Learn to Fly?! [Open]

[Auldwin]

55th day of Fall, 511 AV It didn't take a genius to realize that being a Ghost was nothing like being a man. Most difficult though was the lengthy process of exactly understanding what it was to be a Ghost. There were no manuals to consult, and no real institutions of higher learning involved with enhancing a Ghosts lifestyle. A Ghost wasn't meant to have a lifestyle. A Ghost wasn't meant to exist for long, but still Auldwin was here. He fought constantly to keep his Humanity. Sometimes it could be regained simply by talking with others, or interacting with the public, much as he did when he was alive. Something so small brought back feelings of what it was to live once more, but they never lasted long. The crushing reality of death was always there. As one Svefra had put it to Auldwin, the very nature of the focus required to simply interact with those beyond the realm of the dead was enough to drive most people mad. In a way Auldwin was mad. He was certainly unlike he was in life. He still struggled to realize if this was his second chance, or some strange penance for a life wasted. Or, perhaps this was just a lingering effect of being slain inside of the Sea of Grass. Auldwin wasn't one to take his death lying down, not in the same way he glided through his uneventful life. If he was dead then he was going to do his best to understand the various facets of this torturous limbo. For that reason the misty specter currently appeared to be nothing more than a small bird flopping about upon the ground nearby the Endrykas. Auldwin had Possessed the small creature, and was painstakingly attempting to understand how to operate it's body, so different from a Human's. Possession didn't simply gift Auldwin with knowledge of the form he stole, instead he wore that form, and like a puppeteer he had to pull the strings correctly to get the desired result. As it was now, however, his string pulling mainly managed to look like he had broken a wing or been mauled by some other air borne predator.

[Auldwin]

The little brown bird that was Auldwin flopped about. Sometimes he would get it upon it's legs and attempt to jump into the air, wings flapping. The wing flapping was genuinely hard work. If he could understand what hard work was anymore. Ghosts didn't exactly burn their muscles out through exertion, instead it was a careful segregation of focus on different parts of the thing they were Possessing. Possessing a Human or anything Humanoid was genuinely easy, so long as you could get past that pesky 'free will' problem. When you started to move toward creatures without typical body types the difficulty getting in wasn't the problem, it was moving around once you were there. Flop his avian body plopped onto the ground, things weren't going so well. Being a bird was like being trapped inside a nightmare, although luckily Auldwin could leave if he became frustrated enough. The Kelvics had the idea of becoming Human even though they were animals, so why was it so difficult for a Ghost to utilize the body of an animal? Possibly because the sensation of feeling was not there to aid Auldwin. He could only judge effectiveness by watching his own feathered body move back and forth, up and down, and side to side. After a few unsuccessful launches, Auldwin actually got the wings beating fast enough that the poor little creature he was hijacking managed to hover up into the air a few feet before ungracefully falling back down into the dirt. Auldwin grumbled to himself, which resulted in a garbled chirp from the bird. "Perhaps getting atop something high would help...?" he mused, moving over to a nearby tree. Checking that no one was near by, Auldwin poured free from the bird, his Soulmist condencing into his more Humanoid form. This occurred just long enough for him to utilize his Soulmist Projection to move the bird upon a branch, as lethargic as it now was after being wielded in such a fashion.

[Akilah Windsong]

Adámas whickered softly as she ate the grass, munching lightly on the soft shoots that would disappear before long. A rare treat, she swished her tail lightly, whisking away any flies that approached. It was chillier now, the sunlight fainter and weaker.

Akilah stopped watching her, turning back to face her pup instead. Vespera was a wild one, running through the dry grass in abandon. Bigger now than he used to be, he was midway between pup and adult, legs growing longer and stronger each day.

Soon enough he would be beyond commands. Fortunately, he knew the basic ones now and obeyed instead of just running away.

"Vespera, sit!" she ordered, voice firm and commanding. Dogs belonged in packs, belonged in orders of alphas and gammas. If she didn't think the position of the alpha, Vespera would, and then there would be no living with him.

It took a moment for the words to register. Akilah watched in delight as the dog awkwardly plopped onto the ground, cocking his head as he looked at her. Kneeling down to him, one hand rubbing his head lightly as she fished in her pocket for a snack. She had to be fast, rewarding him almost immediately after, or else he would not understand what the reward was for.

He wolfed down the small scrap of meat with gusto, his rough tongue scratching her hand as he did. Tongue lolling as he panted slightly, she ran her fingers down his soft, short fur. Black shadow, she used to call him. He was still one, disappearing when the thickets were too deep or day too dark. His eyes closed slightly as she rubbed, one hand massaging his chest while the other caressed his floppy ears and head. Taking in all of him, she combed with her fingers to make sure no burrs where lodged in his fur nor any secret cuts that came from his adventures. A whine emerged as he stared intently into the tall grasses, and she released him.

As he moved through the rushes, she followed his movements with the parting reeds until he suddenly stopped, ears cocking to the right as he did so. Turning in that direction, she could see a small black bird falling into the long grasses. Unsteady with its wings, it rose, fell, flapping wildly as it did so. Awkward movements were made in its attempt to become airborne.

Perhaps its wings were broken.

"Adámas," she signaled, approaching her partner. On her sturdy back, the yves remained, Akilah's bags securely tied on. "There's an injured bird. I'm going to take care of it." Reaching into one pack, she pulled out some twine and tape. She might not be able to take care of the bird properly, but she'd be able to catch it. Others could do the healing for her.

Unbeknownst to her, Vespera was stalking the bird, body low to the ground as he moved. A dark shadow, his ears remained perked forward, eyes waiting and watching. The moment the bird faltered once more, plummeting to the ground, he would pounce.

[Auldwin]

Auldwin had managed to hop back inside of the tiny form of the bird before Akilah, or else that type of visage would have been quite disturbing. Like a gout of smoke pouring down the birds throat, Auldwin packed himself back into his Possessed shell. It was a good thing he moved quickly too, for the balance of the bird was just about to give way and cause the poor creature to fall free from the branch. With his new found height thanks to some extra meddling, Auldwin looked at the ground, which now seemed so far away considering his vastly reduced size. Wielding a form this small was a challenge in itself, especially when you spent most of your time, living or death, as an appropriately sized Human. He took the leap without a second thought, as he had nothing to lose. Perhaps it was cruel, but Auldwin did not even consider the well being of the creature he inhabited. Sometimes life lost some of it's value to him, especially when there was nothing to remind him just how important it all was. That was just the kind of selfishness that embodied the struggle to continue to exist, even after death. The reluctance to just let go. The self-centered desire to refuse to enter the cycle, all because things had not gone as Auldwin had hoped. That was the life of a Ghost. For a moment he hovered above the ground, trying to stabilize his flight pattern. One wing simply beat quicker than the other, and he sunk back to the ground. At the very least his landing was softer than it had been in the past. However as one difficulty was slowly overcome another two emerged. The first was Akilah, whom was preparing to tend to the 'injured' bird. The poor bird would have been quite happy to be the recipient of some care, considering it's lot in life was now serving the whims of a Possessing Ghost. The second obstacle that Auldwin hadn't prepared for was Vespera. He was so busy concentrating on taking what he had learned about flight and putting it all together that he had no idea he was being stalked. How could he, what ever stalked a Ghost? Auldwin didn't have any natural predators anymore, they had all faded away when the meat of his body was ripped apart. There was nothing left to take from him except his Soulmist. His Soulmist and the body of the bird he was using. As if on cue for Vespera, Auldwin launched himself back into the air, trying to create an incline with the beating of his wings.

[Akilah Windsong]

She turned in time to hear a squawk. Vespera, putting his instincts to good use for once, had pounced. As the bird flapped, ungainly lifting itself into the air, the pup coiled. Feet squarely one the ground, body pressed together, he released it all at once as he sprang into the air. Front paws crashed on the bird's weak wings, and loose feathers floated off. Frothing jaws snapped around the frail body as it frantically struggled in his grasp.

Oh no. Akilah pulled her hands out of the bags, her hands still tightly gripping her finds. Oh no. As she looked on, in the bright sunlight, she was able to see the small dust that rose from the attack. The feathers were small, barely noticeable from the distance as she stared in muted horror.

She was about to save that bird. Not have it killed.

If Vespera had killed it. He was still young, inexperienced. His strength was not yet under control and he could have killed it at impact. Shaken from her stupour, she got to her feet and started running to the pair.

When Akilah arrived, shouting, Vespera merely lifted his head, wagging his tail eagerly. The feathers and mess made the scene look worse than it was, and the bird's small body underneath those large paws didn't make it any better.

A small yip came, and as she stared at her dog's proud face, Akilah didn't know whether to reward or punish. She could only stare at the small twine traps in her hand, the cloth she had ready to wrap the bird up in. The black feathers were small on the yellowing grass.

"Vespera...." she sighed.

She should reward. She should. She should and it was still very hard to reach out and rub his ears, giving glowing words of praise as she did so.

"Good boy," she managed a moment later, halfheartedly. Crouching down, she gave a small rub on the ears. "You'll make a great hunter. Now come here."

He whined, not willing to give up his prey. Paws were still firmly pressed on the bird's wings, and any broken wings were sure to be in worse shape. In a more commanding tone, she ordered once more, "Vespera, come here."

[Auldwin]

Auldwin wasn't even sure what happened at first. The body he Possessed wasn't working the way it wasn't supposed to anymore. Sure it was a bit unwieldy due to his lack of knowledge of the avian body during Possession, but this was completely different then he was accustomed to. Inside that body Auldwin couldn't feel pain, there was only the strain upon his Soulmist as he attempting to keep the Possession steady.

He saw the landscape jumbling all over the place as his body flopped inside of the mouth of the dog. The birds neck craned about as he sought to figure out what was going out, his vision turned sideways from the way he was being gripped. There he saw a Drykas girl with long brunette hair, and all around him was the blackened fur of a canine. He was attacked? He was bit by someone's dog? What kind of foolishness was this!?

Immediately upon figuring it out, shortly after the dog whined in resistance to it's master's command, Auldwin poured out from inside of the bird and Materialized into a more coherent form. If someone had never seen a Ghost before it could have been quite the unnerving sight. It appeared as if the bird was vomiting up black and grey smoke. That smoke came pouring from it's mouth, creating a huge cloud that eventually built itself from the ground up into the shape of a man. Auldwin was not happy. "You mongrel! That do you think you're doing to that body! Do you know how hard it was to get that body!? The effort, the time!" he yelled in the common tongue at the canine, not knowing if it could even understand him.

He turned toward the woman, although he appeared solid faint wisps of Soulmist material floated just barely from his shape, creating an ominously dark hue to his outline. "Is this your doing?" he said before switching over to Pavi, able to speak the language to at least some discernible degree, "Girl! Get him to release that bird!" he now directed his raised voice toward her, his form fluctuating due to his annoyance. With this much pressure from the event he was having a difficult time keeping his shape.

[Akilah Windsong]

She was almost sure she could see blood, bright red on the dark blue-black feathers that covered the bird. Suddenly, it was limp, motionless under her dog's powerful paws. Worried, she almost reached down to check the bird, her fingers grazing the edges of the course feathers when all of a sudden the beaks opened wide.

It was...spewing violently. Hacking up large plumes of ash-grey and charcoal smoke, the bird retched a layer the quickly covered the ground. Eyes wide and fearful, Akilah stared as the thick smog concentrated, changing form and size as it rose slowly. A man was being built, a man of smoke and dust and the bird continued to discharge it. A man inside of a bird.

As it gathered, as the could see the faint shapes of his nose and ear form, she remembered the stories she was told as a child. The fairy-tales of dark magic and the men crazied enough to use it, the things they did their targets. Fantasies, she thought before, tales to keep your children in bed and in line. Fantasies but for the man appearing before her, and she too far for anyone to help in time.

He yelled now at Vespera, his voice more solid than she expected considering his body. Flinching as he turned to her, she noticed his body's edges weren't as well defined, darker in some places, more blurry in others. Backing away on trembling legs, she chanced a quick glance at the stunned bird, still lying on the ground. Vespera's hackles were raised, his teeth bared, and a soft growl was slowly growing larger.

Hearing the quick canter of her horse, she knew her partner had sensed danger lurked in front of her. As Adámas approached, she felt herself relax, the fear dissipating slightly. Everything seemed less frightening when her horse was nearby, when she knew the safety that Adámas represented. Glancing at the bird, she saw Vespera had yet to release the bird, even as he crouched, ready to attack at any moment.

"What are you?" Her voice cracked slightly, but it held firm. A little braver, she approached it again, the smog-man's form not as distinct now. It faltered, form expanding and decreasing as she watched. Leaning down, she put a hand on the back of her hound's head. "Will you hurt us?" Glancing down at the bird, she wondered if she should release it. "Why do you need the bird?"

[Auldwin]

Auldwin looked down at the dog baring it's fangs and for a moment found it's defensive nature somewhat humorous. Auldwin had faced the ultimate horror in life, he'd already died once, more than likely in a way far more painful than the dog could had replicated.

Out stretching one phantasmal hand a barely visible projection of smoke shot out from his palm and cradled the bird, lifting it up from the ground and bringing it over to him. For a moment the bird levitated eerily in front of Auldwin as he carefully examined it's form. The body rotated slowly in the air, though it wasn't easy to determine what was propelling it. He had to first check to see that the creature was alive, which it appeared it was, and then secondly to determine if it was possible to be used for further possession attempts.

After a time he looked back over at the girl, now having a second animal near by. The questions she had made it obvious she hadn't had much interaction with Ghosts. Slowly the tendril of shadowy material that was manipulating the creature lowered it down to the ground with a delicate touch and laid the bird upon the ground. "I'm dead, that's what I am. And now I'm annoyed. That canine attacked that bird." he spoke, pointing to himself first, and then toward the dog that so protectively stayed near Akilah.

Regardless of how intimidating Auldwin tried to be though, he simply wasn't meant to be a monster. Not yet anyway. He often acted out on emotions alone as a Ghost, as they were all he had left. Without many of the senses of a typical living creature the emotional feelings he had were supercharged. Taking a moment he sighed, calming his Soulmist down slightly, "I'm not going to hurt anyone." Auldwin answered her finally. "As long as that dog doesn't get in my way. I need the bird to understand the nature of a bird's body. How it functions, what makes it fly, how it moves it's wings so quickly...so easily."

[Akilah Windsong]

She couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her as a shimmering hand approached her. Ghastly, the edges of the hand blurred and solidified alternately and a shiver of fear run up her spine at its sight. Her hands dug into Vespera's dark fur, the thick strands tangled up in her fingers as she tried to move him back.

Young as he was, he was as heavy and strong as she was and it took more effort than she expected. Wrapping her arms firmly around his body, Akilah grunted in the effort it took to move the dog away from the wounded bird and the frightening hand.

Corporeal now, the hand wrapped around the bird, lifting it into the air. Moving it this way and that, she watched nervously as the fog-filled man stared rotated the bird.

Adámas appeared behind her, firm and steady, and Akilah leaned against her strong legs. Closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed softly. She could do this. She could handle whatever this thing was.

Opening her eyes once more, she watched as the bird was lowered to the ground, almost gently. Vespera moved closer to her, canines still bared and shoulders hunched. Smiling at the motion, she straightened up and bit her lip as she heard the man's words.

Dead? He was a ghost, then. Left behind for unfinished business, her grandmother used to tell them frightening tales of the undead. Of men who rose beyond the grave to destroy their killers, of mothers searching for their lost children. Filled with worms and grime, her ghosts would lurk in the darkest shadows at night, preying on unsuspecting children. Truth be told, he didn't look as dangerous as she imagined, his body wisps of air coming together, as though Zulrav had put him together.

Even his words seemed like a breeze, barely there and heard to hear. Listening to him, she glanced down at the crow once more, her curiosity overtaking her fear. It still lay there, limp, but its wings were still well-formed, feathers lining the bone. She could still picture a bird at flight, pumping wings. "To fly? You can do that? I'm jealous."

The sharp snarls from Vespera had yet to diminish and she crouched beside him, one arm slowly reaching behind his head to stroke his soft fur. Still a little scared of the man, she was wary about trusting his words. Yet, he seemed calmer than before and any alarms needed would be given by her hound. "Calm down," she whispered, still giving long, slow strokes on his fur. "He seems okay for now."

Returning her attention the the ghost, she stared at him unabashedly. "Ghosts exist because they have something to do, right? What do you have left to do?"

[Auldwin]

Jealous? Auldwin couldn't help but lock his attention upon that comment. True, he had the ability to fly, to swim, to run as a horse if he was so inclined. Nothing was off limits, only his mind restricted the potential for his travels. The chains that bound him to the world were never forgotten, and upon those chains there were restrictions that could not be circumvented. Though he might fly as a bird, he could never feel as one. He could never bask in the glow of the sun, or experience the racing wind ruffling his feathers. All those sensations were lost. Now all that existed was pain. Pain in everything. Pain in existing, pain in surviving, even pain in Possessing that little bird.

"Don't be. This wretched existence is punishment for a reason. Perhaps, if you try hard enough, you could find a way to fly as well. You would keep all that you are, though. You breathe, and you'll never understand. When your heart no longer beats, you miss it. When your eyes no longer ache from the bright sun, you miss it." The concept itself was difficult to explain. Auldwin tried to imagine himself in that girl's shoes, attempting to understand exactly what he was saying. Until one experienced it, they could never truly know the difficulty. Some say Ghosts had a powerful willpower, one that went beyond the scope of the living. Auldwin understood that now, the temptation to flee, to return to the cycle was always there. Always so close, dangling just in front of him, all he needed to do was grab it. Grab it and hold on tight, desperate to reincarnate.

For now though, he had other desperation's. "Ghost exists because they exist. I've met some whose purpose is so loosely defined they seem to just linger because they wish it. I find myself constantly drawn to this place. This cursed place was where I died. I search for my murderer, but they are not so easy to find." his Materialized form was much calmer now, although it flickered now and again, bending in odd ways as if his image was being seen through water and glass. "The one who killed me...was a Ghost. Ironic as it is to say, that fact Haunts me. I must find this Ghost."

It seemed simple enough, but Auldwin couldn't even be sure what he would do if he found it. Over the years, the question hadn't become so much one of simple revenge, as one of determining, why? Why Auldwin? Why then? Why that way? Auldwin had never done anything to anyone. His life was so uninspired he never even had the audacity to make enemies. He had never become involved with the Spirits, he had never learned magic, he had never spoken with the Gods. He simply went to work, collected his wage, and supported he and his wife in their small home in Syliras. Now all that seemed so distant, like a dream. All that was left was this swirling batch of confusion that Auldwin tried to make sense out of. That was the existence of a Ghost.