:[ PLOT ]: Ominous Visions

[Teigra]

Clear sky, warm weather, a gentle breeze...a peaceful scene to be sure.

If one could ignore the silent tension in the air.

Even the animals had fallen quiet, likely gone into hiding before the brewing storm rolled over them all. The canopy barely stirred with the light breeze, thick foliage growing sparser the closer one moved towards the Great Tree, towering above all, only smaller shrubs and grasses able to live in its massive shadow.

Nearing the base of Laisidhiel, her view shifted; she was standing on the earth, looking out over the clearing. At her side, countless other Faun, dressed for...battle? Old, but sturdy-looking armor, spears, swords, bows, and a number of other unique weapons that some seemed to favor over the standard. A myriad of emotions played over their faces: apprehension, determination, anger, even barely contained panic. From above, perhaps from the branches of Laisidhiel herself, the cry of a bird of prey cut through the air, harsh and touched with the tones of warning.

"To arms, brothers!" she heard herself shout. But that wasn't her voice; it was too deep, too loud. And that...note of authority, completely foreign as well. And yet, all around her, faun hastened to obey, some drawing swords or spears, some notching arrows to bows, all setting their backs to Laisidhiel. She tried to look down at herself, expecting her familiar spotted dark fur...even if she could somehow see again, she didn't question this aspect of the situation; stranger things had happened to her. Instead, stone and earth met her stunned gaze, though seemingly formed into a torso and limbs...

"The enemy arrives on dark wings!" a shout rang out, and her attention shot upward again, towards the sky as commotion broke out on the ground. There had been silence otherwise from the branches above, the army on the ground making even more noise than seemed necessary...almost as if to draw attention...

A shower of arrows, death on swift messengers, sailed into the groups of tiny dots descending from the sky, already below the tallest of Laisidhiel's branches. Bodies fell, blood rained from the heavens...and it was not just the flying, armored strangers who fell. Faun corpses joined them in their plummeting descent, faces twisted in shock and agony, as those lying in ambush were also taken by surprise. Bodies and blood, screams and shouts, armies rushing to war...her stomach churned, sickened by the horror of it all, for the first time cursing the apparent return of her sight.

"Hold the line, brothers! We need more time!" she heard herself shout again in that too-deep voice filled with authority. The coppery smell of blood was thick, almost choking in the air as it paired with the unique, dreaded scent of death. Time...just more time...enough time for the others...

The faun around her were falling, much too quickly, the winged ones weren't losing nearly the numbers as they were on the ground. Suddenly, fire filled the air; lighted arrows were loosed from bows from above, striking Faun and Great Tree alike. At a short distance, she saw another large form of earth and stone turn, summoning the earth below to rise and smother the fires taking light on Laisidhiel's surface. A...Geomancer?

The efforts were valiant, but they were still losing ground. The enemy advanced, the Faun fell back, or fell, never to rise again. With a grunt, she took an arrow in the shoulder...apparently, she could be harmed like any other. The shaft sent waves of burning pain radiating from her torso, distracting enough that she wasn't nearly as shocked when the next few found their new homes.

"Fall back!" she barked, attempting to follow the ragged remains of the front line. "Protect the Tree!" More pain. Strength waning. Each step was an effort, each more difficult than the last. She stumbled...kept moving. Faun falling all around her, cries of pain and loss, defeat...

Laisidhiel...was in flames...

She fell at last, too weak to keep upright. The earth was so welcoming, she could rest... NO! The Great Tree was burning! This...this wasn't right...

This isn't what happened...this isn't right...

'They come again...a darkness more terrible than before. This time...they seek to destroy completely. There will be no escape. None shall survive.'

She tried to rise, but to no avail. She couldn't move, couldn't even turn her head to look at herself. Her energy was gone. The last of the resistance falling around her.

What do we do? Is there no hope?

'Be watchful. Prepare. Beware of the bloody warriors on silent wings.'

She looked up, eyes meeting those of a winged, armored warrior. She saw hatred, rage...victory. Then his sword flashed down and all was pain and darkness once more.

Vanya awoke with a blood-curdling scream, sitting bolt upright in her cot in the darkness of Laisidhiel.
 

[Menelie]

Takis wakes with a startled cry, leaping from their bed and grabbing the staff he keeps just underneath it. He brandishes it and whirls from left to right, his hooves clopping sharply on the floor as he postures for battle. Or whatever he was facing. After a few seconds of only darkness, he relaxes slightly, chest heaving, still gripping the staff.

"What? What is it?" he asks, turning halfway back toward Vanya. "What's wrong?" The terror on her face is obvious; she'd clearly seen or heard something horrifying. She doesn't seem particularly worried about the room itself, though. He puts the staff back down and sits on the bed next to her.

He wants to touch her, to rub her back and pull her hair away from her face. To envelop her in his arms and kiss her head and make everything alright again. He knows how twitchy she can be about touch, especially now that her sight is gone, so he settles for just his presence, his weight next to her on the bed. For now.  

[Teigra]

The darkness remained, but the pain was waning...though the memory of the pain, not so much. The young seer was breathing hard and fast, as if she'd been running from something, and it was all she could do to focus at first on reigning in her panic. Then, she began to take in her surroundings. The smell of fresh wood, unmarred by the scent of smoke or soot. The feeling of the rough, but warm blankets rubbing against her fur as she shifted. The warmth radiating from the body seated next to her...

Without warning, Vanya practically threw herself at her mate, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head against his chest. Her long hair was tousled in the disarray of sleep, and she was still noticeably shaking, despite how tightly she clung to him in desperation. Only to her mate would she ever let herself be seen so vulnerable.

"Oh Takis," she breathed, shaking her head slightly. "It was horrible. Blood and pain, everywhere. Everyone was dying...I couldn't do anything." A single strangled sob escaped, her chest hitching with the rest she wouldn't let loose. The nightmare...or had it been a vision? Or a memory? A little of both? Either way, it was still fresh in her mind, raw as a new wound. She needed time to compose herself; time and comfort, even if it made her feel weak and dependent for the moment.  

[Menelie]

Takis, unprepared for Vanya's sudden tackle-hug, huffs an 'oof!' as he wraps his arms around her. He rubs her back with one hand, hoping his warm touch against her skin would comfort her. With the other hand he cups the back of her head to his chest, stroking her hair gently.

"Shh, love," he murmurs, kissing her head. "You're safe now. Nothing can harm you here with me." The last words he says with a soft smile, hoping it will comfort her. He rocks back and forth slightly.

He can't help but wonder....Vanya had had no visions yet, not intense like this. He wonders if this might be the first. He closes his eyes, wishing that the Earth had been gentler with her for the first time.  

[Teigra]

Vanya willingly settled into the comforting, rocking rhythm. She knew that Takis meant to comfort her. Her brain told her that it wasn't possible for him to protect her from everything, like the horrors she'd been warned of. Especially the nightmarish visions themselves in her own head. And yet, still, she did draw comfort from his words and gestures.

They were silent like that for a while, eventually her shaking stopped and her breathing slowed to a regular rhythm. She stayed where she was for a moment though, giving Takis a gentle squeeze. "Thank you," she whispered, nuzzling his neck before pulling back.

Her hands sought his, comfortable in her place next to her mate. "I..." she wasn't sure where to start, actually. But she needed to talk, that much she was sure of. "I'm not sure if it was a memory, or a nightmare," she murmured. "But, I'm pretty sure that it was a warning, at the least."
 

[Menelie]

Takis kisses her head. "Tell me everything," he says gently, then decides to change places. He moves behind her, positioning her between his legs, then leans against the wall and pulls her backwards into him, her back snug against his chest. He pulls the blanket up over their legs and wraps her arms around her. He wants to create a warm, safe place for her to recount her nightmare.

"What kind of a warning?" he asks.  

[Teigra]

Vanya wriggled comfortably into the embrace, leaning back with a deep sigh before starting to speak. She related all that she'd seen at the beginning of the vision, soaring over the trees, the odd tension in the air, the sight of Laisidhiel rising, enormous even at a distance. Then the shift, the Faun standing at arms with their ancient armor. Herself, or at least whoever she had been within the dream, with that strange, commanding voice.

After hesitating for a moment, she plunged ahead as the conflict broke, both sides sharing losses, then the tide turning against the Faun. She tried to hurry and glaze over the vivid horrors that she had witnessed in her mind's eye, but it was plain that she was still disturbed by the images.

"It all ended with a voice, speaking to me as if from somewhere else. I don't know how I knew, but I knew something was wrong with what I was seeing." Her vacant gaze was locked on some point on the wall across the room as she recounted the brief, but important exchange. "It said that something was coming. Again. And worse than before, that it would destroy everything." She unconsciously wriggled closer to her mate. "I asked what we were supposed to do, and it answered that we should prepare, be watchful, and to 'beware of bloody warriors on silent wings'. Then..." She stopped, deciding the last part of the dream wasn't as important, nor did she feel like sharing her 'dream death.' "...then, it was over," she finished quickly.

Seeming to shake out of her memory, she tilted her head towards Takis' shoulder, as if looking back. "It's like Earthmother said, isn't it? It's going to happen again. I don't know how I know...I just do."  

[Menelie]

Takis takes Vanya's hands while she recounts her dream vision, and rubs his thumbs over the back of them while she talks. The images she describes are disturbing, and it's a miracle he doesn't shiver with fear. He can only hope that this vision doesn't come to pass in reality.

"My love....do you think that perhaps this dream was a vision? Granted by your new powers and position as Seer?" he asks thoughtfully, resting his nose on the top of her head and kissing her hair.

This vision comes as a shock for him as well. He'd forgotten that their new statuses in the Faun society were in preparation for something, to protect the Great Tree. And here he'd been, merrily shaping beds for new inhabitants, his dreams and thoughts occupied by Vanya--how wonderful it is to be her mate, how one day they might be joined officially...he'd even been thinking of children!

But now it's time to reel in those thoughts and set them aside for later. There would be time enough for rejoicing after this coming...whatever...was defeated.  

[Teigra]

"A vision?" she echoed, frowning in thought. "Most likely, yes. But if it is a vision, how do we interpret it?" Unconsciously, she was already considering this a joint effort, rather than feeling pressured to figure it out on her own. That's what mates were for, right? Poor Takis, though. Mate to a Seer.

She still couldn't quite shake the feeling that at least part of the vision had been more than just a dream. More like a memory. But not all of it; as if it had been corrupted.

As nice as it was to try and work through this with her mate, Vanya knew there would only be so much they could do themselves. They'd need help. And besides, they couldn't keep this a secret anyway. "Chieftain Rais will need to be told," she finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Earthmother too. I don't know about the rest of the Council, but they can make that decision. I'll share my vision if they believe it best. For now, I'd rather not cause a panic though, if unnecessary." It was one thing to discuss this with her mate. It was another to discuss this with the entirety of Laisidhiel's inhabitants. Panic would be the least of concerns.  

[Menelie]

Takis listens and nods, continuing to kiss her head and hold her close. "You're absolutely right," he agrees. "We'll definitely tell them first thing tomorrow."

He begins to scoot the both of them down so they're lying down, then turns them over on their side, Vanya tucked into him spoon-fashion. "For now the best thing, I think, would be to get some sleep." He pulls the blanket up over them. "If the Earth is as kind as I think it is, you won't have anymore visions tonight."

He tucks his chin into Vanya's neck, dropping a few small kisses. "I'm always here for you," he says softly.  

[Teigra]

Of course, there was no need to wake everyone and disturb anyone else's sleep tonight. It was highly unlikely that whatever disaster she foretold was going to come to pass before the dawn. It could wait until morning.

The Seer allowed her mate to snuggle her down beneath the blanket once more, wiggling into the comfortable position with a hidden grin. "Of course you are," she murmured, then a ghost of a mischievous grin crossed her features. "I haven't managed to chase you off yet, so I don't suppose I will." She giggled softly in the darkness, making it obvious that she was kidding, before resting her arm over his.

Hopefully, Takis was right and the Earth would be as kind as he believed. Vanya was exhausted. It wasn't long before the warmth and comfort lured her off to sleep once more; this time, undisturbed by visions of destruction and horror.