[Flashback] The Fallen (Solo)

[Nashira]

Spring 88, 458 AV Sparkling skin shone in the light of the sun as Nashira’s body passed through the line of fluffy white clouds that hung in the sky. Her body twirled, turning around and around as her eyes pressed tightly shut, and her skin rippled against the wind that buffeted against it as she fell towards the earth. The air roared as it enveloped her body in its ethereal embrace, doing nothing to keep her aloft, nothing to keep her from falling quite so rapidly. Her long blonde was whipped about in the wind, standing straight up atop her head, causing her to seem like a fiery comet about to crash into the earth to those who witnessed her falling. And even though she was diving rapidly towards the earth, it felt to Nashira as though her descent were lasting ages upon ages. That when she was certain she would never reach the ground, her body crashed through the surface of the blue-green waters which surround Zeltiva. The water rippled against her coming, embraced her with a mighty splash, sending several droplets of water flying wildly into the air, before they returned themselves to the sea. Celebrating Nashira’s return to the earth plane; her rebirth. Nashira’s body sank towards the sand, her limbs twisted toward the bottom of the sea, away from the ring of rocks, which surrounded the portion of water she had submerged herself within. Long, spiraling columns comprised of several small bubbles frothed angrily around her body, popping on occasion as the Ethaefal, temporarily dazed from her fall, touched the ground. Nashira’s feet pressed lightly into the sand, her arms flowing out at her sides, temporarily suspended in space. Her lips parted ever so slightly, to allow for a thin trickle of salty water to spill onto her tongue, before she shut them angrily, barring the element from passage. Nashira’s toes wiggled, shaking several grains of sand from the space between them, as she bent her knees, curled her body a little closer to the sea floor, and then pushed up against the ground; kicking towards the surface of the water. Her strawberry-blonde hair swirled around her, dragging the Ethaefal down as she glanced up at the waters rocking above her head. Nashira could see the sun shining down upon the water, Syna guiding her home as a braided, darkened cord of brown caught her eye. Her vision of the sun flickered, as the brown cords multiplied. They were all woven together, falling lower and lower, swaying only slightly with the movement of the waves. Nashira tried to propel her body around the brown strands; pushing the water that surrounded her away with her hands, and feet, but found the thick, brown cords were everywhere. Closing in on her. Within moments, they had pressed themselves into Nashira’s naked flesh. Pushing against her bones, her shimmering skin. Dragging lightly against it with the water, causing it to redden and tingle as the cords tightened around her; trapping her, choking her. Only a few minutes into her new life, and Nashira was convinced that it would already be over. That she would be stuck down there forever. Her mind was screaming for her to find a way out as she turned her head frantically from one side of the rope cage to the other, looking for any sort of opening or weakness, but there was none. Perhaps though, it did not matter, for there came a gentle tug on that which bound her, coming from up above. It wound its way down several of the cords, before reaching the scared and confused Ethaefal. Within seconds, she could feel the net being dragged out of the water. Her body was being pressed more tightly against the rope cords, twisting as the ropes twisted; one of her legs dangling out of a large hole in the bottom of the rope, while her arms stretched upwards as it tightened. Searching for more space with which to move, searching for something to wrap themselves around so that she may hoist herself up; extract her leg from the hole in the rope so that she may stand upon those that lined the bottom. Instead of huddling uncomfortably within their grasp. But there was no need. For soon enough, Nashira’s horned head was poking out of the surface of the water. Several clear drops dripping off her glistening skin as she spit out the water in her mouth and took her first breath of salt-stained air. As she felt the sun's gentle golden rays upon her flesh for the first time. As she finally opened her eyes, and caught her first glimpses of the world, above the water's surface. She could hear people shouting, but didn’t recognize any of the words. Perhaps she was too tired, or even too frightened by her predicament to do so. She could feel more tugging against the rope, as her body contorted to compensate for the movements it made as the netting was dragged onto a boat. It flattened against the boat's deck, unfurling to let her free as she coughed several times, trying to grow used to dragging salty air into her lungs, as opposed to salty water that bit at her neck. Her legs curled beneath her slender frame as she looked up and stared into each of the eyes that had settled upon her. Her body trembled as water dripped down the length of her shimmering flesh, and her long blonde hair, darkened by the moisture that clung to it, stuck to her back like glue to a piece of paper. None of the sailor’s eyes truly took in the color of Nashira’s skin, or how her flesh was bare. Instead, they took in her golden-colored hair, and the twin horns that sprouted from beneath the strands. Nashira knelt in silence as the men’s eyes lingered on her flesh, causing it to prickle uncomfortably after they had stared for several minutes. Far longer than was to her liking. She simply stared back, waiting for something to happen as her body continued to drip, her skin taking on the heat of the sun that shone down upon it. Finally, one of the men tossed me his white tunic. It fell into Shira’s lap, and quickly absorbed several droplets of water that had settled there. She looked up confusedly at the men, tilting her head slightly to the side. She realized, soon enough, that most of the sailors wore a tunic similar to the one she had been given. Delicately, she raised her hands to each end of the shirt, and pressed her fingers lightly into the fabric. It felt soft, and slightly warmed by the heat of the sun. She lifted the tunic a little higher, so that it hung in front of her face, blocking everything but her horns and knees from view of those before her. She lifted the fabric, and dropped it atop her head. When it flopped down in front of her face, Shira found that she could no longer see, and struggled to breath through the cotton fabric, as airy as it was. She pulled it back off her head, and opened one of the holes, she tried to slip it over her head, but found that the fabric was too tight to do so. She kept on repeating the process, until she had finally got it right, and pulled the shirt down over her body. It clung to her skin, due to the moisture that still lingered there, the back soon dampening completely with the weight of the water that pressed itself into her hair. An oval with the top chopped off formed on the tunic, allowing those who looked upon it to see the skin that shone underneath. The soft curves of Nahira’s back; the knobs that lined her spine jutting out of her skin as she curled into herself, trying to hide from all the eyes.

[Nashira]

Finally the men, having lost interest in Nashira, or realizing that they needed to get back to work, left her, and went about their business- dropping lines into the water, hoisting the sails, scrubbing the deck and the like. As the men shouted all around her to one another, voicing their intent and desires, Shira simply sat in silence, listening, watching them all move with a slight sense of fascination. Always wondering what they were about to do, and where they were about to go as they buzzed around her like bees in a hive. Each time they asked her to move so they could pass, she ignored them, not understanding the words. Some tried to ask in a few of the other languages they spoke, but none ever got through to her. Thus, they took to stepping around her, thinking her perhaps too scared to speak, or a deaf mute. After several hours out at sea, the sun began to set, making way for Leth to rule the sky for the night. When the celestial orb had finally fallen below the line of the horizon, casting the world in darkness, Nashira’s body began to shimmer and tingle. She became a woman nearly as tall, with caramel colored skin, dark hair, and green eyes; a Myrian. It served only to force those who had stopped staring to cast their gaze to Shira’s form once more, as she cowered against the hardwood deck. The planks glowing a milky white in the light of the rising moon. Whether the men stared at Nashira’s beauty or because of the superstitious ways of sailors, Shira could not be sure. She was simply thankful that whatever had just occurred had not caused her to be thrown overboard. It was soon after she shifted that the men began calling to each other to pull up all the nets, and ready the ship so that they may turn in for the night. The darkened sky that hung overhead sparkled with hundreds of silver stars, which served to help the crew guide themselves to shore, and comfort Shira. They seemed to be smiling down upon her, delighting in her presence as the boat rocked gently on the waves, slowly pushing itself towards land. They arrived at the docks within an hour, and made haste in tying up the boat for the night. After most of the sailors had filed out, one stayed behind. He was a taller man, of about six feet in height. His body was comprised of lean muscle, which rippled beneath his pale flesh as he stood before Nashira, extending his right hand out to her, palm facing up. The eth, who had been glancing down at the deck for most of the night, looked up when she felt his presence, noticed his unwavering shadow lingering over her body. She noticed how well built he seemed, how he towered over her as his deep blue eyes raked over her body, drinking each portion of it in. Nashira tilted her head slightly to the side as she looked up at him, noticing how his dark brown hair seemed to trail down the side of his face. It was shorter there though, along the edge of his cheeks and chin, making him appear far more rugged than anything else. Slowly, she raised her right hand and touched a few fingers to her cheek, pressing the skin in slightly beneath their touch, as if to determine whether or not she had hair there too. But she could feel nothing there, there was nothing there. Her skin was smooth, soft, and warm. The girl returned her hand to the side, and simply stared at the man’s in confusion. “My name is Caleb,” he said. “What’s yours?” Nashira continued to stare up at him blankly. “You don’t talk much do you?” he asked as he pushed his hand forward a little more, hoping she’d take it. Slowly, Nashira lifted her right hand, and pressed her palm into his. When he made to curl his fingers around her hand, she pulled it back, frightened. The movement matched that of the nets, which had bound her earlier in the day, causing her stomach to churn as a sense of unease began to take root. Her eyes narrowed as Caleb assured her that he meant no harm. Finally, after the two had made no more movement, and Caleb had stopped speaking, Nashira extended her hand, and wrapped her fingers around Caleb’s palm. He smiled weakly as he gave her a slight tug, pulling Nashira to her feet. “Come,” he said as he moved towards the dock. Nashira followed, led through the dark by his hand. When he stepped from the boat to the dock, Nashira followed hesitantly. He squeezed her hand for support as she finally touched down on the other side. “Welcome to Zeltiva,” he stammered as he led her through the docks in silence. After passing their expanse, he followed the line the shore created with solid land for about a mile, until they reached a small cottage. The cottage was comprised of several, jagged and uneven grey stones, seemingly cemented in place by a sticky brownish-grey looking mixture. The roof seemed to be a mixture of straw and wood, which would do well in keeping out the elements. A wooden door with a simple golden-colored knob led inside. Surrounding each side of the door were two large, rectangular windows. Both of the windows displayed the darkened interior of the cottage, denoting in their own way, that no one was at home. Caleb gently pulled his hand away, allowing Nashira’s to fall to her side as he strode towards the closed door. He procured a key from his pocket, and eased it into the lock on the door. He twisted the key, turned the knob, and pushed on the door, causing it to swing open. He turned to look over his shoulder at Shira, as the pale moonlight trickled through the opening in the door, illuminating the entryway. He smiled weakly, “come along,” he called as he turned back around and pulled the key out of the lock. In one fluid motion, he returned the key to his pocket and stepped inside. Shira simply stood, wondering what to do now, until Caleb returned a few moments later, holding a small lantern. He held it up, in front of his face, and motioned for Shira to come inside. Reluctantly, she followed him inside, and shut the door, following the flickering light of the lantern as he led her into the kitchen. He placed the lantern on the hardwood table and pulled back a seat for her. “Make yourself comfortable,” he instructed. Finally seeming to grasp that he meant no harm, that his intent was to help her, Shira made her way over to the chair, and sat down. Caleb buzzed about the room, opening and closing several cupboards before he found what he needed- a loaf of bread, which he broke in two with his hands. As he returned to the table, he offered half of it to Shira. She took it, not wanting to appear rude, and put it down on the table in front of her, as Caleb took a seat across from her. “Eat,” he insisted, as he lifted his portion of bread to his lips, and tore off a piece; chewing thoughtfully. Shira simply stared down at the bread; she wasn’t hungry. As time wore on, she began to pluck several small white crumbs from the table, and hold them between her fingertips, before letting them fall back down on the wood. Caleb kept on eating, watching her in silence. The pair sat in an awkward, uneasy silence until Caleb had finished eating. Swallowing the clump of saliva that had gathered in his throat. “Guess you’re not too hungry,” he commented, as Shira lifted her eyes to meet him. They felt heavy now, as if they could stay open no longer. “Come,” Caleb said as he rose from the table. “Why don’t you get some rest? You do seem tired.” Shira rose as well, and followed Caleb as he led her into the neighboring room, where a large bed rested. It was neatly made- with two soft down pillows piled up at the top, and a fresh set of white sheets folded neatly into place across the length of the bed. The edges of the soft cotton sheets tucked underneath the mattress so that they would not drag across the floor. Caleb gestured towards it with his arm, “go and get some rest,” he said with a smile. Shira strode over to the bed and sat down on top of it. She let her legs dangle over the side for a moment, as she bounced up and down several times, allowing it to sink against her skin as it cushioned her fall each time. It was so soft, and inviting. Shira pulled her legs up, and lay down, curling her body into the fetal position. Within moments, the cobwebs that had begun to tug on her eyelids the moment the moon rose to its zenith tugged heavily on her eyes. Forcing them shut. Nysel’s web dragged across her body, pinning her to the bed, forcing the exhaustion she had felt in her bones; to the very core of her being, to overcome her. It forced her into his realm. A realm where dreams became one’s reality. Where the day’s events played over and over again in Shira’s mind. Caleb stood over her for a long while, his arms folded over his chest as he smiled weakly. It had not taken long for the mysterious girl to fall asleep, and he assumed that such an occurrence was a good thing. He enjoyed watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Shira’s chest, the small smile that crept across her features as Nysel wound his tales into her mind, as the lantern light flickered across his back. His legs ached as he stood, his eyes growing as heavy as hers. Finally, deciding that he too, should turn in for the night, he crept into the kitchen, and put the lantern out, before crawling into bed beside Shira. Drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

[Oracle]

Name: Nashira

XP Award:

None

Lore:

• An Ethaefal is Born
• Being the "Catch of the Day"
• Shifting Between Day and Night

Notes: Great read and cannot wait for more to come. I love your talent for descriptive writing.


If you have any concerns with this please PM me and let me know.

A.S. Oracle