A wide river dominates this section of the forest. Romance is in the air, and wolves of all ages come to search for their mate.
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Posted on February 9, 2018 at 06:36:12 AM by Fairuz
NOTE: This post takes place following the Rainbows reunion in the thread below. Fairuz never made it to Laod Mor with the others.
There was true horror upon Fairuz's delicate face when she had beheld the pair of moon washed wolves standing among the ranks of the gathered rainbows earlier that day. She did not understand... why did everyone stand so near to the tempests, seem so calm about everything when it was the tempests that they ran from to begin with? Did her friends not recall that tempests were the ones who murdered the King and Queen and then turned against the rest of the kingdom? The unforeseen coup had been swift and brutal and the wolves brave enough to resist, rising against the tyranny to protect the peaceful rainbows, they were shown no mercy by the corrupt wolves. Blood had been shed and lives had been given for herself and her kind, so that they may be free from the cruel new leadership. Though Fairuz had not come to any physical harm herself at their paws, what she had witnessed and endured during the chaos of events was not something so easily forgiven or forgotten - terrible things that even now, weeks later, she still refused to talk about even with her newly trusted companion from the royal guard, Ignis. The memories of those last weeks spent in the Kingdom of the Arcus Irae would haunt her for years to come, no less a scar or injury than those earned by the warriors that had so valiantly defended them.
The Tempests were their guardians and had been for all eternity far as she knew, that much was true. But even though she'd been taught to trust their soul-bonded guardians, words of warning and caution were never far whenever her family spoke to her of them; careful warnings to keep a healthy and safe distance. Safe. That was the word that had always been used. Fairuz was young but she was a quick learner and had grasped the serious tone in her parents' voices when they had been quick to curb her playful curiosity of the family's tempest that shadowed their lives. She must keep a safe distance because there was indeed danger posed by the tempests... that much had always been true.
The uprising of corrupt tempests and their followers had only proven that fact. However Fairuz wasn't certain even the adults had expected them to turn in such a way on the peaceful society. It'd been completely unexpected, for everyone. There had been more danger surrounding them than even her parents had known; or Fairuz was certain that they never would have allowed one into the ranks of their family or trust him solely with Fairuz's own protection. The blue-eyed and ebony coated male had always been a stoic and mostly silent figure in her young life, but never once had he acted questionably. He'd definitely been intimidating to her and she usually kept her distance from him, uncertain and timid, but when the time came for sides to be chosen, he'd defended her and she'd been left with no question of his trustworthiness and loyalty. The battle had been lost regardless and the rainbows were captured - with no one to rescue them but themselves. Fairuz recalled the moment that Princess Zawyne had arrived at the nursery to free them late one evening. The flood of emotion - relief, joy, and pride among others - at seeing that one of her own and one of the royal sisters at that, had managed to find a way of escape was indescribable. Fairuz had been stunned, terrified that it'd been a dream and terrified for Zawyne, risking so much by coming to rescue them. This same fear had grounded her initially but Fairuz had taken the proverbial leap and placed every ounce of her trust in the two sisters, bringing up the rear of their little group on their way to Blossom Forest. But this, the tempests, this was not something that she would so easily trust them on - not even when nearly every fiber of her being told her to. It would take time for her to heal from and cope with the recent traumas before she could look at the vivid blue eyes of the tempests here and not see those of the past.
It was joy and relief at seeing her friends again that caused the multi-colored youngster to tear her gaze away from the figures of the ivory wolves for a moment, after having retreated back to a safe distance to where her captain friend stood. Fairuz's bright eyes had darted to Zawyne when the princess faltered in her approach, confusion and then sudden understanding upon her sunset colored features. Though the princess proceeded to explain that these tempests were friends, Fairuz could not understand how they knew this - had these tempests done something to prove themselves to the princesses during their short time here? Or were they trusting the innate bond between all rainbows and tempests, the same bond that had brought them to trust wolves like Duma? Fairuz wanted to trust them too, could feel the magical pull urging her to do just that... but she couldn't, not yet. Even with Zawyne's introductions, Fairuz couldn't muster the courage to look at either of the tempests directly, not even the male Aindreas whose presence seemed to beckon to her more than the lady tempest there with him. Instead Fairuz let herself be distracted by the excited greetings of first Vera then Scamander as the two young rainbows ran forward to greet her. Usually one of the more shy and reserved of the orphaned rainbows, Fairuz greeted the pair with equal enthusiasm. She crooned happily in response to their greetings and wriggled with glee for their reunion, returning their embraces with watery eyes.
But as the initial excitement of their reunion faded to other emotions and thoughts, Fairuz couldn't help but feel another wave of concern and distress when first Scamander had appeared to become overwhelmed by the crowd and fled for the trees with the tempest, Adara on his heels. The young wolfess had looked after them with obvious concern and worry, which was only amplified when Vera had done the same, taking off alone - though with her guardian, Nephelim, not too far behind. Timid eyes shift to the remaining group, lighting first on Ignis at her back, then on the two sisters - she flicked a wary glance briefly to Aindreas, not daring to truly focus on him for longer than a second or two at most - before moving on through the rest of the group. She settled on an ebony colored wolf, one similar to her family's guardian even down to the blue eyes - but this one was speckled with white and his eyes were a darker shade, like a twilight sky. This wolf seemed hesitant about the group, the crowd, even as Zawyne made efforts to include him. Noctis, she called him.
The youthful rainbow watched him, her interest growing - who was he to be traveling with the princesses and their tempests? The conversations among them changed and Fairuz was aware of the others talking, catching tidbits of what they said, but she had grown quiet and withdrawn with steadily growing trepidation. Every once and a while she'd glance towards the male tempest, only at his paws studying them to ensure that they did not come any closer. It was a subtle and almost unnoticeable movement that caught her attention and namely her curiosity. The shy ebony male had begun to slip discreetly away from the group. Fairuz blinked, looking shiftily towards the group and noticing that Losa was departing. Acting on a whim of curiosity and a need to escape the tension she felt around the tempests, Fairuz slipped away from Ignis' side - hopefully without drawing the attention of the others in the midst of Losa's exit.
Casting one last nervous and fearful look to make sure that she was not followed, Fairuz glided silently after the unfamiliar male, her paws feather light along the path that he took. Her eyes brightened and her pastel pink ears pressed farther forward as ever so gradually the distance grew, the tension slowly ebbing from her and being replaced with that bubbly and curious nature that always seemed to emerge when she didn't feel the need to be shy or serious.
Fairuz sped up after a ways, trying to catch up to the male but she'd lost track of him and fallen behind. Hopeful, she'd sniffed along the ground in an attempt to find his scent but among so many unfamiliar others in this new world and having not been taught to track, she gave up on that rather quickly with a huff, stopping to take in her surroundings. She had followed him further than she had thought, down the river and then away a bit up an incline through some brushy overgrowth. She began to investigate, cautious but intrigued by the new land around her. She knew she should turn around and head back, it was not safe for a young rainbow alone in this world... but right at that moment that she began to turn around, a small butterfly fluttered and danced right around her face. Flinching back with surprised yip, Fairuz turned her head wildly to try and keep the little winged creature in sight. It fluttered away and without thinking she leaped after it, bemused and fascinated. "H-h-hey! Come back!"
She laughed as she chased the insect, rising up onto her hind paws and twirling in place to follow it whenever it turned back to her. This game went on for some time until Fairuz had followed the butterfly to a patch of wildflowers atop a rise and she realized that she had unknowingly climbed a path clear out of the river canyon that they had all been in. Ahead a short ways, an astounding view spread out before her, one of valleys and mists brought on by the approaching night. Captivated by the palette of colors and the sight, Fairuz wandered ahead, blinking in awe and grinning from ear to ear. The others needed to see this, this magnificent view of the new land, they would love it!
Though no sooner had she thought that, a pain, fierce and stabbing cut through her. It tore at her mind, at the pinpoints of life that resided there, allowing her to feel and sense her rainbow companions. Vera. Something had happened to Vera! Unprepared for the sensations that ripped through her, the rainbow youth nearly collapsed from the intensity of it. She cried out, a mournful and pain filled cry but the shock of it had thrown her off balance and she stumbled forward to right, nearly falling to her chest. Her small paws touched solid ground, but the ground gave way. Too late she noticed how close she had stood to the overlook's edge, a high cliff like formation above the river. Too late she made to claw at the solid earth that remained. Frantic eyes catch a blur of cream colored fur in her peripheral and felt the jaws of another reaching for her, latching onto her nape for a moment as a they tried to stop her descent... but too late. She was already in a freefall, chunks of rock and earth plummeting with her downwards towards rocky and turbulent waters. The fall seemed to last forever, the terror whipping at her like the roar of wind that rushed past her. But the last thought to cross her mind was surprise, pure and utter surprise to see that her would-be rescuer had stumbled from the cliff's edge as well in his desperate attempt to snatch her from the air. The Captain of the Royal Guard, he was falling too. That was all she had time to process before she reached the bottom and with an abrupt yelp of pain when her head collided with a rock, delicate pastel body fell into the churning waters, and all was black.
The shy but fun-loving little rainbow was no more; her companions would feel her death, perhaps along with Vera's or perhaps the sensation would be blurred by the first death and they'd later noticed the absence of that little spark that had once been Fairuz. That was something that she would never know.
2047 words.
This is Fairuz's official death post as written by Tikki.
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