Eat The Parent(s)

You carefully watch your footing and shimmy down from the treetops.
Before the Master Ravenwood Tree.
The dark heart of Glomdoring Forest is almost audibly beating in this, its shadowy centre. Tall,
blackened trees surround this clearing, pressing together into an imposing barrier of rotten
vegetation. Moulds and fungi are smeared across the plants, their pungent stench suffusing the
forest. The branches are coated in dark slime, slick tendrils that hang downwards. Although a
variety of trees might actually grow here, the black tar that coats them renders them
indistinguishable. A thin black mist creeps between the trees, hanging low across the ground. The
floor of the clearing itself is simply bare earth, cracked and dry. Overshadowing all is the Master
Ravenwood Tree itself, jutting into the sky like a twisted fist. The sound of laughing crows echoes
down from the treetops, a harsh sound for the ears below. The atmosphere vibrates with a palpable
power. Brennan Stormcrow paces here, his cadaverous body twitching with sudden jerks. The Master
Ravenwood Tree towers over everything here, pulsing with an immeasurable yet dark power. Casting
darkness all around, a shadow totem thrusts up from the ground, chilling the air. There are 2
armoured bats here. A crudely crafted shrine of harsh black crystal stands here, thrumming
powerfully. Splintered from the Master Ravenwood, a massive branch lies here, spiders crawling along
its rotting wood. A giant bat hangs here, wings folded about its body and one beady eye open. There
are 10 shadowlord widowriders here. There are 10 illithoid scourges here. There are 10 dark
nighthags here. An animated skeleton stands here with a ghostly outline of a beetle around its
skull. An animated skeleton stands here with a ghostly outline of a wasp around its skull. An
animated skeleton stands here with a ghostly outline of a bat around its skull. An animated skeleton
stands here with a ghostly outline of a spider around its skull. A rowan sapling clings tenaciously
to the ground here. A black cauldron sits here in a pool of shadows. Leaping about after its shadow,
a curious young kitten playfully wanders about here. Snarling and slavering, a massive rose-coloured
rage worg with glossy black wings waits here. A frost-touched savage waits here, garbed in black
wolf pelts and emanating a deathly chill. Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk
floats here, suffusing the air with the sickly-sweet scent of blackthorn blossoms. They wield a
graceful bastard sword of shadowed steel with both hands. Drenched in blood, a midnight-eyed savage
lingers here appraising her surroundings. Hulking and bloodstained, a towering crimson dominator
glares here through its single eye. He is surrounded by a deflection bubble.
You see a single exit leading north.

Rhalkyr clambers gracefully down from the boughs above, landing in a silent crouch.

Esei inclines their head politely to you.

Rhalkyr's attention flickers about those present, settling on Esei long enough to
beat a gentle rhythm over his heart, fingers curled loosely.

Esei tips their head towards you, humming thoughtfully.

Mirroring the motion, Rhalkyr blinks languidly at Esei.

Ethna shifts her attention from her mother to the new arrival, her eyes widening again - this time
in what seems to be awe. "Aaaaah," escapes her mouth towards you in a small, happy gasp before she
gives the spot where Evette was an air hug.

Esei smiles wryly at Ethna.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says to you, "I mentioned to you about my
wife, as I recall?"

Ethna's eyes narrow in both frustration and annoyance at the now empty spot

Head swiveling at the sound Ethna makes, Rhalkyr attention flits between Ethna and
Esei, violently green eyes flickering back and forth. In a voice as deep and ragged as cracking
boughs, he replies. "Did, yes. Is, wife, beloved, Warden?"

Slim and petite looking, this female stands smaller than most of her race at a minute nine inches.
Caught between a chestnut and a dirty blonde, her hair is elegantly pulled into two buns atop her
head, resembling bear ears. Her dark bangs part across her forehead to her right, crossing over the
pale hazel of her eye and shielding just about a third of her face from light. The ever so faint
hazel of her revealed eye, mingled often in such a dim shade to match that of a colourless grey, has
specks of emerald and sapphire dotting the iris. Her face seems untouched by age and is carried with
the youngest and most innocent of appeals whereas not a single scratch is on the bronzed flesh of
her face. High cheekbones are freckled with light brown specks and dot the bridge of a button nose
that sits just above her plump, dust pink lips. Contrasting Ethna's appearance from that of a human
or another shard race are the pointed ears and the occasional churning shadow across her flesh that
proves she is a nimble faeling shadowed demigoddess, her form caressed by the shadows surrounding
her. Different from her fellow faeling of the Glomdoring, however, are her wings - the sleek, opaque
appendages resembling those of a bumblebee and extend down to her bottom. Her figure betrays her as
an adult, giving her an average-sized chest and a slender, curvaceous figure.

She is wearing:
a prim, monochrome dress inlaid with metalwork embraces the woman's curves, the hem brushing against
her upper calves,
a scabbard of stygian leather is strapped across her back,
a rose blossom watch of black sapphire
a bone talisman buried in the centre of her chest, surrounded by a complex weave of tribal tattoos,
and
a winding, delicate silver wedding armband depicting a swarm of spiders
Tribal Prayer Beads of the Predator woven between the fingers of her left hand,
the Fingerblade of dha'Wyrden-cree fits snug against her left ring finger
a rainbow coloured ring.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "Indeed."

After much surveying of her locale, Ethna flutters her wings in triumph before alighting upon Esei.

Rising from his crouch with slow, feline fluidity, Rhalkyr approaches Esei, and
thus Ethna, in an unhurried prowl, pacing about the two in a circle, his head cocked first one way,
then the other as he examines Ethna.

Esei pats a rose-coloured rage worg with glossy black wings in a friendly manner.
A rose-coloured rage worg with glossy black wings eyes Esei carefully as he sniffs the air around
them.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk asks a rose-coloured rage worg with glossy
black wings, "Feeling awfully friendly today, Francis?"

With a dulcet, mellifluous voice, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider whispers to Esei, "I
think it's because he never leaves mother's stable."

Esei's lip twitches with no small amount of amusement.

Ethna glances over at you from her perch on her spouse's shoulder. "Is.. Is he feral?" She quietly
asks, the look of awe still on her features as she watches you carefully.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "Not- in the way you're likely thinking
of."

Slowly nodding her head, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider asks, "...is it the feral Father
would enjoy?"

Esei ponders the situation.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "Possibly."

Almost as if the human isn't there, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider whispers to Esei, "He's
awfully tall. He's not Mister Lord Spirit Warden Strategist fel'Greev Fang Xenthos Sir, is he?"

Esei stares blankly into space.

Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "I forgot you call him that, and no."

Ethna stares blankly at Esei, her face betraying no emotion.

"Ok!" Ethna exclaims.

A thick, tearing sound pulses forth from Rhalkyr's chest in slow, ragged rhythm, in
a bestial parody of laughter. Ceasing his stalking at the shoulder that Ethna perches upon, he leans
his head forward, the immense muscles of his neck tautening and undulating as he brings his masked
face close, eyes aglitter with a feverish intensity. Softly, in as much as a voice as his could be
said to be soft, he asks Ethna, "Love, beloved Warden, very much?"

The faeling blanches at the sudden closeness of the masked human next to her, her body instinctively
pressing closer against Esei's neck. "I would not have married my best friend if I did not love them
more," Ethna finally responds, her small frame clumsily jumping off of her spouses's shoulder and
into the air. Quietly, the buzz-like hum of her wings can almost be discerned amongst the sounds of
the forest as she turns to look at you from a further - maybe safer? - distance.

Rhalkyr's fingers twitch in Ethna's direction at the motion of Ethna's departure,
the powerful digits flexing into the shape of stiffened claws as his head snaps to track the
faeling. A cascade of minute spasms ripple down his form, a shiver of suppressed motion, as a low,
strange sound emanates from his throat.

Ethna blinks over at Esei, curiously, before glancing back down at you.

Esei rubs their thumb across the flat side of their sword, smiling.

Ethna bobs her head once at Esei in acknowledgement.

With obvious effort, Rhalkyr turns his head away from Ethna, as if pulling against
a great weight. Once the faeling has left his field of view, he shudders slightly, and prowls around
to fall into a loose crouch behind Esei, muscles still twitching occasionally. After a while, he
says, in a distinctly apologetic tone, "Like, bird."

With a dulcet, mellifluous voice, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider whispers, "I'm a bee, but
okay."

Ethna flits off of Brennan Stormcrow's shoulder and flits over to Esei, tugging on their arm.

Rhalkyr's hands snaps out in a flurry of fluttering fingers, the motion abrupt.
"Like. Bird. Instinct, yes? Difficult, to resist. Would not, want, to hurt."

Dark eyes still narrowed, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk whispers, "Good.
Endeavor not to."

Rhalkyr cocks his head aside, attention decidedly not upon Ethna. In a faintly
baffled tone, he says, "Still, alive. Did, not."

Ethna'eyes widen as she stares at you, this time realization in their hazel depths instead of awe.
"Are you a cat in a human meat sack?" She asks, the words no longer eloquently leaving the small
faeling.

Silent, Esei smiles slowly, turning the sword in their hands.

Rhalkyr's head twitches towards the sound of Ethna's voice. "Am, Rhalkyr." Oddly,
he pays the sword in Esei's hand no attention whatsoever, absently picking at the ground by Esei's
feet.

Ethna heaves a dramatic sigh at the response given, her bee-like wings buzzing behind her as she
idly, and curiously, flits closer to you. Her small shoulders roll in a small shrug before she lands
on your shoulder, her legs crossing as she sits. "Very cat like, though I've never heard of a
Rhalkyr. Is.. your name? Maybe more like a leopard or jaguar. Hmm," She muses aloud.

Rhalkyr goes as still as a statue at the sensation of Ethna's weight alighting upon
the massively broad, mountainous expanse of his striped shoulder. His gaze, formerly flitting about,
stares fixedly at the ground by Esei's toes, eyes wide, twitching ever so slightly. Hoarsely, he
says, "Tiger." Slow as molasses, he lifts his right hand to press a finger against the black stripes
that adorn his bronzed skin, the contact causing a few fragments of the dried substance to flake
off.

Ethna's hand hits her forehead with a resonating smack. "TIGER," she exclaims, rather loudly, with
some degree of embarrassment. "I keep thinking stripes are.. leopards," She sighs and shakes her
head before following the movements of her new perch. "So.. You're a.. tiger.. in a human meat
sack?"

Continuing her thought, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider says, "..named.. Rhalkyr.. Okay."

Esei begins softly humming low, dark tunes.

Ethna finally notices the stiffness of her perch. "..Oh, should I get off?"

Mildly, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "I believe he wants to eat you,
li tlaye."

"Ooohhhhhhhhhh," Ethna says to Esei.

Esei flashes a charming smile that never touches their eyes.

With a dulcet, mellifluous voice, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider says, "In, uh.. That
case."

Ethna quietly stands before jumping off of your shoulder.

[[Ethna tries to racehat but doesn't have any of their descs saved weep]]

With a dulcet, mellifluous voice, Ethna Shee-Slaugh, the Predator's Spider whispers, "I forgot how
to change my form so I guess I'm stuck as a snack."

After much surveying of her locale, Ethna flutters her wings in triumph before alighting upon
Evette.

Evette brushes back a stray piece of hair from Ethna's face, gently tucking it behind the faelings
ear.

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says to Ethna,
"There are worse things to be."

Rhalkyr hunches in on himself at the motion, a faint hissing sound boiling from
behind his mask. Coiling his thick fingers about his ankles, he grasps them with a grip that is so
tight it turns the bronze skin about the indenting digits pale. "Will, go." Abruptly, he springs
off, bounding up to the nearest tree and scaling it in a blur.

[[INTO THE TREES and nyyooom]]

Esei tells you, "** A soft, subtle sensation, like a whisper of cloth against skin. **."

The melodious voice of Ethna resonates in your mind, "NOPE." There's a flash of red as a slightly
frustrated tendril of emotion caresses the back of your mind. "You're staying. Get back here."

You tell Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk, "**A taut sensation, as a wire drawn
far, far too tight, and creaking under the strain. Distress, shame, and guilt simmer and spark.**."

[[Rhalkyr is attacked by a spider and promptly smooshes it]]

The melodious voice of Ethna resonates in your mind, "You can eat me, but you have to be gentle and
don't Esei." The voice is a bit calmer, "My worg likes to swallow me whole sometimes! It comes with
the territory of being small."

Esei swings gracefully up from the ground.

Cracking the carapace apart in a squelching mess, Rhalkyr's brutal onslaught
stills, his eyes wide and maddened. His chest heaves, though given the swift nature of the battle,
it has little to do with exertion. Crouching back into a miserable slump, he slams the palm of his
right hand against the side of his mask in sharp, repeated motions.

Rhalkyr backs away from Esei slowly, moving on all fours towards the bough of the
tree.

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "At ease,
jatamo."

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "At ease,
jatamo."

Esei spreads their arms slightly to either side of their body, opening their palms outward.

In the midst of reaching for a branch, Rhalkyr pauses, chin angled in and down to
one side, covering his throat. His eyes flick to Esei, and away, over and over in a flitting blur.

Voice soft and lilting, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk sings, "Io, tesei;
mimakikoi je li atla mima..."

Eyes carefully meeting Rhalkyr's, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk sings, "Atla
mima tle yitu; atla mima, bui kotli sadi..."

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk sings, "Io,
tesei; mimakikoi je li atla mima, atla mima tle yitu bahli..."

A low, uncertain sound reverberates from Rhalkyr's throat, though the singing has
an obvious and immediate effect upon him - The deep valleys of sharply defined shadow formed by
muscles and tendons tautened to the point of snapping grow less stark, tension bleeding from him as
the song continues. Gradually, he eases himself into a sitting position, arms snaking about his
upraised knees, and he begins to sway slightly, back and forth.

Taking a soundless, single step forward, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk
sings, "Atla mima, bui kotli latli."

Softly, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk sings, "Io, tesei; mimakikoi je li
atla mima..."

Esei slides another step forward, still singing in that honeyed voice. "Atla mima tle yitu bahli,"
they reach out one hand, towards you. "Yitu, hle di..." Their voice trails off as they end their
song, staring at the youth in near-silence.

There is no overt reaction to the approach, at first, as the song continues, with
Rhalkyr simply continuing in his back and forth motions. Once it dies away, however, he turns his
gaze to Esei slowly, the vivid green of his eyes glistening with tears. He makes no move away from
Esei, but nor does he reach for them. In a voice that is little more than a strangled whisper, he
says, "Am, sorry."

Softly, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "I know."

Rolling his shoulders up and down in slight motions, as if unused to the sensation
of the fabric, Rhalkyr lowers his chin to rest upon his knees, eyes downcast. Still in a near-
whisper, his voice threaded through with mister, "Would never, hurt. Love, all, of, forest. Love,
Warden, very much. Would not, upset, willingly."

"I know," Esei says, gently pressing their hand against your face.

Despite the mask that proves a barrier to the contact, Rhalkyr leans into Esei's
touch, eyes closing.

Softly, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "But, I needed you to know that
you would suffer those consequences, if it came to that."

Quietly, you say, "Know, this. Would, deserve."

Esei smiles, but it doesn't seem friendly in their viscanti face. "Yes," their voice is gentle,
stroking their thumb across your hidden cheekbone. "Thank you, though, for not lashing out at my
wife."

Eyes still closed, but fairly radiating shame, Rhalkyr lets out a low, miserable
sound that curls from him in a rippling vibration. "Do not, want, to. Want, to know. Beloved,
Warden, loves. Must, know, and love, also." His fingers, wrapped about the blanket, coil tight
enough to drive the blood from their knuckles. "Stupid."

Esei makes a soft shushing sound, swiping their thumb over your brow next. "It's alright," they
murmur. "You are sorry enough."

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says to you,
"Enough, with beating yourself up over this."

Rhalkyr grows quiescent at this, though his fingers do not loosen their painfully
tight grip upon his form. After a time, he asks, tentatively, "Meaning, song?"

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says to you, "It
sings to the nightingale bird, seeking its secret song."

Softly, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says to you, "I can sing another, if
you like."

Wordlessly, Rhalkyr dips his chin in a tiny nod.

Esei hums thoughtfully.

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk says, "But I
think, not today."

Esei brushes a lock of your hair away from your face. "Learn from this mistake, jatamo," they say
softly. "Pain is a teacher."

Rhalkyr's breath hisses softly from him in a sigh. "Yes, beloved, Warden."

In a husky, honeyed cadence, Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk whispers, "I
shall hold you to it. Be well."

Their piece said, Esei stands, jumping down to the forest floor below.