To Free a Caged Heart (Alea)

by **Yuros** on June 2nd, 2012, 4:28 am

30th of Summer, 512 AV

Breath...

Yuros felt the rays of the sun through the limbs of the towering trees. A flick of his hear batted away an annoying fly, and the Kelvic opened his eyes to take in the mornings light. There was still a slight fuz to the world, but now his mind was beginning to sharpen once more. Standing slowly, the Kelvic was careful to keep his antlers from catching in the wooden bars, and a shake of his head cleared what was left of sleep from his senses.

The smell of the Great Ones wafted before the kelvic as he turned to see the Jamoura who served as his guard. Yuros eyed them warily, feeling the thumping in his chest racing slightly faster as he watched them move their great bulk about the clearing. The sound of a Tooth and Claw's growl caused the Kelvic to start, turning and skittering back in his catch as far away from the sounds as possible, however, some dull, ill used part of his self noticed that the creature was caged, just as he was. This thought did little to easy the tension in his muscles.

Huffing, the great stag turned his head away, looking over the strange dwelling as he did every day. Though he did not quite understand it, some part of himself was... awakening. With each rise and fall of the light the Kelvic felt the fog of his mind... clearing.

I... wonder where... Yuros blinked. His mind was a swirl of random senses and brief, simple thoughts. Try as he might, the Kelvic simply could not focus those pieces into a whole sentence. Huffing in frustration, the Kelvic stamped a foot, earning him a look from those who were hired to guard him.

Through his frustration, Yuros felt a sudden shiver race up his spine. The Kelvic turned, gazing out toward the main area of the Base Camp. His eyes searching, Yuros suddenly felt... a thrum deep within his chest. A steady pulse, a rhythm that grew in strength with each passing second. Shaking his head, he tapped his foot, the fog of his mind clearing more as the feeling grew within him. A single, clear thought rang out within his consciousness...

Alea...

by **Alea Davenport** on June 2nd, 2012, 4:28 pm

Alea had not slept well. She had arrived in the Spires last night, after her ship to Denval had been forced to seek refuge from a storm. She was beginning to hate storms; they never seemed to cause anything but trouble. She and her new travelling companions had been brought to a place where they could set up camp for a few days while they waited out the weather. Alea had seen a Jamoura or two before, but never so many at once, and there were a multitude of other strange beings she didn't recognize. She had thought she was discovering new things in Avanthal, but she was beginning to realize the beautiful ice city did not even begin to encompass all of the wonders Mizahar held. She wished she had more time to discover and enjoy them, but she worried for her homeland, and there was an obnoxious nagging sensation in the back of her neck, like there was something she had forgotten to do...

All night, she had nightmares. She kept half-waking up, looking around, and feeling like something was missing, but not understanding what it was. It was a relief when dawn came and she had an excuse to get up. But even wakefulness did not rescue her from her nightmares. The nagging feeling seemed to grow stronger with every passing moment. Still in a half-doze, she wandered aimlessly through the camp, not knowing what she was searching for, or what she expected to find here.

She knew very little about what had been going on in the Spires. She realized that this was a temporary camp, away from the main city, but she had not had time to get the full story from the locals. So it was with some surprise that she wandered toward the cages and noticed a familiar set of antlers towering above everything else.

Her heart caught in her throat, and for a moment she couldn't breath. Was she dreaming? No way this was real. Yuros had left, he was gone. But... hadn't he said he came from the Spires? Where else would he go but back home? She didn't want to believe it, couldn't bear the disappointment if she was wrong, but somehow she couldn't doubt the truth. She had to find out for sure.

There were Jamoura guarding the cages. She wasn't sure they would let her through, but she had to try. Walking as casually as she could manage, she approached the cages, watching the Jamoura out of the corner of her eye. They watched her just as carefully, but did not move to stop her. Still, she would not want to upset them. She had been on the bad side of a Jamoura before, and she had no desire to repeat the experience this early in the morning.

When she reached the stag, she looked into his eyes. Could it really be? She held up a hand to touch his nose, and whispered, "Yuros."

by **Yuros** on July 29th, 2012, 8:56 pm

This feeling... this thrill that shook his being... That thrumming in his chest quickened, and his gaze twisted to observe his surroundings. It approached... That swelling inside, that pulsing link that pulled the Kelvic to one side, and there it was, finally revealed... the source...

When the girl appeared it was like raising his head from beneath muddy water, and Yuros could SEE the world again! He huffed, stamping his hoof and shook his head, his crown of ivory clacking against the cage and causing some of the more meager guards to take a step back. However, the Huntress, fearless as ever, did not hesitate to approach.

At her touch there spread a warmth throughout his body, and he pushed his nose against her hand further, closing his eyes sniffing her familiar scent. He could feel it, those old thoughts and contemplations returning. Yuros could remember who he was, what he was to do... Those fractured thoughts solidified, repaired themselves to form a single, unifying notion.

My bonded... we are together...

Drawing back from that touch that moved him so, the Kelvic shook his head, huffing and stamping his foot in agitation. Within his mind swirled the thoughts and memories he had long since abandoned, and now he wished to...

Please... let me return once more to that hairless form... let me walk among the two legs...

With a final huff there was a flash of light, swirling to engulf the stag, but when they dissipated there now stood a man, bare to the world around him, in place of the son of the forest. His red speckled hair was pushed aside by one hand, and his eyes moved to meet the girls as he stumbled forward. Grasping the bars of his cage, his other hand moved to cup the cheek of this one, this girl who moved his very soul and banished the darkness from his mind. A smile touched his lips, and when he spoke it was just above a whisper, "Alea... How I have missed you..."

by **Alea Davenport** on July 29th, 2012, 11:29 pm

Alea did not even notice Yuros' nakedness. At his return to human form, a cry was wrenched from her lips, holding all of the emotion she had been keeping buried. Her eyes remained locked with his as she gripped his hand and stroked his hair. She he even forgotten about the bars between them until she tried to embrace him and found her path blocked.

She was distressed for a moment (he's so close! Why can't I reach him?) but finally, reason caught up with her senses. Still gripping his hand, almost afraid he might disappear again at any moment, she turned to the nearby guards. "Why have you caged him? If he has committed some crime, tell me so that I may take the punishment. He is bonded to me, and will not suffer alone."

One of the Jamoura approached and rumbled slowly, "Be at peace, little one. Those here are caged only until they recover from the wild fog, which makes them feral. Your Kelvic has recovered himself, and may now be released." Alea pressed herself against the cage as the Jamoura came closer and closer. The large ape had to nudge her aside a bit, because she was inadvertently standing in front of the lock, but he did so with surprising gentleness before finally opening the cage. "Go in peace, and stay out of the fog."

Now that the bars were no longer separating them, Alea threw herself into Yuros' arms. She tried not to cry, but tears still streamed quietly down her face, and her voice cracked as she spoke. "I thought I'd never see you again!" The emptiness that she had been trying to ignore until now had finally stopped aching, and her gladness was overwhelming. Yet still, she could not quite convince herself it was real, that Yuros was back and would never leave her again. There was something she still needed to know. "Why...why did you leave?"

by **Alea Davenport** on September 25th, 2012, 12:35 am

OOC :

Yuros left Avanthal and his bondmate because he worried for his mother (who lived in the Spires), given all the strange happenings from the storm in the beginning of Spring.

After talking and spending most of the next couple days together, Alea left Yuros in the Spires to continue her journey. He still had to look after his mother, and she could not abandon her quest to see what had become of Denval, her home city.

Given time, the distance might weaken their bond, but not destroy it. They would always remember each other as bondmates.

by **Cinna** on October 11th, 2012, 1:48 am

And the forest reveals....

Ugh I just love these two soooo much, and it makes me super sad to see Yuros retired. But I am happy that it ended well, and I wish that I could give more, as I realize this had to be cut short

Alea :

If you have any questions or concerns about my grading then don't hesitate to PM me!