws at the interloper, announcing her ill intent with a fierce hiss.

Her new found protective instinct refused to be utterly forgotten, she would protect the little one from the filth. She positioned herself in between the two other trolls. Without looking back she took a deliberate step forward.

"Run!" She announced to Nepeta, unable to keep the hatred from flavoring her voice.

Nepeta was laughing when Equius stepped into the clearing, finding it impossible to believe that anyone would think she needed protecting from Tavros. But she was terribly happy all the same that apparently her ancestor was looking out for her this much already.

She lifted one hand to tap just over the Disciple's shoulderblade to let her know where the mark was, but then she found herself tumbling off the other greenblood a splitsecond after she recognized her moirail's voice.

Ever agile, she landed on her feet in spite of being startled and twisted around to try and sense the danger, to locate whatever it was that had made the Disciple react so fiercely and prepare to defend both her and her moirail.

It took her a second to realize that it was her moirail himself that had her so spooked.

"No!" she cried out, flinging her arms around her ancestor's waist to make sure she didn't try to pounce him. "It's just Equius! He won't hurt us!" She darted a panic-filled glance at her moirail - no, no, no, this wasn't how she wanted things to go at all!

Not the reaction he wanted!

Equius freezes, suddenly aware of the very feral, very wild-eyed troll standing between he and his moirail. He's not afraid of getting hurt himself, but he has no idea what this adult might do to Nepeta, and while he's stopped believing adult trolls will eat wigglers on sight... this one tests the theory.

He shoves his hands in his pockets, keeping them out of sight and out of danger, not realizing how that might be misinterpretted as threatening, not realizing that not everyone knows about his STRONG problem, and lowers his eyes so he's looking at the ground.

"I won't hurt you. You or Nepeta."

Words. The beast inside her had no care for words. Actions are what mattered, and this newcomers stance told her what she needed to know; Threat. The Disciples bestial anger stoked into a bonfire. This one must die so that the little one...

Something grabbed her around the waist. Her mind refused to process what had actually happened.

A TRAP!

DANGER!

She dropped herself even lower, attempting to catch her assailant off-balance. Then, taking advantage of it, the elder greenblood attempted an anger fueled throw over her back, flinging herself free of her threat.

To her credit Nepeta made no sound of surprise or pain, but perhaps that was only because she simply had no time to. She should have known better than to grab her ancestor that way - she herself wouldn't react well to being grabbed when panicked - but between concern for her moirail and with the way the Disciple had been so gentle and caring with her she didn't even consider the consequences of her actions...

And then she found herself flying through the air

Skills honed by years of hunting helped slightly so that she fell in a way that softened the worst of the blow, but the Disciple was far stronger and faster than her, and as she hit the ground the impact hurt, jolting her so hard she was sure she'd broken something. Green poured down her chin from where she'd bitten through her lip and she couldn't manage to get to her feet, but she was still trying to crawl in between them, to stop either of them from hurting the other.

"Nepeta!"

Equius' voice is a cry of anguish, and he springs into action, rushing towards his moirail. What if she's hurt, what if something happened?!

One threat down, for now. It was a decent throw, the assailant surprisingly light. Highbloods could be frustratingly tough. The downed threat wasn't getting up right away, she would finish it off later. She could turn her attention to the other highblood. It looked younger, a male by be the scent of it. Like all of the filth, however, still a threat. It looked strong she would have to finish it quickly, sever something important, and get back out. Speed would be key. All these were thoughts that flashed through her bestial mind.

The still standing highblood yelled a threat and starting rushing forward. The greenblood readied herself for a lethal strike. The Highblood headed not for her, however. It rushed to the side of the downed enemy, a look of concern obvious on its face. Olive blood still covering the downed troll's face. The young female troll...young...female...

No... no... no no....

The little one, she had...

Realization hit her like a plummeting meteor. The elder greenblood recoiled from herself as if struck, falling to her knees. She had hurt the little one. She was a monster. Her claw-tipped hands clutched at her head, breaking skin. Olive blood starting to flow from fresh gouges.

She would need to get away, she could not allow herself to hurt the little one any further. But the Beast craved blood.

She tried to say something, anything, to the little greenblood. All that came out was a feral scream. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HER!?

"Equius..." She coughed out his name, the effort making something in her chest hurt, and reached for him, wanting the comfort and safety of her moirail and hoping that by having him close she could somehow prevent the Disciple attacking him in the wild panic she'd realized her ancestor was now in.

"It's the Disciple, she's my ancestor, Equius, she's just scared," was the most explanation she could manage, wincing even at that much, and outright shuddering when at the same time the other greenblood let out that awful scream.

Her head jerked in her direction, looking shocked, afraid to see her charging at them but instead noticing the way the Disciple was clutching at her head, rough enough to make herself bleed.

"No, don't, please, you'll hurt yourself!" She struggled to get to her feet, scrunching her face against the pain. The Disciple was...upset? Unhappy because she'd hurt her? She couldn't be sure but she wanted to hope so, because that meant maybe she'd stop and listen to them. "I'm okay, really, look..."

Equius is by Nepeta's side in a flash, dropping to his knees next to her, so that she can pull herself up on him. Not for the first time, he curses his inability to touch without causing pain, and wishes he could scoop her into his arms and carry her away. But the best he can do is hold his arms out in front of him, as he's done many times before, and hope she has enough strength to crawl into them.

"I won't let her hurt you again, Nepeta," he tells her, his teeth gritting together, partially in anger at the older troll, partially in frustration at his own inadequacies. "I don't care if she's scared, she's not hurting you again." He looks up, his face half-contorted with rage, at the cowering adult. He's not afraid of the grown troll; he's Darkleer's descendent, he carries the blood of Archeradicators, and this bitch is not hurting his moirail again!

No, everything had been going so well. She had felt peace for the first time in so very long. Now, she had hurt the little one, all because ...Him. A disconcerting calm spread over the Disciple. She felt herself slipping back into the fog, the beast taking over once again.

The elder greenblood pulled her hands back from her head, still stained olive. She briefly stared at her hands, looking almost puzzled. She was unable to recall how the blood got there. Her gaze raised to take in the highblood.

It had all been fine till it showed up. Now the little was hurt, and the filth was next to her. Her eyes flared angrily in false realization. It had hurt Nepeta. Kill it. KILL IT.

She let out a growl, her voice growing low and bitter. "Touch...her and...DIE!" she forced through bared fangs. The Disciple took a single step forward, claws outstretched.

"No!" Nepeta shrieked out, grabbing onto Equius' arms and hauling herself onto him as quickly as she could, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding on tight as she looked beseechingly at the Disciple. "He's my moirail," she added in an only slightly quieter tone, hoping that her ancestor would at the very least recognize that word and what it meant.

At the same time she was stroking Equius' cheek, trying to calm him down and soothe him and hopefully show the adult troll facing them that he wasn't as dangerous as she was sure he seemed just then. "Shhh, it's okay, I'm fine, really, I'm not hurt, shhhh, everything's okay..."

Equius openly snarls at the older troll, showing his jagged, broken fangs. He feels better with Nepeta safe in his arms, and it doesn't even register that his moirail had been talking to him when she cried out.

"I will end you, oliveblood," he growls at the Disciple, hardly feeling the way Nepeta is stroking his cheek and trying to calm him down. "I will make you pay for hurting my moirail."

She watched with a visceral smile as Nepeta climbed onto the blueblood. Even hurt by the thing, the little one was still capable of fighting back. The Disciple looked for an opportunity to strike now that the little one was fiercely... stroking it's cheek?...

Wait...

...What?

Her eyes were not confusing her, that really was the little one carefully caressing the cheek of the highblood. Bewildered by what she was seeing, the beast inside of her hesitated. Making use of that as a springboard, the elder troll forced the beast to the side and took control.

Recent memories cascaded back into place. She was the one who hurt the little one, not this newcomer. He was acting in defense of her, and she of him. The highblood filth was protecting her from me, the crazed monster. One question stuck in her mind. Her fighting stance dropping to one of acquiescence, one arm stayed up, gesturing towards the blueblood.

"You said, mate was brownblood," she asked, speaking more surely, "Not this...thing." Anger still pulsed through her, but it was being kept in check.

"No you won't, Equius!" she declared, breaking off watching her ancestor to smack him sharply on the shoulder instead. He probably wouldn't even feel it, while her hand would be stinging for a while, but it was a sure way to get across the fact that she was really annoyed with him. "You won't hurt her, you won't, they made her end up like this, okay?! They took away everyone she loved and she ended up on her own! She's the one who's really hurting, not me!"

There was a growl in her voice as she told him off, but that didn't mean she hadn't gone right back to papping at his face. He was more likely to listen if the edge was taken off of his anger.

And then Disciple blindsided her with that question.

She turned back towards her, hand frozen mid-pap, part of her noting with relief that she seemed somewhat calm and reasonable again. Another part of her flailing because damn it Equius wasn't a thing, and was that really how their relationship looked, or was the Disciple still just confused.

"Moirail," she corrected her. "Equius is my moirail." She held her hands up in front of her in the age-old diamond sign representing moirallegiance, since perhaps a visual would better help the other troll to understand. "My matesprit is a brownblood, I didn't have to tell you, you smelled him on me, remember?"

Edited 2012-04-04 21:38 (UTC)

Equius keeps Nepeta close to him, and he stops snarling aloud, although his upper lip keeps curling over his fangs and his eyes never leave the older troll. He doesn't care what has been done to her, he doesn't care what her story is; all he cares about is that she hurt his moirail, and if he gets half a chance, he'll destroy her for that gross injustice.

Deep in his chest, he keeps rumbling. From a distance, it might almost be mistaken for a purr, but up close, it's very glaringly a growl, a warning to stay back.

She fought against the anger that had settled over her. She had done something terrible, and she didn't want to lose herself again and make it worse. But, it was still a highblood. They had done horrible things to her; to...others. Now this little one threatened her. NO. It...he was protecting Nepeta. Remember her? The one that you hurt.

She had to somehow make it better.

KILL IT. BEFORE IT KILLS YOU! Her bestial mind howled for vengeance; for blood.

NO.

Not again. She would not lose herself again.

A unthinking step forward.

She knew what she would do. It was stupid, and the feral part of her mind screamed in protest. The elder greenblood, focusing arduously, forced it silent.

A second heedless step, then a third and fourth. The Disciple stood still for a a couple seconds, her features giving away her inner turmoil. Ultimately she allowed herself to fall, landing hard on her knees, arms slack at her sides. RUN. KILL. SOMETHING...NO. It would be this way.

With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and exposed her throat to the blueblood; Her mind on fire with opposition.

Edited 2012-04-07 09:32 (UTC)

A sound of dismay escaped Nepeta the moment the Disciple's knees hit the ground, and it was only then that she stopped soothingly petting her moirail's face and started to urgently tug at his sleeveless top instead.

"Equius...Equius, put me down, please..." She'd jump down but wasn't quite feeling up to being jarred again so soon, and anyway she couldn't predict what her moirail would do if it looked like she was running back into danger.

"You know how hard it is fur a troll to make themselves vulnerable like that!" In fact, Nepeta hadn't ever even seen it happen before outside of quadrants, and it only made her need to rush over there and comfort her ancestor even more. "She really didn't mean to hurt me, you can see she didn't, please, Equius, let me go to her, she was looking after me before you got here, she was only scared you meant to hurt us." The small greenblood looked frantically between her moirail and her ancestor; the adult had made the first move to smooth over the sitation, surely Equius was capable of accepting it?

Equius is... hopelessly confused. When the older oliveblood had started moving towards them, all his muscles had tensed, ready to STRONG jump away and put Nepeta somewhere safe, then return and do... something. Something that would make sure the other troll never hurt someone he cared about again.

But then she knelt and exposed her neck like that, and Equius is lost. He has no idea what to do here, and so just stands there, stupidly, until Nepeta's voice and the way she's tugging on him penetrate the fog. He crouches and puts Nepeta down, but he's not leaving. He waits, unsure how this is going to play out.

Eyes closed, throat still bared, she waited. She tried to ready herself for what would be coming. FOOL. FLEE. WEAK. A slight shake to her head, rejecting her instinct. She tried to control her breathing, but it was turning shallow and rapid. Still, she struggled to maintain herself.

A brief flash of insight struck her. She had been here before, or at least somewhere similar. Kneeling in front of a blueblood, terrified. When was that? where...? Just as quickly the thought was gone, leaving her unable to remember anything else from that night.

The Disciple stayed put, her disquiet growing.

Edited 2012-04-07 19:24 (UTC)

Equius was flashed a quick look of gratitude from his moirail, a look also tinged by relief that the Disciple's actions had at least delayed if not completely dispelled the thoughts of revenge Nepeta was afraid he'd been harboring.

A couple of steps brought her up close to her ancestor again and then she was crouching, lifting a hand to the adult's cheek before she thought better of it and spoke instead. "It's okay, Miss Disciple. Look, I'm fine. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."

She tilted her head, a strange younger mirror-image of the troll in front of her, offering the same trust and resignation that the Disciple had shown them. And if it was accepted she'd lean forward to nuzzle against the older troll's exposed throat, rewarding trust with kindness and affection, showing her it was okay to offer them that trust, that it was a welcomed gift that wouldn't be used against her.

Terror under the sea

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and then Equius ruined everything

Re: and then Equius ruined everything

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feels bad, man.

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The Disciple needs...help.

Oh noes...

casually makes things worse

now she makes it awkward...

SO AWKWARD...

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