Post by Kanika Sef on Aug 4, 2008 8:29:10 GMT
((Forgive the long post! It's kind of a mini-story that introduces my character, like Balthazar's series of posts, though I didn't expect it to be so long... )
Kanika avoided the pools of artificial light that occasionally poured into the dark labyrinth of alleys and narrow streets that existed just beyond the large courtyard that was her destination. The cautionary measure was instinctive for her now, staying out of sight merely a basic rule of survival. She no more thought about this tendency of hers than she did when to draw her next breath. So she kept to the darkest shadows even though the small sprite that she had imprisoned in a battered bird cage glowed with a brilliant pale blue light of it's own and marked her every movement.
She paced through the streets as a long-legged jackal with faintly glowing golden eyes, the birdcage and it's bright hostage dangling from her narrow muzzle. In any other dimension she would have drawn stares from the people she passed, but here, in this dark city with it's extensive collection of unusual denizens, she only earned brief cursory glances. She was just another peculiar sight in a world that consisted almost entirely of peculiar sights and very few took notice, though she would have been disturbed to discover that those few existed at all.
If her mind hadn't been elsewhere, she would have noticed the appraising stares she had earned from a small group of shady young men, but she was not thinking of her surroundings as she passed by them. She was thinking of the little creature in it's worn cage and what she was about to do for reasons that just didn't seem good enough. Reasons that never seemed quite good enough. She was about to sell the elusive creature to a dealer for money, even though she knew that the little faery probably wouldn't survive very long after the transition took place. Of course, she had her reasons for going through with this. She lived and hunted in the ruins, but lately there had been a lack of suitable game. There were just too many powerful predators spread out over too little land and food had become scarce. She was so weak with hunger that her legs trembled as she walked on them and she found it hard to hold her head up even though it's burden was light. She needed something to eat, and since there was very little to hunt she had to buy something. She needed the money. Without it, she wouldn't survive.
Upon reaching the black market, she silently wound her way through the crowd until she reached a familiar shop. The sign that labeled it read "The Alchemist's Cavern" in fancy, looping letters. It was basically a pawnshop for all things magical. Living in the ruins, she had, on occasion, found artifacts of worth and she had brought them here. The witch who owned it would pay more for what the shifter brought in than most other shops, though only because she was knowledgable about all things connected to spell-casting and knew exactly how much such items were worth. Kanika would glean a few more coins from the old silver-haired witch than she would elsewhere, but the amount she gained was still only a fraction of what an item was worth.
Kanika shifted back into her human form once she reached the open doorway and walked into the warm, flickering light of the candle-lit room.
Medea eyed her greedily, immediately recognizing the slender young woman. "What do you have for me today, my dear?" She asked, though she bustled forward without even waiting for an answer. Kanika simply held up the cage for the old woman's inspection and didn't say a word. She didn't trust herself to speak when all she wanted to do at this moment was walk from the room and free the poor sprite. However, she stood firm, and in only a few moments more Medea straightened. "I will give you five gold pieces for it," The old witch informed her. Kanika nearly widened her eyes in surprise. The sprite must be worth a fortune if the old witch offered her gold for it! Where they really so hard to catch?
Before she could ask, the faery spoke, it's high-pitched voice frantic. "Don't sell me to the spell-woman!" It squeaked. Kanika started, surprised. The little creature hadn't spoken at all since she'd managed to catch it. "She'll tear off my wings and put my head in a jar!" This last was a wail. Kanika looked toward the old witch, arching an eyebrow at what she thought must be nonsense. She was shocked to see the silver-haired woman shrug with terrible nonchalance.
Medea must have seen her revulsion in her expression, for she chose that moment to hold out the promised coins. "I suggest you take what I'm offering you, girl." The witch studied the other woman's painfully thin form, taking not of the pronounced cheekbones and slightly sunken eyes. "You won't last much longer yourself if you don't."
Feeling even more sick than she had before, Kanika took the money, sliding it automatically into the small pouch she always carried on her and fled. The moment she hit the streets she shifted back into a jackal, and bolted for the shadows of the alleyway. She could hardly think for the sense of self-loathing that threatened to choke her, and she ran blindly through the narrow streets and straight into an ambush. She slid to a halt when three figures stepped into the street in front of her.
"Hey Conan!" One of the figures, a tall man with sparkling black eyes called out. "Found that dog you were looking for!" Kanika graced him with a low snarl, long ears plastered against her head as she studied him with smoldering yellow eyes. She knew she had made a mistake. She had forgotten to choose a different series of streets on her way home. And hadn't he called to someone else? Her thoughts were such a mess that she couldn't even remember that much. It was so hard to think.
The man with black eyes studied her for a moment before giving a low whistle. "Look at it's teeth," He said to one of his companions, a girl who had pale pink feathers instead of hair. "As sharp and long as a serpent's fangs. I think I might have been wrong about this one. It doesn't have much for muscle, but it looks fast as hell and could tear another dog apart with those teeth." The man slowly moved toward her, speaking to her in that tone that people use to calm a nervous stray, and Kanika narrowed her eyes further, her growls rising in pitch and her muscles bunching as she prepared for a lunge.
Suddenly something wrapped around her neck and she spun, snapping at the figure who had managed to drape a length of chain around her throat. Too late, she realized that this must be Conan and wondered why she had given him a chance to sneak up on her. She had let her guilt over the sprite cloud her thoughts and now she would pay for her sentiment. Even as she struggled, the chain tightening around her throat and suffocating her, that dark voice that was always there to remind her of her mistakes told her that she had been a fool.
Still, there might be some way out of this. Maybe it was just a mistake? Surely, if they knew that she wasn't a dog, they would let her go. She decided to give it a shot. It was the only idea she had and she would lose consciousness soon if she didn't do something.
She turned into a young woman once more. "Stop" She wheezed, "You've made a mistake. I am not a dog!"
The man who had nearly strangled her only grinned. "I know." And with those words, Kanika's blood froze. She had heard once of the fighting rings, of tournaments in which shifters and other magical beings that could shift into a beast of some sort were forced to fight until one or the other died, but she had thought those were just stories. People pitted dogs or roosters against each other, not other sentient beings! But once again, it seemed she had been naive. She had forgotten one of the hardest lessons that she had learned. Sometimes the monsters under the bed were real.
Kanika felt her thoughts begin to race as her fear escalated, her mind frantically trying to find a way out of this. She could see the familiar figures of the half dozen lesser demons that never really left her alone on the rooftops, their red eyes glowing faintly with excitement as they watched her with malicious eyes. But even now, the thought of commanding them to help her only filled her with dread and disgust. No, she would ask nothing of them, but there must be another way. She was weak with hunger and further strained by the assault. The man, Conan, hadn't let up on the chain that encircled her throat and it was hard to breath, but she must be able to do something. She tried to call on the power that always lay within her reach, but she felt nothing. She frowned, puzzled.
Conan laughed at her. "Those chains are enchanted. Hell, you were lucky you could even shift while they were wrapped around your throat. It was impressive. You just might survive the rings for a while with that much power."
Kanika stared at him, her golden eyes blazing with hatred. She wanted to say something, to tell him that she would tear him apart for this, or that he couldn't keep her chained forever and he would rue this day when she finally slipped his control. Instead, she decided to go with a shorter message. She was suddenly too furious to form longer ones. "Go to hell." She spat the words at him, and wished fervently that she could just send him there herself, but there was nothing she could do.
Kanika avoided the pools of artificial light that occasionally poured into the dark labyrinth of alleys and narrow streets that existed just beyond the large courtyard that was her destination. The cautionary measure was instinctive for her now, staying out of sight merely a basic rule of survival. She no more thought about this tendency of hers than she did when to draw her next breath. So she kept to the darkest shadows even though the small sprite that she had imprisoned in a battered bird cage glowed with a brilliant pale blue light of it's own and marked her every movement.
She paced through the streets as a long-legged jackal with faintly glowing golden eyes, the birdcage and it's bright hostage dangling from her narrow muzzle. In any other dimension she would have drawn stares from the people she passed, but here, in this dark city with it's extensive collection of unusual denizens, she only earned brief cursory glances. She was just another peculiar sight in a world that consisted almost entirely of peculiar sights and very few took notice, though she would have been disturbed to discover that those few existed at all.
If her mind hadn't been elsewhere, she would have noticed the appraising stares she had earned from a small group of shady young men, but she was not thinking of her surroundings as she passed by them. She was thinking of the little creature in it's worn cage and what she was about to do for reasons that just didn't seem good enough. Reasons that never seemed quite good enough. She was about to sell the elusive creature to a dealer for money, even though she knew that the little faery probably wouldn't survive very long after the transition took place. Of course, she had her reasons for going through with this. She lived and hunted in the ruins, but lately there had been a lack of suitable game. There were just too many powerful predators spread out over too little land and food had become scarce. She was so weak with hunger that her legs trembled as she walked on them and she found it hard to hold her head up even though it's burden was light. She needed something to eat, and since there was very little to hunt she had to buy something. She needed the money. Without it, she wouldn't survive.
Upon reaching the black market, she silently wound her way through the crowd until she reached a familiar shop. The sign that labeled it read "The Alchemist's Cavern" in fancy, looping letters. It was basically a pawnshop for all things magical. Living in the ruins, she had, on occasion, found artifacts of worth and she had brought them here. The witch who owned it would pay more for what the shifter brought in than most other shops, though only because she was knowledgable about all things connected to spell-casting and knew exactly how much such items were worth. Kanika would glean a few more coins from the old silver-haired witch than she would elsewhere, but the amount she gained was still only a fraction of what an item was worth.
Kanika shifted back into her human form once she reached the open doorway and walked into the warm, flickering light of the candle-lit room.
Medea eyed her greedily, immediately recognizing the slender young woman. "What do you have for me today, my dear?" She asked, though she bustled forward without even waiting for an answer. Kanika simply held up the cage for the old woman's inspection and didn't say a word. She didn't trust herself to speak when all she wanted to do at this moment was walk from the room and free the poor sprite. However, she stood firm, and in only a few moments more Medea straightened. "I will give you five gold pieces for it," The old witch informed her. Kanika nearly widened her eyes in surprise. The sprite must be worth a fortune if the old witch offered her gold for it! Where they really so hard to catch?
Before she could ask, the faery spoke, it's high-pitched voice frantic. "Don't sell me to the spell-woman!" It squeaked. Kanika started, surprised. The little creature hadn't spoken at all since she'd managed to catch it. "She'll tear off my wings and put my head in a jar!" This last was a wail. Kanika looked toward the old witch, arching an eyebrow at what she thought must be nonsense. She was shocked to see the silver-haired woman shrug with terrible nonchalance.
Medea must have seen her revulsion in her expression, for she chose that moment to hold out the promised coins. "I suggest you take what I'm offering you, girl." The witch studied the other woman's painfully thin form, taking not of the pronounced cheekbones and slightly sunken eyes. "You won't last much longer yourself if you don't."
Feeling even more sick than she had before, Kanika took the money, sliding it automatically into the small pouch she always carried on her and fled. The moment she hit the streets she shifted back into a jackal, and bolted for the shadows of the alleyway. She could hardly think for the sense of self-loathing that threatened to choke her, and she ran blindly through the narrow streets and straight into an ambush. She slid to a halt when three figures stepped into the street in front of her.
"Hey Conan!" One of the figures, a tall man with sparkling black eyes called out. "Found that dog you were looking for!" Kanika graced him with a low snarl, long ears plastered against her head as she studied him with smoldering yellow eyes. She knew she had made a mistake. She had forgotten to choose a different series of streets on her way home. And hadn't he called to someone else? Her thoughts were such a mess that she couldn't even remember that much. It was so hard to think.
The man with black eyes studied her for a moment before giving a low whistle. "Look at it's teeth," He said to one of his companions, a girl who had pale pink feathers instead of hair. "As sharp and long as a serpent's fangs. I think I might have been wrong about this one. It doesn't have much for muscle, but it looks fast as hell and could tear another dog apart with those teeth." The man slowly moved toward her, speaking to her in that tone that people use to calm a nervous stray, and Kanika narrowed her eyes further, her growls rising in pitch and her muscles bunching as she prepared for a lunge.
Suddenly something wrapped around her neck and she spun, snapping at the figure who had managed to drape a length of chain around her throat. Too late, she realized that this must be Conan and wondered why she had given him a chance to sneak up on her. She had let her guilt over the sprite cloud her thoughts and now she would pay for her sentiment. Even as she struggled, the chain tightening around her throat and suffocating her, that dark voice that was always there to remind her of her mistakes told her that she had been a fool.
Still, there might be some way out of this. Maybe it was just a mistake? Surely, if they knew that she wasn't a dog, they would let her go. She decided to give it a shot. It was the only idea she had and she would lose consciousness soon if she didn't do something.
She turned into a young woman once more. "Stop" She wheezed, "You've made a mistake. I am not a dog!"
The man who had nearly strangled her only grinned. "I know." And with those words, Kanika's blood froze. She had heard once of the fighting rings, of tournaments in which shifters and other magical beings that could shift into a beast of some sort were forced to fight until one or the other died, but she had thought those were just stories. People pitted dogs or roosters against each other, not other sentient beings! But once again, it seemed she had been naive. She had forgotten one of the hardest lessons that she had learned. Sometimes the monsters under the bed were real.
Kanika felt her thoughts begin to race as her fear escalated, her mind frantically trying to find a way out of this. She could see the familiar figures of the half dozen lesser demons that never really left her alone on the rooftops, their red eyes glowing faintly with excitement as they watched her with malicious eyes. But even now, the thought of commanding them to help her only filled her with dread and disgust. No, she would ask nothing of them, but there must be another way. She was weak with hunger and further strained by the assault. The man, Conan, hadn't let up on the chain that encircled her throat and it was hard to breath, but she must be able to do something. She tried to call on the power that always lay within her reach, but she felt nothing. She frowned, puzzled.
Conan laughed at her. "Those chains are enchanted. Hell, you were lucky you could even shift while they were wrapped around your throat. It was impressive. You just might survive the rings for a while with that much power."
Kanika stared at him, her golden eyes blazing with hatred. She wanted to say something, to tell him that she would tear him apart for this, or that he couldn't keep her chained forever and he would rue this day when she finally slipped his control. Instead, she decided to go with a shorter message. She was suddenly too furious to form longer ones. "Go to hell." She spat the words at him, and wished fervently that she could just send him there herself, but there was nothing she could do.