Calming the Storm (Chesh)

[Yuralria]

The storm was growing more fierce outside, and Yuralria was getting uncomfortable, though she wasn't sure the tempest was the cause. "I've already been in the cellar, genius. Stated Yuralria, snarky as ever. She hoped he wouldn't get any pushier, she preferred to take things slow, but Rayv couldn't seem to get his mind off the boobs and body she barely even had. Her eyes shifted to a dark shade of violet, she was getting uneasy and nervous. She was so confused. She had messed around with guys before, but it had never gotten anywhere. She quickly combed her mind for an excuse "Umm, I don't think it's wise anyway, what with this storm outside" She said a little hesitantly. Outside, the storm raged against the walls, as if it was trying to rip the tavern apart, and at first Yuralria couldn't figure out what was different about the storm, what she could feel, but then she realized. "It's not me... I don't have the kind of power needed to shake the foundation of a whole building." Yuralria said, slightly awed by her realization "I think It's Zulrav, I don't know how I know, but I can feel him. It's so odd.

[Cheshire]

Rayvoris shrugged as he looked at the girl. "Who says you can't go down there again? Ykala has left the tavern to me. I think you will see that the cellar is much different than you remember." He watched the girl carefully before shrugging and looking out the window. Yuralria was old enough to be married off. In fact, this year was the last year she had before becoming an icemaiden and becoming deemed unweddable. Since it was her last year before she would be deemed an icemaiden he knew that he might have a bit of competition for her. "Fine Yura, we'll take it slow. I'm just worried that some other guy is going to sweep you off your feet." The man flashed her a small smile before running a hand through her hair. "You wouldn't do that to me, right?" The wind whipped against the walls as the two spoke. Rayvoris' eyes turned a light yellow as he looked from the window to Yuralria. "Well… does he want something? No one is going to be able to leave the tavern with him raging like this outside." An idea hit him as soon as the words left his mouth. If no one would leave the tavern he would make more money. "Actually, tell him to keep the storm going. It will keep everyone here so I can make more profit." His eyes turned a light lilac as he reached across the table to touch her hand. "Besides, it leaves more time for use to be together." The breeze nestled into Yuralria's hair almost as if it was trying to prove to the Vantha that it was playing in the half blood's locks first."Maybe you should see what Zulrav wants…"

[Yuralria]

The storm was raging outside, knocking at the windows and doors with fierce determination. Zulrav's presence was strong, Yura could feel it. She jerked her hand away from Rayvoris. 'I'm sorry Rayv, I really am, but I think he wants to talk to me.' Yuralria said with a slight frown. She want Ray, but now it just wasn't prudent. Yura stood slowly, she was scared. Meeting a god was a very intimidating thing. especially a god who had marked her for life. She calmed her nerves and stopped shaking, then proceeded to walk slowly towards the door. 'Wish me luck', she murmured to the breeze that she was beginning to grow fond of with a backwards glance at the heartthrob bartender, she forced open the door and walked out into the frigid winter storm. The door suddenly slammed behind her. The wind whipped her so hard it almost took the young girl off of her feet. Snow and ice spun around her, making her skin raw in seconds. She took a wide stance and stood firm in the wind. 'I'm here' she said, looking into the storm.

[Cheshire]

Rayvoris was a bit hurt to see Yuralria leave in such a hurry but there were customers waiting for him and who was he to hold up a mighty God. He nodded to the girl, watching as she left. Outside, Zulrav watched and waited for his warden to step foot into his storm. He has watched as she had grown over the years. The winds told him of her happenings and the situations she kept finding herself in. He had watched and waited for years, wanting to see how Yuralria grew on her own but now it was time to introduce himself. The winds were strong and fierce, whipping at her hair and beckoning her to walk further into the eye of the storm. "It is good to finally meet you Yuralria." Zulrav's voice seemed to echo off the buildings, sounding of thunder while still holding the calm essence of a soft breeze. "I've waited for the right time to talk to you. Watched you grow and discover my gift to you." There was much to say to Yuralria but how much was too much? "Tell me Yuralria, do you know where you are from?"

[Yuralria]

Yuralria's hair whipped fiercely around her as Zulrav spoke, his voice terrifying and calming all at once. She was definitely not met with disappointment at her first meeting with Zulrav He was everything the stories said and more. Somehow mere words didn't do him justice, even in the Vantha language, which was made for telling stories. I am Yuralria of Whitevine hold; dancer, swordswoman, and Stormwarden. She shouted, head bowed against the raging winds. Even as she said it, a seed of doubt sprouted in her mind, slowly consuming her thoughts, like a parasite. She was lighter of skin then The other Vantha, she had no mark from Morwen either. And the red in her hair.. Zulrav's awesome power pushed the parasite to the back of her mind and brought her to the present. Finally meeting you in person is a breathtaking experience, god of storms She said humbly, slightly out of character. She took a chance and raised her head, glancing into the awesome power of her deity. Windows rattled and doors shook on their hinges under the weight of the winds. She had finally met someone who could give her a definite purpose in her life.

[Cheshire]

Zulrav had not expected Yuralria to know where she came from. Even though he had kept an eye on her since the night of her conception he understood that there were things she would not know. Vantha were proud and family oriented people. Perhaps this is why the girl's hold did not tell her of her Inarta roots. What better to keep the hold lines tight than to let her believe she was one of them, but different. "I'm sure you have noticed differences between you and your fellow Vantha." Zulrav's voice was strong, but one could hear hints of compassion in their booming tones. "Your red hair…" A breeze blew through her crimson locks, almost as if Zulrav was running his fingers through them. "Your light skin…" Another breeze blew against her, running across the skin of her cheeks. "You are not like the other Vantha Yuralria, but that means little. A good Warden can come from anywhere. Anywhere is what we must speak of though." The winds softened slightly, almost as if Zulrav wanted to lighten the environment. Somewhat like a father trying to speak to a child. "You have the ability in you to be a fantastic Warden but you cannot hope to be strong unless you know who you are. Who you really are, and most importantly, where you come from. Even the mightiest winds must start somewhere." This story would not be told without Yuralria's consent. While Zulrav wanted Yuralria to know her Kalean roots and embrace them, he would not do so if she wished to keep them a secret. "Do you wish to learn?"

[Yuralria]

Zulrav's words hit home, bringing Yura's doubts up from the back of her mind. memories flooded through her mind, her parents shirking questions, getting picked on for her pale skin and her lack of a mark from Morwen, her red hair. It can't be, she thought.Am I not who I thought I was? Her eyes turned a light green with er face as nausea overtook her and she started shaking again. It was amazing what a few simple words could do about someone's self image. Her eye's shifted back to the usual amethyst hue, though she stayed pale, and her shaking turned to a slight tremble... It was frightening, but she had to know. She couldn't walk around not knowing who she was. Determination conquered her nerves. "Teach me. Tell me of my past. I've got to find out from someone."She crossed her arms against the wind and settled in fr the story she never got to hear.

[Cheshire]

Yuralria was brave. Not every girl her age would have been able take on the news. It is often so much easier to stay in the dark and let the lies become the truth. The girl knew she had to learn though. When a God comes to speak to a mortal it is usually best to give them what they seek. "You know of Wind Reach and the Inarta, correct?" It was best to let the girl know all at once. Dragging the story out would do nothing for her. "I watch over many races. The Inarta in Kalea, the Drykas in Cyphrus, and of course many individuals scattered through Mizahar. You have blood of the Inarta in you. It is what makes you so different and is also why I took an interest in you." Although Wind Reach and Avanthal were far from one another there were small things that connected the two. Both housed hardy humans who defied the odds and lived where danger was all around them. Both had their own small connections to Ivak. Both places were often frequented by Zulrav's touch as well. The wind beneath the eagles wings, the roaring tempests of the Wastes. They were all one in the same. "You are Vantha so do not fret. You are just as much entitled to Morwen's love as her full blooded children. You have the blood of the Inarta within you as well. It is what gives you your red hair and your light skin." The tale of Yuralria was marked in Zulrav's mind just as well as the tales of all of his marked. The God was close to his followers. I was said much more than that of other Gods. "Your father was a member of Skyglow Hold. He was a beautiful carver who decided to leave the city of Avanthal to try and sell his wares in Wind Reach. There, he met your mother, a Dek, the lowest of the low in the city. The two found love in one another though and on the eve of a blizzard, they conceived you." It was beautifully poetic in fact. An Inarta and a Vantha creating new life on a night where both of their patron deities seemed to own the air. "It was on that night I chose to mark you as my own. Shortly after it was found that your mother was pregnant and because of this, your father was blamed and killed. Luckily with the help of one of the Eagle Riders, your mother was spared and flown here to Avanthal where she was taken in by Whitevine Hold." It would be here in the story where Yuralria would start to understand things. How she managed to walk with the Vantha, to live as one and yet, not fully be one. "Your mother was very happy here but sadly she fell ill shortly after arriving here. Her last words were your name shortly after she gave birth to you. Whitevine took you in as one of their own and that brings us to today." There it was. The story that Yuralria had been looking for her whole life spoke from the mouth of a God. "Don't hold resentment for the Whitevines. They did all they could to help you. You may not have had the chance to meet your father and you only got a glimpse of your mother but you are not alone. You are the child of two words and either should be proud to have you. Even if they look down on you, you are a Stormwarden and that no one can change." Zulrav watch carefully over the girl. He knew the story was a great deal to share with a child, especially when she was only sixteen. She was a strong girl though and Zulrav saw this.

[Yuralria]

The wind rushed around Yuralria as Zulrav told his story. She could almost she her life unfolding in front of her. So many question were answered, and she came to regret all she put her adoptive family through. The stealing and breaking things, and the general mischief she got up to just to tick them off. They took her in to take care of her because her parents were dead. that one hit her hard. She would never meet her parents, except through the stories of others .Still knowing what she knew now from Zulrav was more than she ever thought she'd get. She felt a lot of comfort finding that her dad was a good man, and that he died so that her and her mother might live. And her mother.. Died as she was leaving for a new life. She now held a new appreciation for her previously unknown real parents and her adoptive parents back in Whitevine Hold as well, but one question still managed to worm it's way into her head. Yura raised her head to the storm"Zulrav, Why haven't I heard this before?"

[Cheshire]

It seemed as though Yuralria understood and the girl took it better than Zulrav had expected. He had chosen a strong girl to be a warden. He knew this even when she was young. Now she was proving it. "You were not ready." The words were plain and simple. Yuralria was still a child, although not by Vantha standards. The girl would need to be married this year if she hoped to ever get married. The Vantha married quite young, or at least the females did. While the girl was a child of two words, she lived in the Vantha one and was expected to live by their customs. "Everything takes time Yuralria. You needed to act out your frustrations and feel your anger." If anyone could understand the need for a good show of distaste, it was the Storm God. The roaring winds and terrible storms were not always just to keep the world in balance. At times even Zulrav got angry. "I'll return soon Yuralria. Every warden is important to me. It will be worth the wait." Yuralria would be able to feel the winds lessening as Zulrav was getting ready to move on. "Treat your adoptive parents well. They truly care for you." Although the God said he would return soon, soon meant much different things to a God, than a mortal. While Yuralria might have expected Zulrav to return within weeks it would be seasons before the God decided to seek her out once more.