Thanks for the feedback, Mandi! Animus is going to try and find him, definitely! 
So, I've been gone for a long time because college is absorbing my life so completely.
That, and I stalled on the second scene of this part, but now I finished. Parts might be more infrequent now, but I'm still working on "Legends..." rest assured! ^_^
***
Exhaustion overwhelmed Merrick as he stumbled through the dark night, plagued by the last memories he would ever have of his mother.
Blood dribbling down her chin...
Her strained words as she violently coughed...
The dead look that glazed over her eyes as she left...
The tired little boy shook his head slowly as he sought to vanquish those thoughts from his mind. There was no way he could though. His mother was dead and he had killed her; he had to face that reality because there was no other reality left for him to run to.
Of course, even then, there was really no life left for him, or so he believed. His mother was his life, and now...now, there was no life to live. And so, he did the most practical thing that came to mind.
He ran.
With every single step, he found himself falling more and more into a delirium induced by the severe emotional as well as physical pain he was suffering. He could barely feel his legs as he tromped through the knee-high snow and his whole body shook with chill. Frightened and alone, he had no direction and only one purpose. To run as far away as possible from all the pain that he had inflicted upon himself and his loved ones. His life was a marker of pain; he did not want to be reminded of that.
Finally, he found himself defeated by his own body's fatigue and collapsed in the snow, completely worn as the forest closed in on him.
***
Even in the darkness of the early morning, a plume of smoke continued to rise from the ceiling of the Deerzord Sanctuary and Shayla stared at it from her room.
Swathed in blankets to keep her warm, the princess had pulled up a chair and was sitting at the sill of the open window. She had been up for the entire night almost, as she had tried sleeping earlier, but to no avail as her dreams had not come to sweep her away. Something dark and heavy had settled within her, and she knew that it alone had been preventing her from resting. Shayla had no idea as to what was causing it and worry and concern filled her about the cause of the foreign sensation.
Of course, it wasn't the only thing she worried about as by that time, the news had spread that a search party had been sent out to retrieve the three trainees on their Hunt. Her best friend and the boy whom she loved was in danger. She had speculated that the dark feeling within her was about Merrick, but she quickly shoved that aside, opting to think positively and brightly. General Animus wouldn't let anything happen to his boys; he was just as upstanding as Ephane had been, she was sure of that.
In the east wing of the Wildzord Sanctuary, light illuminated nearly every window which was quite strange as it was very early in the morning. Normally, there was maybe one Virginal Doe up through the night watching the prayer fire in the Deerzord Sanctuary, but that morning, everyone was up, or so it appeared.
Her curiosity getting the best of her, Shayla slipped on her shoes and cloak and left her room to find out exactly what was happening on downstairs. Going as far as to put on her hood to keep away the cold of the early winter night, the young girl descended the stairs from the second floor. Just as she was about to step off the stairs, Shayla was met with a rare and almost unbelievable sight.
Crumpled against the doorway that led into the courtyard and sobbing uncontrollably was Sanctuary Priestess Rai.
"Sanctuary Priestess!" Startled by the older woman's condition, Shayla immediately forgot about her own concerns and rushed over to where she was, focusing on her. "Sanctuary Priestess, what has happened? Are you alright?"
Rai, who had been staring at the near pitch black sky and murmuring prayers to herself, found her attention drawn to the young princess. Quickly, she made an effort to regain control of her emotions, swallowing down her sobs. "Princess! What are you doing up? You should be sleeping!" She tried for the scolding tone, but halfway through her voice was broken with a coughing sob and the act simply didn't carry.
"What is wrong?" Shayla pressed, her voice still sweet and soft, yet insistent at the same time. "I know there is something wrong; I can feel it."
The young redhead stopped in the midst of wiping her wet cheeks, and stared at Shayla in shock. "Wait, what exactly do you feel, Shayla?"
"This darkness, an emptiness, within me," she explained slowly, watching as Rai's tear-ridden eyes gradually grew wider at her description. "It almost hurts, but I don't know why or what is causing it. I couldn't sleep at all tonight."
A small sad smile spread across Rai's lips. "You are so special, Shayla," she murmured, stroking the girl's arm comfortingly. "You have no idea how special you are"
"I'm special?"
"What you're feeling is the connection you must've forged with High Priestess Opaline; normally, someone your age with your little experience shouldn't have been able to form such a strong connection."
Shayla thought for a moment about the new level of growth in her magical powers. However, as she thought, something confused her. "But why do I feel so bad and not-"
"Princess Shayla, High Priestess Opaline is dead."
For a long moment, the young fawn was completely still, trying to compute the information that had been given to her, but she wasn't able to. Opaline couldn't be dead, she was her mentor. She was supposed to teach her everything there was to know about being a priestess and a woman. She wasn't supposed to die! "She's not dead," the brown-haired girl finally voiced quietly, even more confusion and frustration clouding her eyes. "How do you know she's dead?!"
"The connection that you have with the High Priestess is one that all priests, priestesses, and does have also. The darkness and emptiness you feel is the lacking of the connection; it's been broken, and there is only one way that it can be broken."
The explanation embedded itself into her mind, and as Shayla processed it, tears formed in her innocent brown eyes and began to dribble down her cheeks as she accepted the truth. There was no reason for lies; the High Priestess was beloved among all, no one speak ill of her unless it was the truth. "Why?" Her voice caught in her throat, and as she coughed slightly, the first of many sobs wracked her body.
As her tears came quicker and her sobs shook her more frequently, Rai gathered the High Priestess' apprentice into her arms and held her tightly. Rocking her back and forth in a comforting motion, the Sanctuary Priestess also began to cry silently again for the mentor the two of them had lost that night.
***
So, I've been gone for a long time because college is absorbing my life so completely.
That, and I stalled on the second scene of this part, but now I finished. Parts might be more infrequent now, but I'm still working on "Legends..." rest assured! ^_^***
Exhaustion overwhelmed Merrick as he stumbled through the dark night, plagued by the last memories he would ever have of his mother.
Blood dribbling down her chin...
Her strained words as she violently coughed...
The dead look that glazed over her eyes as she left...
The tired little boy shook his head slowly as he sought to vanquish those thoughts from his mind. There was no way he could though. His mother was dead and he had killed her; he had to face that reality because there was no other reality left for him to run to.
Of course, even then, there was really no life left for him, or so he believed. His mother was his life, and now...now, there was no life to live. And so, he did the most practical thing that came to mind.
He ran.
With every single step, he found himself falling more and more into a delirium induced by the severe emotional as well as physical pain he was suffering. He could barely feel his legs as he tromped through the knee-high snow and his whole body shook with chill. Frightened and alone, he had no direction and only one purpose. To run as far away as possible from all the pain that he had inflicted upon himself and his loved ones. His life was a marker of pain; he did not want to be reminded of that.
Finally, he found himself defeated by his own body's fatigue and collapsed in the snow, completely worn as the forest closed in on him.
***
Even in the darkness of the early morning, a plume of smoke continued to rise from the ceiling of the Deerzord Sanctuary and Shayla stared at it from her room.
Swathed in blankets to keep her warm, the princess had pulled up a chair and was sitting at the sill of the open window. She had been up for the entire night almost, as she had tried sleeping earlier, but to no avail as her dreams had not come to sweep her away. Something dark and heavy had settled within her, and she knew that it alone had been preventing her from resting. Shayla had no idea as to what was causing it and worry and concern filled her about the cause of the foreign sensation.
Of course, it wasn't the only thing she worried about as by that time, the news had spread that a search party had been sent out to retrieve the three trainees on their Hunt. Her best friend and the boy whom she loved was in danger. She had speculated that the dark feeling within her was about Merrick, but she quickly shoved that aside, opting to think positively and brightly. General Animus wouldn't let anything happen to his boys; he was just as upstanding as Ephane had been, she was sure of that.
In the east wing of the Wildzord Sanctuary, light illuminated nearly every window which was quite strange as it was very early in the morning. Normally, there was maybe one Virginal Doe up through the night watching the prayer fire in the Deerzord Sanctuary, but that morning, everyone was up, or so it appeared.
Her curiosity getting the best of her, Shayla slipped on her shoes and cloak and left her room to find out exactly what was happening on downstairs. Going as far as to put on her hood to keep away the cold of the early winter night, the young girl descended the stairs from the second floor. Just as she was about to step off the stairs, Shayla was met with a rare and almost unbelievable sight.
Crumpled against the doorway that led into the courtyard and sobbing uncontrollably was Sanctuary Priestess Rai.
"Sanctuary Priestess!" Startled by the older woman's condition, Shayla immediately forgot about her own concerns and rushed over to where she was, focusing on her. "Sanctuary Priestess, what has happened? Are you alright?"
Rai, who had been staring at the near pitch black sky and murmuring prayers to herself, found her attention drawn to the young princess. Quickly, she made an effort to regain control of her emotions, swallowing down her sobs. "Princess! What are you doing up? You should be sleeping!" She tried for the scolding tone, but halfway through her voice was broken with a coughing sob and the act simply didn't carry.
"What is wrong?" Shayla pressed, her voice still sweet and soft, yet insistent at the same time. "I know there is something wrong; I can feel it."
The young redhead stopped in the midst of wiping her wet cheeks, and stared at Shayla in shock. "Wait, what exactly do you feel, Shayla?"
"This darkness, an emptiness, within me," she explained slowly, watching as Rai's tear-ridden eyes gradually grew wider at her description. "It almost hurts, but I don't know why or what is causing it. I couldn't sleep at all tonight."
A small sad smile spread across Rai's lips. "You are so special, Shayla," she murmured, stroking the girl's arm comfortingly. "You have no idea how special you are"
"I'm special?"
"What you're feeling is the connection you must've forged with High Priestess Opaline; normally, someone your age with your little experience shouldn't have been able to form such a strong connection."
Shayla thought for a moment about the new level of growth in her magical powers. However, as she thought, something confused her. "But why do I feel so bad and not-"
"Princess Shayla, High Priestess Opaline is dead."
For a long moment, the young fawn was completely still, trying to compute the information that had been given to her, but she wasn't able to. Opaline couldn't be dead, she was her mentor. She was supposed to teach her everything there was to know about being a priestess and a woman. She wasn't supposed to die! "She's not dead," the brown-haired girl finally voiced quietly, even more confusion and frustration clouding her eyes. "How do you know she's dead?!"
"The connection that you have with the High Priestess is one that all priests, priestesses, and does have also. The darkness and emptiness you feel is the lacking of the connection; it's been broken, and there is only one way that it can be broken."
The explanation embedded itself into her mind, and as Shayla processed it, tears formed in her innocent brown eyes and began to dribble down her cheeks as she accepted the truth. There was no reason for lies; the High Priestess was beloved among all, no one speak ill of her unless it was the truth. "Why?" Her voice caught in her throat, and as she coughed slightly, the first of many sobs wracked her body.
As her tears came quicker and her sobs shook her more frequently, Rai gathered the High Priestess' apprentice into her arms and held her tightly. Rocking her back and forth in a comforting motion, the Sanctuary Priestess also began to cry silently again for the mentor the two of them had lost that night.
***
WhiteZeo
An Oliverette To The End
---
"Blue, please. Please, wait here for us to return. If I think that you are waiting for me, I will be able to return. I'll definitely come back to meet you without giving up, 'cause I'll never leave you all alone." - Hige to Blue in "Faulty Memories" from Wolf's Rain
An Oliverette To The End
---
"Blue, please. Please, wait here for us to return. If I think that you are waiting for me, I will be able to return. I'll definitely come back to meet you without giving up, 'cause I'll never leave you all alone." - Hige to Blue in "Faulty Memories" from Wolf's Rain
I hope Merrick will be ok. Hurry Animus! Find him! I think that if Shayla and Merrick are good friends that it is possible that she would know if something is wrong with him. 
I loved it WhiteZeo! I really did. That was a great working of Mave-y-ness. I dont think you had anything to worry about. You worked your magic, like you always do, and made what you wrote fantastic. ::nods:: Youre awesome! 
)
