The Song of the Siren (Accepting :: OPEN)

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua sat on the edge of his bed, stretching his legs out before him. He shrugged lightly. "If you'd like, we could go back to town." He glanced out the window. "It's a full moon and the path isn't hard to find. As for Katalina and them, they probably would dry out." He listened to her and had to wonder - Who was she reassuring? Joshua and Mac or herself? He sighed, still looking out the window. He wasn't sure what was coming, but it probably wasn't good, judging by everyone's reactions.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara, surprised, glanced back at him. "Oh no," she replied, shaking her head. Her next words were chilling, although Tianara herself didn't seem to find them so. "It's much too late now." She was standing at the window now, instead of just looking through it from a distance, and couldn't remember when she had gotten there - a sure sign that whatever it was, it was getting close.

She took several deliberate steps away from the window and took a seat on the bed as well, as close to the window as possible. It was her nature to fall to lookout, and she was doing what she would have done in the clan without really realizing it.

Keeping her gaze on the window, she sat silent and straight, waiting for what came next. "Joshua?" she asked, without even looking around. Her eyes were still on the window.

The question that came after was not precisely shocking. "Are you scared?"  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua tried to hide the shiver that ran down his spine at her words. That meant whatever was coming, was close. He glanced at Tianara as she sat down beside him. At her question, he drew his knees up his chest. Wrapping his arms around them, he sighed. "Of course I'm scared. I have even less of an idea than you do. All I know is something is making you and the merfolk nervous. Nezik doesn't scare easily from what I've seen." Katalina was the one he knew best of all the merfolk but he was getting an idea about the young merman. "And knowing that he and you are nervous, it makes me nervous and scared. I think I'd be crazy to not be scared." He added ruefully, keeping his gaze out the window as well.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara smiled weakly and rested her hand briefly on his shoulder. "Me too," she said quietly. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." She listened for a moment or two, briefly, and then sighed softly. "At least they've found a safe place to hide for a while." She stiffened abruptly.

She looked over at him and noticed that he was also looking out the window. "Don't," she said abruptly. "Don't do that, Joshua. Look somewhere else." She didn't specify, but there seemed to be a reason behind it.

Uncertainly, she looked back out the window herself, as though judging the amount of time they had. She remained quiet for several seconds.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua covered Tianara's hand briefly, giving a gentle, grateful squeeze. A knot he hadn't even realized had been there relaxed at the news that the others were safe. "Well, that's one less thing to worry about." He murmured.

His amber gaze flickered to Tianara curiously as she ordered him not to look. Without meaning to, his eyes turned back to the window for a second. Then he tore them away, staring at the floor. "Why?" He asked quietly, not sure if he wanted to know. Why couldn't he look out the window? Did she think he couldn't handle the sight of whatever was coming?

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[EG Water]

((Sorry guys, I just moved and I'm ready to come back))

Mac sat there gazing at the floor. He looked up at the two and spoke calmly, "Don't fret...The feeling will delude you. You will have to be stronger than the fear itself" he said. "Somehow you should just cope with it. Make yourself an alter ego if you have to" he explained, "Just don't let the enemy get the better of you".  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara, who had glanced back at the window, started slightly when Joshua's hand covered hers for a second. She glanced back at him, and there was the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks before she quickly looked back to the window. "Indeed," she said drily.

At his question - and Mac's words right after it - she opened her mouth to reply. Before she could, however, the entire cabin shook as if in a sudden strong wind. Tianara shuddered once, violently, but kept her gaze trained on the window. "Because," she nearly had to shout over the creaking and squealing of the cabin, "I think I know what's coming. If you don't know how to fight it, it'll find a way to make you let it inside of you. You too, Mac. Just don't look!" She meant mind control, but didn't know the words.

Beneath the creaking of wood, there was a low keening sound that was beginning to rise. Tianara's shivering had turned into a constant slight tremble, but she didn't look away. As long as she didn't let the emotions overwhelm her, she'd be okay. Without realizing it, she turned the hand under Joshua's and held on. She'd need a connection in the next few minutes.

The keening rose, and beneath it wails and shrieks seemed to come from just below the windows of the cabin. Tianara's breathing grew shallower, and she kept her eyes steady. Calm. Calm.

And it swamped the cabin. The entire room went dark as something massive covered the windows. A sense of dread, horror and regret seemed to fill the tiny room - all the negative emotions of the soul. Tianara had time for no more than a brief tightening of her hand on Joshua's before she was swept up in it. The others wouldn't feel it in the same strength she was - she had deliberately shielded them by looking out the window at it. A challenge.

"Positive thoughts," she said to Joshua and Mac, without even realizing she was speaking. "Please. Positive human emotion, damn it!" It was the only way to push it back, and Tianara didn't know if she could generate enough to make it back off on her own.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

The shuddering of the cabin quickly convinced Joshua to heed Tianara's words. He kept his gaze locked on the ground, no matter how tempting it was to look up. He shivered at the sound of the strange keening. He held the girl's hand between both of his own, giving and taking strength from the contact.

A violent shudder wracked his frame as he felt all the horrible emotions. He too, tightened his grip, not liking the feelings at all. He didn't realize that Tianara was speaking at first. Then when she repeated it again, it registered in his mind. Joshua nodded, still looking down. He searched his mind, trying to find something else to concentrate on. After a moment, he had it. He locked his mind on when he first met Katalina. The joy, the sheer elation of finding out that the stories were true. Joshua concentrated with all his might on that joyful feeling, trying not to give in to the horrible emotions around him.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara, too, was focusing on the happiest moments of her life. She could feel the darkness drawing back a little, as though confused, but then it was back in full force. Not just the emotions now - it had realized that someone in there knew how to counter it, and was bringing out the rest of it.

Images. Sensations. Sounds. No longer just feelings. All of horror.

Tianara felt her resolve beginning to slide. The pictures she was seeing in her mind, the shrieking of her loved ones in her head, were of the creature's construction. She knew that. It was just hard to remember, to lock onto, when she was seeing those she loved dying, being injured, turning her away, and on and on.

Trembling again, more violently this time, she focused harder on the positive memories of her life. She didn't know if this would work - it had taken the combined force of her clan to drive it away the last time such a thing had come. But...

No, damn it. No doubts. She pressed for a happier thought, a better part of the past. It could not win. If it got past her...

It would not get past her. Joshua and Mac would not feel the thing's full force. She just would not allow it.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua could feel the violent shakes that went through Tianara. His own trembling had increased as flashes of sounds and pictures came occasionally. He changed his hold, putting one arm around the girl's slim shoulders while he laced his other hand with Tianara's. "Positive." He muttered. He began skipping through his memories, searching. There had to be something to help her. There! He thought, locking on to it. Playing around with the dragon Lucian, with his infectious grin and laughter. You couldn't help but be happy around the dragon. Joshua held on to the relaxed happiness of that time, both him and Lucian at ease and laughing.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara was whimpering softly now as she stared blindly at the window, but the darkness was also beginning to recede. The shaking of the room was lessening, and some very dim light was starting to come back in. The efforts to help her actually seemed to be doing something, although she was still shaking like a leaf.

Suddenly, her body went ramrod straight and rigid against Joshua's side. Her eyes widened, and she gave voice to a low scream. At precisely the same moment, the darkness vanished from the room completely and the moonlight shone in once again.

Tianara slumped weakly against Joshua, breathing shallowly and shaking. There was something heartbreaking in the dark blue eyes when she opened them again and looked at Joshua. "We didn't win," she said wearily, not even questioning the fact that he was holding onto her. "It'll be back. It was a...a draw, I guess." She closed her eyes, still trembling and grateful for Joshua's warmth - she was so cold. "I'm tired," she admitted in a whisper. "I've never had to fight one of them before without the clan backing me. I almost lost it. I would have if you and Mac hadn't helped me."  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua winced, his focus broken by Tianara's scream. He was trembling slightly but nothing like what she was. He let out shuddering breath. "I can see why it would take a whole clan to fight.....whatever that was." Without thinking, he began smoothing down her hair. It was what his mother had always done when he was upset about something. There was something in her dark eyes, something that made his heart clench. He didn't like to see it. He opened his mouth, about to suggest that she sleep, when he changed his mind. "Is there a way to tell when it'll be back?" Joshua didn't doubt her words when she said it would be back.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara let out a brief sigh, appreciating the gesture. Her eyes closed slowly. "Yes," she murmured, her eyes drifting closed as the trembling slowed to an occasional brief shudder. "You'll feel it coming at least half an hour before it gets here, but you might not realize it. You start to feel cold, and then you start to get nervous. As it gets closer, you get scareder and scareder." She seemed to have forgotten some of the basic grammar rules in her exhaustion. "By the time it actually gets there, you're so afraid that you're easy prey. The only way around it is to block it out as soon as you realize what you're feeling."

Almost asleep, she realized what was going on and shook her head once, firmly, trying to wake herself up. "They don't have a name," she murmured as she pushed her hair out of her face. "The merfolk call them the Dark Ones. I haven't seen one of them since I was...oh, a child. Just little. Maybe six, seven."  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter
The forest is yours alone
Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter
None disturb your hunt

Joshua nodded thoughtfully, listening carefully. Now he would be on guard, warned by the first attack. Listening to Tianara speak though, he realized just how tired she was. She didn't normally mess up her grammar like that. "Dark Ones, eh......" He murmured quietly. "Might as well get some sleep Tianara. I doubt it'll be back so soon and besides, even if it was you wouldn't be able to do much. You're exhausted." His voice was soft and kind. Joshua was worried about her.

Beneath the Blood moon
The forest you watch
Beneath the Blood sky
The forest you hunt

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara had already begun to drift again. At Joshua's words, however, she struggled to open her eyes once more. "Yeah," she mumbled. "They feed off the dark in souls. They'll take someone over if they can, and increase the darkness until it fills that person all the way." She gave up on opening her eyes, and rested contentedly beside Joshua - moving over felt like too much effort. "Once they're in someone, you can't get them out. So you have to be very careful to never ever let..." She trailed off for a second, and finished eventually, "...let them in."

Forcing herself to hold on just a minute or two longer, she added, "If you feel it comin' back, wake me up, 'kay? I dun care when." Her words were slurring together. "I haf...hafta hold back the worse of it..." Halfway through her sentence, she trailed off once again. This time, she didn't start up again. She was asleep.