Fire and Ice (Chesh)

by **Cara** on April 19th, 2011, 1:53 am

Spring 90, 511 AV

"Come on Iaera," Cara called to her arctic fox, hoping the creature would catch up to her and not lag behind. The two were trekking through the large expanse of white snow, for no real reason in particular, other than the fact that the two of them seriously needed to get out of the Hold, especially after the events that had taken place the night before.

Cara sniffed the air, allowing it to fill her lungs, to send a chill up her spine. It reminded her of last night, how her mother made her feel. How the fear she had instilled in her daughter seemed to seep into Cara's bones, and wind itself around her heart, slowly suffocating her, and making it even more difficult to breath in the thin mountain air. As the girl slowly drew in another breath, and then let it out, the air surrounding Cara's pale lips froze, becoming a thin grey cloud. The fox was padding along silently beside Cara, as she said, "can you believe what that witch did last night?"

Iaera looked up at her mistress; her eyes were wide. She seemed to growl, a low guttural sound. Her lips had hardly parted as the sound escaped her, but even so, Cara could just make out her elongated canine teeth poking out of the sides of her lips. Her dark-colored nostrils seemed to flare, as a single snowflake landed on the creature's small black nose. Cara simply smiled, happy that her companion agreed. As she spoke again, her voice was cold, angry, cutting through the air like a knife. "How dare she break into our room as we slept, and try to claim us?" There was a slight pause. "How dare she boss you around, and march your mistress through the Hold like some sort of slave... a prize!" Cara spat the last two words, and Iaera seemed to shrink away.

But Cara hardly seemed to notice, she was so angry, the edges of her face being overcome with red pigmentation. Her eyes blazing an angry red-rimmed bloody color. The center of her irises were their usual dark purple. Her muscles were tense, her body seeming to ripple as they clenched and unclenched. The girl's hands were balled into tight fists as she crunched through the snow. "But you know, if she so much as touched a single snow-colored hair, your mistress would have destroyed her last night," Cara commented. "By fighting fire with more fire... and perhaps a bit of water."

After that, Cara grew silent. She was concentrating on her djed. A tingling sensation lingered in the pit of her stomach. It was rolling around with the last of the girl's hunger, which seemed to be clawing Cara's insides, and begging her for more food. A desire which the sorceress was obviously ignoring. As the two entities fought within the confines of the girl's chest, she began to feel a familiar rise in heat; a growing sense of power. The feeling made the girl smile happily; hungrily. Longingly. It was so familiar, and yet, felt so very far away after the events that had occurred the night before. It was as though her mother were the only person left on the planet that could make her feel that way; powerless.

But this wasn't like that. This was anything but, and it made Cara feel wonderful; intoxicated. As though she had gone to the tavern and had far more than she could drink, and now that she was drunk, the entire world was beginning to slip away and there was only her, and this inexplicable feeling of power and lightness.

by **Cheshire** on May 7th, 2011, 5:54 pm

Cara was such a reckless child. One would have to wonder why she thought she could take her mother over. The girl was nowhere close to the skill level as her mother yet she tried so hard. It was bullheadedness for sure. She was so much like her mother in that regard. Kalarih chuckled at the thought as she laid in the snow. Her darling daughter was well on her way to being just like her. She had power and she had fuming emotions. The mother and daughter were like twin volcanos. So much alike and getting ready to release their burning heat.

Kalarih laid in wait for her daughter. Today would be the day Cara would see who she really was up against. Kalarih rose from her place in the common room of the hold. The girl would not get a day of rest. This was going to end today. Cara would see that she was never going to win.

The woman walked quietly through the snow until she was behind Cara. She smiled wickedly as she looked at the back of the girl's had. She brushed her fingers through the girl's hair almost lovingly. "Cara dearest. You do remember what I said to you last night right?" A small chuckle bubbled from her lips. "We have a bit of business to attend to in the Reaches." Her hand gripped around her daughter's hair and gave it a small yank. "Follow calmly and the bears won't have to get involved." Her whisper seemed to be lined with poison as she spoke. "Your choice my little pup."

by **Cara** on May 10th, 2011, 1:52 am

Again with this? Isn't that bitch supposed to be dead? Cara wondered as her mother's fingers dug into her hair. She could feel the woman's long nails tickling her scalp, and digging lightly into her flesh at times. Her eyes narrowed as Iaera whimpered and trailed behind the two women. "Oh come now mother," Cara said in a sickly sweet voice. "Who would dare to scream with you around?" There was a slight pause, "with your bubbly demeanor, and soul that is just as white as the snow? There is no need to fear." And how we love being compared to dogs. Not that dogs are a bad thing... but humans and dogs have their differences, and Cara is no dog.

"There is no need to drag the polar bears into this," Cara continued. "Surely they have better things to do then step between two women who wield fire and water." There was a slight pause. "Things like keeping Darren Whitevine in line, or training with their riders, or finding something to eat in this desolate place." As her mother continued to tug on her hair, Cara grit her teeth. "You know mother," she said in an icy tone which sent chills up her own spine, "there is no need to pull on your daughter's hair. So why don't you pull your filthy little fingers out of it and walk on ahead. We will follow, for we want this to end as much as you, don't we Iaera?" The fox merely growled, parting its lips just enough to make out a row of long, pointed canine teeth, glistening with saliva. "Unless of course, you're afraid your daughter will light a fire under your ass?" There was another slight pause as Cara allowed the words sink in, "surely you know that we'd both like to see you burn far more than you would like to light each of us on fire, and watch us go up in flame," Cara whispered, small puffs of silver air floating menacingly around her pale lips.

Iaera barked, seemingly agreeing with her mistress. "So let go of my hair, and lead the way, unless you'd like to have Iaera bite your leg off. She does like the taste of blood every now and then," Cara added with a wicked grin upon her lips. The bitch is only hurting your back, nothing more. As soon as she lets go, you'll destroy her. Be patient. "I've been patient enough," Cara mumbled under her breath, before she grit her teeth once more, the bloody woman had seemingly tightened her grip. She is definitely going to regret that.

by **Cheshire** on May 28th, 2011, 12:24 am

A smile laid on Kalarih's lips as her daughter spoke. Cara was such a feisty little girl. So full of spite that it was almost humorous. "You know Cara dear, you are a lot like me. You are stubborn to a fault but it makes me proud." She let go of the girl's hair, possibly only to humor her poor daughter. "Fine, as long as you follow. That is all that matters to me." Her eyes glazed out at the city around her. A few bears and their riders were scattered and keeping watch of the city. "Very true my girl. Who knew you were so conscious of the social schedules of the bears?"

Kalarih looked down at the pathetic little fox at her daughter's heels. "You think I would be scared of your little fur ball with teeth? A few bites never hurt me. What does hurt me is seeing you a threatening me my dear daughter. Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" Her eyes glowed a deep gold as she spoke to Cara. She liked to taunt the girl. She saw herself in her daughter. Just too much malice for such as beautiful frame.

As the pair walked to Reaches. Kalarih looked at Cara. "So, any last words before I like you leopard meat? I imagine your blood will keep them sated for a bit. At least long enough to keep one of them away from the city." She looked over her daughter with judgmental eyes. "You are so skinny. No wonder you are an Icemaiden. Your frame would never bare strong children." The words were meant to anger Cara. When the one was angry they were reckless. "Doesn't it bother you that no man wants you to carry on his blood?"

The snow howled around the mother and daughter as they made it into the Reaches. Kalarih pulled her hood up around her face and dropped her gloves to the ground. She would not wield the elements with them on. "How about you go first honey. Morwen knows you need the advantage."

by **Cara** on May 28th, 2011, 9:25 pm

"Well considering the fact that you're a total and complete bitch, then yes," Cara replied, as she grit her teeth and smiled as sweetly as she could. It will be so nice to finally watch the edges of her pale pink lips drip onto the floor. We should let them melt ever so slowly, that way, perhaps they will have more of a chance to grow as dark as her heart. There was a slight pause, not to mention, it will be far more pleasurable to draw out her torture...

"And what Frostfawn doesn't know the habits of bears, mother?" Cara asked, after she had gotten a chance to think about how best to draw out her mother's death; to torment her. Her eyes passed up and down her mother's back, taking her all in, as she took a moment to catch her breath. "Just the pathetic ones," Cara added, her voice a little quieter now, even though it was just as icy as before. "Like you."

Cara fell silent after that, simply listening to her mother, the tiny flames held within her eyes growing larger and larger, as each of her muscles tensed. A moment later, her irises were flashing a deep ruby red. "You know there is no man worthy of my bed," Cara growled, "and that it is far better to remain without child then to do what you have done. Face it mother, one of your precious daughters is dead, and the other can't wait to watch you burn. Watch you scream as you are reduced to little more than ash, and then are buried by the snow, or scattered by the winds." As Cara spoke, a wicked smile crossed her lips, her voice was growing colder, all the more deadly. She was certain she had given her mother a chill, for she had given herself one, and it felt so very good. Intoxicating. Cara felt powerful, like she could end a life...

Cara held onto the feeling, let it fill every bit of her being. Her heart felt like it was soaring amongst the clouds. You can do this Cara, she told herself, as she began to concentrate on her djed. Within a few seconds, she could feel a familiar, bubbling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Each of the bubbles was a bit of magic, a tiny shred of joy. She allowed the feeling in her stomach to mix with the sense of power she had gained from her words, allowing them each to empower her; to make her feel all the more capable of finally ending this battle with her mother. Of avenging her sister.

As the feeling rose in Cara's stomach, it began to branch out in other directions, sending an intense, tingling sensation through her arms and her legs, to her hands and to her feet. Almost there, Cara told herself as she simply stared at her mother, she won't stand a chance once you are ready. It took another few seconds for the feeling of her own djed to overwhelm her with a sense of warmth, power, and security. "Are you sure you're ready mother?" Cara asked, as small wisps of pale blue mist began to trickle out of the palms of each of Cara's hands. "Considering the fact that you're starting to get a little old. Not quite as strong as you used to be..."

Cara's light blue res continued to trickle out of her palms, floating upwards about two inches, before forming a small sphere of blue. The spheres seemed to rotate slowly, clockwise, always keeping their shape. "Surely you don't have as much energy as you used to," Cara went on, as she lit each of the orbs of res on fire. She could hear each of the flames crackle into life. She could smell tiny wisps of smoke floating around her. She could see their bright orange light flickering as she simply stood, waiting for the perfect time to strike. "There is no shame in your running away," Cara went on, as her heart began to beat a little faster, and the tiny red veins within the whites of her eyes seemed to grow larger, and far more noticeable. She looked otherworldly, ready to kill...

Cara would not wait long for her mother's reply. No more than a few seconds. Assuming her mother said anything at all, you never really did know with the witch woman. As soon as those few seconds had passed, Cara would raise her left hand, and then hurl the fireball that floated above her palm at her mother. She'd aim high, for her mother's head. She'd so love to watch her mother's hair burn, and then her head. Oh how she used to value her face, the fear her expressions could instill in another human being...

by **Cheshire** on June 9th, 2011, 9:44 pm

Cara was getting mad but that was exactly what Kalarih wanted. The girl would slip up in an angered state. She was not new to reimancy. Like her mother she had taken to the art quite well. It was just another way the two were alike. "I cannot wait to see you slip up Cara." She smiled at the girl. It was cute the way she tried to stand up to her mother. "Pathetic? I'm not the one who totes a fox around with me for protection. I can protect myself my dear." Her eyes darted to the little white ball of fluff at Cara's feet. Kalarih smirked as Res collected over her palm and ignited, sending a feeling of warmth over the woman's skin. "You should watch where that little pest goes. You wouldn't want her getting hurt." Kalarih let out a chuckle as she threw a ball of fire at the little fox. The flames almost hit the creature but instead feel short of her feet, the flames licking her snout before fizzling out in the snow. "That will be you if don't watch that pretty little mouth of yours."

"Of course I know Cara. You just were not good enough to be wed. Who would want to marry a girl who does not have goals and inhibitions?" She took another step closer to her daughter. "You are broken and you cannot control yourself. Look at you. You let me walk all over you." Kalarih smiled at Cara. "You talk tough but inside you are still that same scared little girl. The same crying little child and that is all you will ever be." Kalarih would not let her daughter get what she wished. She would do everything in her power to makes sure that she would still be standing to reign over Cara. "It is nice that you have dreams. I admire that you hold tight to a thought that will never become reality."

The Res was beginning to gather on Cara's palm. She was preparing for war. "Don't worry about me darling. You should be worrying about yourself." Cara was taking in Kalarih's as a weakness but her age also gave her time to hone her skills. She could control her elements better than her daughter could. "Older does not mean less capable. I know much more about the arcane than you." Res began to collect in Kalarih's palm as she spoke to daughter. Water began to drip from her hands as she looked at her daughter. She knew that her child was a pyromancer. She had started with the same element as her mother. As the fire hurled toward Kalarih's head she raised her hand forcing the water forward against the flames. The hit had been close though. Burning steam blew against Kalarih's face, stinging her cheeks. "That was a lucky hit my little pup." Her eyes turned an almost feral green as she readied her own elements. While Cara excelled in fire her mother knew multiple elements. "You can use fire but you still have no clue what reimancy can do." The Res in Kalarih's palm pulsed and started to cool into an icy mist. Thrusting her hands out in front of her the mist flew forward, racing at Cara. The mist circled around Cara's head until it seemed to dash in around her neck. There it seemed to dance play only an inch from Cara's soft flesh. "Maybe you are the one who needs to run. The ice is very obedient and there is so much I could do with it." She walked a little closer to her daughter. "I could make it grow smaller which would cut off your air supply. Hmmm, I could also make some nice little icicles come out and puncture your throat." Kalarih tapped the collar of ice as she smiled at her daughter. "Which way would you like to die?"

by **Cara** on June 10th, 2011, 8:37 pm

"Do you honestly think your daughter is any different?" Cara hissed, as Iaera's tail swished back and forth. It brushed against Cara's leg, sending a wave of reassurance through the girl. Cara's companion was there, everything should be alright. The witch would drop dead in the snow, black against pure white... A pale blue res poured out of Cara's fingers... soon, so very soon, she would be able to make it into something dangerous. The res floated out of Cara's fingers as though it were some sort of vapor, set off by the heat that was coursing through the girl's body; her anger. Her bloodlust.

As a fireball hurled in her general direction, Cara took a step back before she growled. "Leave Iaera out of this!" Cara roared, as her fox took a half step back, and whimpered, as the fireball sizzled into nothingness in the snow. "This is not about her, or your inability to bond with a creature! You know the Frostfawn live amongst the animals, that they love them... how dare you threaten her!" Cara went on as she glanced at her companion, but only for a moment. "Go home Iaera, and let your mistress finish this woman off." Perhaps too worried to argue, or perhaps not being in the mood to fight, Iaera seemed to nod and slink off towards the Holds.

"Now, mother, are you happy?" Cara asked, "in the mood to burn, ever so slowly and scream for your daughter to save you?" Cara went on as she took a half step forward, res pouring out of her hands and into a small orb a few inches above her palms. She held her arms out to the side, as though inviting her mother to give her her best shot. For words did nothing other than fan the flame, allow Cara's rage to build; for the girl to grow stronger. All her mother was doing was making Cara all the more powerful.

"You are not so different mother," Cara whispered, her voice icy, as she ignited the center of her two res balls. "We both know that father never loved you, he was simply too afraid to leave... afraid of a sad excuse for a witch, a woman who has no control over her power. Pity, really, you could have been powerful, and perhaps, as beautiful as the girls you gave birth to, you filthy hag," Cara screamed as she hurled the first of her fireballs at her mother, right after she lit the outside of the orb. It seemed to miss. Petch! Cara's mind screamed, her eyes growing wide... she hadn't missed, but she hadn't made her mark.

The witch should be dead, why is there mist... around my neck? Cara looked down at the rough necklace her mother had made. Or perhaps choker was a better word. How did she manage? Cara wondered, as the remaining fireball roared in her hand. The orange flames flickered, casting her skin in a pale yellow glow. The fire seemed to crackle, to send the tiniest wisps of smoke upwards and towards the sky. Her whole word was already burning down... she had waited for this moment for so long, she could not lose...

Cara began laughing, a hearty, deeply amused laugh. "Oh mother, you seem to have lost your touch! So very unlike your old self, you seem," Cara began, her voice relatively neutral as she took a step closer to her mother. "Don't you remember when your daughters were both young? How you liked to draw out the pain you inflicted? How you loved to watch us squirm and run around in circles, frantic, as we tried to avoid your wrath?" There was a slight pause, "don't you remember the games you used to play mother? How much you enjoyed making us think it was all over, before reminding us that you had every last bit of control? Reminding us that you could take every happy moment away? Every pain free moment away whenever you so chose?" Cara asked, "don't you remember, when you used to remind us that we could only be without pain if you let us?"

Cara fell silent for a long time, allowing her words to sink in as she stepped closer to her mother. The mist seemed to wind around her neck, to tighten like some sort of serpent; a constrictor. "Would you truly be doing yourself any justice, mother, if you let your daughter die so swiftly? No... that is nothing like you is it? To make things quick and painless... think mother, if you were about to die, how would you not want it to happen? What would be most excruciating for you... the worst possible way to go?"

"Do yourself some justice mother. Take pride in the pain you can inflict," Cara whispered. "Surely you can do a little better than this," Cara finished, as she raised her free hand to the circle of mist, and waved her hand through it, sending a small portion of it away before it seemed to inch closer again.

"You know you want to, more than anything in this world..." Cara's voice trailed off as her eyes locked on her mother. Filthy old hag, may she distract herself while we find a way out of this... a way to allow the fire to consume her.

Slowly, Cara brought her hand more towards the center of her body... maybe she could burn away the mist.

OOCPlease don't ask me where I am going with this.... and sorry this isn't so great... we both seem to have back-tracked a lot.

by **Cheshire** on July 19th, 2011, 12:43 am

Kalarih smirked as she looked at her daughter. "Cara, sweet little girl. It is very endearing to see you trying to talk me down. It's like you are all grown up." She watched the fox scamper away with her tail between her legs. Her eyes turned a bright gold as she looked at her daughter. "I don't need to bond with an animal to be complete. Bonding is for the weak. The weak like you and your little ball of fur." Kalarih did not feel the need to be like the other Frostfawn. She knew the importance of animals and respected them. She could never respect a beast that would follow her daughter.

"I don't fear you Cara. You are a child and you don't have half of the control that I do with my elements." Kalarih was a proud woman. If one could see her aura it would have been shiny brightly with pride. She did not believe Cara stood even the slightest chance against her. Cara was a young pyromancer. She only knew one element and even in that she was a novice. Kalarih knew three elements and she was quite comfortable with them. "You will be the one to burn, if you don't freeze or become impaled."

Cara's words barely phased Kalarih. "I never needed your father or you and your sisters for that matter." The woman's eyes flashed a dangerous red as she looked at her daughter. "You only hold me back and your father, ha your father simply caught me in a moment of weakness." A playful light came to Kalarih's eye as she looked at Cara. "At least you did something right. You never sold your soul and body off to a man. That much I could be proud of if you were not such a fuck up." The woman loved to chastise her daughter. It brought her joy, almost like euphoria. A euphoria which she never seemed to get from her magic anymore. "Beauty is only skin deep my little cub. Power is what really matters."

A sick smile twisted onto Kalarih's lips as her daughter continued her rant. She could not help but chuckle at the girl's chittering. She was speaking like a real woman, how precious. The woman stayed silent as her daughter spoke, speaking up only has the ice began to wrap around Cara's neck. "I remember it. I relish in the memories in fact. They bring me more pleasure than you can imagine." The thoughts that replayed in Kalarih's mind as she remembered Cara's childhood turned her eyes a warm scarlet. "You are very right though. I should play with you a little more, just like when you were a little girl." Her hand reached out, willing icicles to jump forward from the icy collar. They broke through the soft skin of Cara's neck, turning a sickly crimson as her blood stained the ice. "You like that Cara? Just like when you were a little girl!" He smiled darkly as she watched the blood trickle from her daughter's throat. "We can keep moving forward. I would love to see the ice pierce right through your neck. You would be nice food for the wolves." Her eyes looked down to see Cara's hands moving closer to the collar. The Res began to flow from Kalarih's free hand, snaking around Cara's wrists and turning to hard earth. The woman shoved her hand down, forcing Cara's hands down with them to her waist.

"See baby, I care about the animals…"

by **Cara** on July 19th, 2011, 2:23 am

"Funny you should talk about control, mother, when you can hardly contain your anger," Cara hissed, her irises turning to an enraged, ruby red. "Surely, that comes out at least every once in a while, when you are trying to wield both fire and water? Perhaps it makes your water turn to steam, or your fire crackle and spark out of control?" she asked, her voice cold. A cool breeze swept through the wastes, sending Cara's hair spiraling mildly about her face, causing her to seem all the more determined, and deadly. "You mother, are the last woman on earth who should ever say a single word on the subject of control."

Cara fell silent as she listened to her mother speak of her family. "Yes, you were always the darker of the two... but at least he was the one with a dick... the one who could put you in your place," Cara cackled, as her face grew all the more red with anger. "Tell me, did he make you scream?" Cara asked, deciding to take advantage of the one weakness, the one regret her mother had admitted to. "Make you moan and beg for more?" Cara laughed wickedly, turning her head back to revel in her laughter before looking back at her mother. "And dearest sorceress," she said sweetly, "you shall regret that last comment about Lindsey. Very, very much so..."

As soon as the words had left Cara's lips, the girl regretted them. She could feel the ice slicing through her flesh, so very cold. Several chills shot up and down her spine before her fresh, warm, crimson red blood began to spill out. Tiny red tear drops that she wished would not fall. Cara grit her teeth, oh why did you egg her on? she wondered, angry with herself for drawing out her mother's rage, the darkness that lingered within her heart. Why did you have to tell her to make it worse, when it was already bad enough? she questioned herself, as she felt her arms being dragged down... by rock? Cara's eyes grew wide as she looked up at her mother, "three elements?" she whispered through the stinging in her neck. Since when did this bitch acquire three petching elements? And how will she lose when the one that fights her only has control over two? Cara wondered, as her mind grew blank for several moments, from sheer panic. Petch! This is great... just petching great! Just what we needed right now!

Cara growled, great... this petching collar seems to be getting tighter too, she thought, as she stared at her mother in horror. "Like it mother? Like it... love it would be a better phrase to describe these feelings," she insisted, her voice still cold. "But mother, dearest... you should not be calling me that should you?" she hissed, "when you intend to feed your offspring to the creatures of the night." There was a slight pause, "tell me, did you ever wish you could feed him to them, when he devoured you whole?" Cara asked, her eyes flashing both playfully, and menacingly as a tingling sensation began to rise in her stomach. Bubbling over alongside her stomach acids; and threatening to travel even higher, into her organs. It was her djed, her one way out, her only source of power in this madness.

Cara let it rise, to fill every nook and cranny in her lungs, and make them grow warm, like the fire she had grown so used to conjuring. She allowed the feeling of a gentle mist on the flesh to fill her heart, and a gaseous liquid to rise through her neck, tingling, and warm, all the way down the length of her arms to her hands. The rest, she allowed to rise even higher, to her head. We just need to buy some time, to manipulate this djed into something useful, and get out of this, Cara told herself, as she allowed her res to pour out of each of her palms and into the stone her mother had conjured. She could feel it flowing freely over her hand, swirling around it, encasing it, and trickling into the little cracks in the rock. The impurities; the reflection of her mother's heart and soul.

Just a few more moments, and you will be able to turn it to water, then ice, Cara told herself, as she simply stared at her mother. If only she knew that she could wield two elements, then perhaps she would not have been so foolish. Perhaps she would have killed Cara, and not allowed her daughter to use the element of surprise. But that was alright, Cara would let her mother think she had won for now; and then teach her a lesson... or two.

Slowly, Cara turned the inside of her res to water, and then allowed it to freeze. As ice continued to form, it broke through the space in the rock, pushed against the surface, the impurities, the cracks. Cara smiled, ignoring the droplets of blood on her neck that were sure to freeze soon, the pain this caused. She could hear a light crackling sound as the rock began to split, something her mother would more than likely ignore, dismissing it as nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Just a bit more, she told herself, as she allowed the ice she had just made to melt before pooling more res into the rock from her palms.

Cara could feel the small amount of space she had just produced. Although it was not much, she could wiggle her fingers, a little bit. Do it again, and you shall be able to break free, she said as her heart began to beat faster and faster, and several beads of sweat appeared on her brow; something her mother would more than likely see as a product of her fear. Slowly, Cara filled the inside of the newly formed res with water, before she let it freeze, repeating the same process as before. She could hear more crackling, as more rock was split away. Tiny pieces of stone pressed into her flesh, before it was swept away by water as she let the ice melt again. Finally, the girl could wiggle her fingers. Slowly, she pushed them close together, so that flesh brushed against, cold, trembling, sweaty flesh. She needed to work faster if she wanted to escape, 'less her mother try to do something else to her.

Cara closed her eyes a moment, and continued to concentrate on her djed. She could feel it coursing through her body, filling her with warmth, a sense of power, and of hope. She allowed it to flow up her neck, and into her mouth. Gathering, biding its time before she slowly, allowed it to spill out of her mouth, and wind its way around her mother's collar. As swiftly as he could, she lit the inside of the res ring with the hottest fire she could muster, which, managed to melt the majority of her mother's magical collar just as she managed to wiggle her hands out of the rock. "Surprised mother?" she asked, "that your daughter is growing up to be just like you? She wields two elements now," she explained, cooly as the rest of the collar melted away and she stepped to the right, so as to avoid another attack. As she did so, she let the fire ring fill with a small amount of water, dousing it before she sent it to the ground.

Cara was free, and she could feel power radiating from within her, res pouring out of each of her hands; like smoke spilling out of a fire. "Now the real fun begins, doesn't it mother?" Cara asked, as two spheres of light blue res formed over each of her hands, growing steadily by the minute. Spinning counter-clockwise, in a perfect sphere. The opposite of the one that wielded it.

OOCSorry 'bout the length of this post, and the language.

by **Cheshire** on August 16th, 2011, 4:15 am

Cara talked big and Kalarih found this amusing. While she enjoyed the bickering between herself and her daughter it was merely holding off the inevitable. Kalarih was here to put Cara in her place. She was taking too many liberties and what as worse is she was getting confident. If Cara started to gain confidence there was not a doubt in her mother's mind that she would be more skilled. Cara was not weak nor was she unintelligent. This was why Kalarih chastised her as she did. If you cannot control something beat it down to a size that you can.

"Let's leave emotion to the ones who deal with them. You are not one of the beautiful Konti of Mura, that much is clear." Kalarih scoffed as she looked over her daughter. "You are not an Azenth either. You are a Vantha and a pathetic one at that. Our hold should use you for bait. Maybe then we would finally reel in the larger animals." Her eyes seemed to glow with a wicked topaz as she tore into her daughter with her words. "He can't put me in my place anymore, can he?" She grinned wickedly as she purred out her words. "Your big strong daddy cannot help you anymore. He weakened you by trying to keep you safe." Kalarih wished that she knew auristics just for the chance to see Cara's aura. She wanted to make her beg for mercy. Then things would go back to the way the were. Cara would need her mother. She would depend on her and then she would be trapped. Unable to get away again. "I regret nothing Cara. Nothing except letting you think that you have a mind of your own."

The old witch's hand stretched out to control the ice that was slicing into her daughter's neck. "Are you ready to admit that you are weak Cara?" Her long fingers moved closer together and with them the ice stretched out farther, freeing more of her precious blood. "Just tell me that you are weak Cara and all this pain will be over. Admit that you need someone to take care of you." Kalarih was focused to a fault on her daughter. The sight of the blood was so tantalizing to her. She was in control, she was the one who held her daughter on the brink of life and death. "Beg for me to stop Cara. Just like old times. Make me stop." Her grin stretched farther across her face, excitement jumping through her body. "It is all for love Cara. You just need to be broken."

Cara's words were starting to get to Kalarih. The old witch could only take so much of her daughter's sharp words. They did not bother her in the way that she wanted to make up with her daughter. More so in the way that fueled her fire even more. "It all just led up to who I am now and like I said dear, I have no regrets." A devious smile twitched at her lips.

Kalarih was surprised at her daughter's skill although she would not admit it to Cara. Why would she? Instead she continued to work at chipping away at her emotional defenses. Somewhere in that tough woman there was a scared little girl and Kalarih would find her. She was a bit surprised to see that her daughter was able to get out of her restraints. This much was an unexpected surprise, especially because this was the first time Kalarih had seen Cara's hydromancy. "So you have some new tricks? It is no matter. You are still a weak little cub who couldn't save her sister." Her eyes burned a threatening blood red. "Lindsey wasn't as strong as you. The runt had it coming."

Kalarih could see her daughter preparing to set fire to her Res. There were only moments to prepare her defense. Both hands were producing Res but one stood at attention over the snow. Her gift from Morwen worked it's magic, melting a bit of the snow to feed into her Res. With a flick of her wrist the water shot up, twisting around her hands, attracted by the Res. With a push, the water flew forward toward Cara's fire. Sadly the water was not enough to completely douse the flames. A few embers rushed past her watery defense and singed her skin and furs. "Lucky shot dear. That was all it was though. Just a lucky shot."

Once again, Kalarih tapped into her gnosis, hardening the snow at her feet. Her reimancy beckoned it forward, stopping loyally at her hands. It was from this position that the ice expanded, becoming longer and harder as it grew. Within a few chimes the witch stood with two steaks of ice held firmly in her palms. "It is too bad you cannot make the most out of your Gnosis Cara dear. You cannot control the ice yet, can you?" Kalarih smiled, darting forward, her daggers ready to pierce her daughter's skin. The first made it into Cara's shoulder, surely stinging from the freezing temperature. Because of this Cara could not move too much without putting her shoulder in danger. She was caught in Kalarih's clutches.

The next steak was poised to go straight into Cara's stomach, slicing through her vital organs. Kalarih held the steak of ice back, ready to fall against her daughter's flesh. "It is your last chance my little cub. Beg for me to stop and I will not puncture your intestines." Kalarih's eyes gleamed a wonderful magenta, a color of pure ecstasy. Even if Cara pleaded for her life Kalarih might not have been able to stop. She was just having too much fun.