Inspired by many, written by many...

:: Monday, September 30, 2002 ::

She paced. She fretted. She gazed sullenly at the dark night and clenched her fists. This was not Veronica's idea of fun. She'd spent most of the night alternating between a restless doze and a frustrating inability to stop thinking about what was happening. "Venena, my foot," she thought. "If they're so powerful, then why do they need us? Maegar tells us that the hearts of men are easily corrupted and in the next instance we're expected to believe that they don't see us the same way? It doesn't make sense! I know how these things go - we'll end up being cannon fodder for some fantastical war between good and evil and we don't even know which side we're on!". This wasn't boding well for her ensuing mood when dawn finally broke.

As the first tendrils of sunlight filtered into the shelter, she angrily pushed the flaps aside and strode out into what looked suspiciously like the clearing they'd occupied the day before, while they were being acquainted with the hard, flat dirt. "As you do when you've been rendered senseless by a crazy group of magic wielding phonies." she audibly hissed.

She had taken but a few steps towards the remains of the campfire when a powerful gust of air swept from behind her and she was wrestled forcibly to the ground. She lay there in blinding pain and groaned as she attempted rolling over onto her back. A hulking person was blocking out the sunlight and Veronica saw no better recourse then a sound verbal lashing. "What do you think you're doing! Are you crazy? In case you'd forgotten, you called us here. To help you? Remember? Man, that hurt! Body combat so does not prepare you to actually get hit! You could've broken something! You... " Her tirade faltered as the object of her anger moved into some indirect sunlight and she realised that he wasn't human. "What... who... are you?"

Her attacker reached out a long arm, tautly muscled and covered in dark, soft bristled fur. Cautiously placing her hand in his vice-like grip, she allowed herself to be unceremoniously hauled to her feet. She squinted at him in a mixture of curiousity and fear. He was tall, 7 foot at least, and radiated raw power. Covered from head to toe in the same fur, she gasped as she saw his feet were actually hoofs. He wore a short tunic and was swathed in a midnight blue cloak. Belted at his waist were two long, graceful scimitars. A jagged edged sword was strapped to his back and daggers glittered from their sheaths on his forearms. As he threw back the hood of his cloak, she recoiled involuntarily as his face emerged. It was viciously feline, and he bared rows of sharp, pointed teeth that looked capable of tearing her apart with one bite.

"Lesson Number One," a deep, melodious voice intoned, "always be on your guard."

Veronica blurted out again, "Who are you?"

"I am called Braeth. I am the Master of the Protectors - warriors who harness emotion and transform it into action. There are few of us remaining - too many of our initiates did not survive the last onslaught by those seeking to disrupt the balance of this world. If you are willing, I will teach you." Braeth's voice was compelling and seemed to calm Veronica's nervous energy. There was more to this emotion-harnessing concept than she thought.

"Oh, one more thing," he tossed in casually, as his intimidating form blurred and a human face regarded her gravely. "We are also shape-changers."

:: Posted by Vron @ 10:06 PM [+] ::

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As Karen lay half-dozing in her makeshift tent, lulled by the sound of the soft breeze through the trees and the morning larks singing their welcome to the sun, her thoughts wandered back over Maegars' compelling words the night before.

"We strive to study the 'venena' and maintain its neutrality, that no one person may wield it unto the destruction of all life."

Although a small part of her still found it hard to believe the absurd possibility of "magic", she was deeply intrigued by the concept of this "venena" thing. Yawning, she decided that sunrise was hardly the time for such deep thoughts, and drifted back into a peaceful slumber.
That decision, however, was soon taken away from her when a tall woman wearing a flowing robe of deep maroon briskly entered her tent, tying back the flaps letting the cool breeze and sunlight stream in.
"Ok, I think thats enough sleeping for this day" she announced "Breakfast is getting cold, and we have much to do today."
Karen inwardly groaned. She had one of those teachers. Sighing in resignation, she got up and quickly changed into the peculiar looking clothes that had been provided in replacement of her trendy jeans and t-shirt. She admitted that the clothes were comfortable enough, and seemed to aid rather than hinder her movement. She could almost grow to like the garments, once she got used the quaint style of course.

Walking over to the fire, Karen awkwardly greeted her teacher.
"Good morning... um... what's your name? And uh, what are you going to be teaching me?"
"My name is Tathaena. I am a Veneficius - what you might call a mage. You have been chosen as one suitable for training in the art and study of the Venena, among other things. But we will talk more of that later, now is the time to eat. Here, are you hungry?"
Nodding eagerly, Karen took the plate handed to her, looked carefully at its contents for a moment, then sat down and enthusiastically dug into the meal.

After she had eaten her fill she relaxed against a tree and looked around, wondering where the rest of her friends were, and what sort of things they were learning. They had been separated last night as each teacher, after observing them for a time, chose each student and took them away. Feeling eyes on her, she glanced at her teacher, who was observing her quietly.
"So," Karen said, with some trepidation, "what now?"
"Now, we begin your training."

:: Posted by Kazz @ 6:19 AM [+] ::

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"Oh great, did I finally pass out from unbearable hunger?", Veronica muttered as she sat up and clutched her head in pain. A moment later, she scrambled to her feet and stared around her in stunned incomprehension. Last time she checked, the church building was slightly more substantial than that roughly built hut and those trees had definitely not sprung up overnight. Glancing down and seeing Karen crouched anxiously beside her, she pulled her up into a relieved hug and asked the first thing that came to mind. "Where are we?"

Karen shrugged expressively and pointed out the others still sprawled on the ground around them. "We're the only ones awake, but I think someone else has been here", she offered tentatively.

Veronica took advantage of a nearby boulder and tried to piece together some semblance of fact. "Okay, so we were trying to figure out where to go for dinner..."
"Tim's place, remember?", Karen added, as she watched Veronica slip into her familiar analysis mode.
"and then something weird happened in the air"...
"and that blinding light"...
"and then we woke up here"...
"That's about it", Karen agreed.
"Well, that doesn't leave us with very much then, does it?", Veronica concluded impatiently. "Maybe we should have a look around."

A thick blanket of silence gripped them as they peered into the dense trees surrounding the clearing. It was a strange thing that while their clothes, hair and even lipstick reflected the sunlight in glaring flashes of colour, the trees seemed to absorb all natural light available. They astutely decided to wait until some of the others had roused before venturing anywhere near the woods. It was comforting to know they'd managed to bring their wits along with them.
Gingerly, they picked their way through the camp site and stood before the little shelter hesitantly.

"Should we go in?", Karen wondered.
"Do we have any choice?", Veronica countered.
A deeper voice suddenly joined in the conversation...

:: Posted by Vron @ 8:08 AM [+] ::

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The bright object was definitely irritating, and seemed to be the cause of that unrelenting hammer pounding inside Karen's head.
"Go away!", she moaned groggily trying to push the object aside and return to the comforting darkness that beckoned her with an inviting warmth.
But that object remained stubbornly bright, and if that wasn't enough, she began to feel a rather uncomfortable sensation in her lower back. Slowly, her eyes opened and a rather strange looking sun came into focus.
Her sharp cry echoed in the clearing.
Karen bolted upright in the comfortable leaves where she had been lying and wildly looked around. Her friends were lying around her, unmoving. Not knowing whether they were dead or merely asleep, she crawled over to Veronica and tried to shake her awake.
"Veronica! Hey! Wake up!"
But to no avail. Fear seized her as she placed two fingers at the side of Veronica's neck. A faint, but steady pulse was apparent, and she sighed in relief. Shaking her more insistently, she tried to wake her again. Wherever she was, she definitely didn't want to be alone.
Sitting back, Karen glanced about nervously. She seemed to be in a camping site in some sort of forest. Noticing the small shelter and camp fire, someone had obviously been camping here for a few days. But that mysterious someone seemed to be absent, a fact about which Karen was both worried and relieved. A soft groan emitted from next to her, and to her utmost relief, Veronica's eyes fluttered open.

:: Posted by Kazz @ 8:43 PM [+] ::

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