| Background from Backgrounds Paradise |
| Sondraun is a sponsor at Abstract Destiny |
| “Will someone please tell me what is going on here?” No one even gave him a glance. It was as if he no longer lived in this world, as if he could not affect a single thing in it. Growling darkly, he grabbed at one of his friend’s shoulders, gaping in astonishment as a shield slammed up between them and his paw slid off of it like glass. “A bit breezy in here, isn’t it?” The man spoke, bending to help another lift up a tattered rug and toss it out, “Sondraun always did like his place drafty, not that I can see why.” “I’m right here, the Abyss take you all!” Sondraun snarled, stalking around the swiftly emptying room. They were taking everything. Everything he had worked for, everything he had struggled to make on his own because no one else would stoop to caring for a foundling from another race. One of the workers grunted as he snapped a crude chair into pieces, the sharp scent of pine filling the small room as he did. “Know why the Elders decided to kill him?” “I heard it was because of his heritage. The Elders finally found him out.” Sondraun blinked, freezing in his steps. If the Elders knew what he was, then it was more than he had ever been able to figure out. “Oh? Do tell, Shee.” Shee shrugged, pausing in his work to swipe a hand over his forehead, leaving a smear of dust there in place of the sweat, “He’s Vekoran and Lo’shee. You know the Elder’s reaction to anything involving the Lo’shee.” A worker hawked and spat, “Bah, Lo’shee. Baby stealers and killers all.” “We’ve dealt with them too many times to count,” another muttered, “I’m surprised we didn’t see him for what he was right away.” “Right after we had finally destroyed that nest of the beasts, too!” “He was a scout, I tell you! Sent to lure us all into complacency so that those cursed Lo’shee could get their claws on us again.” “Well, it won’t happen now,” Shee smirked, as he ripped a crude shelf from a wall, “The Elder’s killed him last night. We’re to take anything flammable from here and build his pyre with it. A beast like him doesn’t deserve to be buried like a real man.” His tail curled around his body tightly, the furred tip tucking up around his neck as he stared unseeing at the clutch of men that moved with easy purpose and took apart all he had struggled to make. Shee and his other old friends attacked his stuff with a vengeance, as if to purge themselves of his taint. To purge his memory from their minds. The sound of shattering wood echoed like snapping bones in his mind, as he turned and ran from the destruction. Away… away… There was nothing left. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Lo’shee bastard! Go crawl to someone else for aid! Quit makin’ our streets look ratty!” He ran. Ran from the mob at his back, ran from the accusations, ran from the promise of violence that came with it all. His tail lashed from side to side, scattering people left and right as they dove aside to avoid it, his long ears flattened against his head and down his back, to avoid being grabbed by passing people in an attempt to hold him back. His pale mane whipped his body as he ran, thankfully cushioned by his short layer of fur. Small claws clinked against the stone, sharp counterpoint to the thudding of his paw-falls. He wanted to stop and scream at his pursuers, to wield his magic against them to scatter them to the breeze. More than that, he wanted to use his Lo’shee heritage to edit their minds, to remove the hatred against Lo’shee from the minds of all. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. That was too much meddling. That was a cheater’s way out. He’d find a way to convince others otherwise, somehow! And he hated violence in any case. Blame the Lo’shee side of his heritage, though he had not – yet – come into contact with a true Lo’shee, he still sensed what they were. Panting, Sondraun skidded around a corner, tail whipping about for balance… and promptly collided with a tall man, sending both of them toppling to the ground. “Sorry, sorry,” Sondraun panted, scrambling swiftly to his feet and offering a large paw to the man to help him up before he realized what he had done. To his surprise, though, the man accepted his paw and allowed himself to be pulled upright without even the slightest scent of fear about him. “Where were you going so fast?” The man smiled warmly, head tilted back slightly to meet Sondraun’s dark eyes. “You don’t seem to be one who would normally be in such a hurry.” Sondraun gaped in surprise, long ears lifting from his back and swiveling towards the man. Someone was speaking politely to him? Who was this man? “Hmm… would it, perchance, have anything to do with that mob back there?” The man’s words snapped him from his shock, “Yes, I… should go. Before they catch me.” “No, no, do stay. You seem a pleasant enough man, why would they be chasing you?” Surely the man was kidding. Everyone knew the reason… everyone knew. With a sigh, Sondraun gently freed his hand from the other’s grip and began to slink around the man, not willing to watch the other’s eyes as the pleasant welcome turned to hate and fear. “I’m half Lo’shee.” “So?” Sondraun froze and gave the man a questioning look, “Pardon me?” The man smiled, “I said, so? Who cares what you are? Those who do are shallow.” “Who –are– you?” He couldn’t resist asking. This man seemed like a dream, a hallucination that had no right to exist. Another smile, “Zerl, rider of Wind Kesatilra. We’re guards for Clan Akelara, but we’re on leave right now.” The roar of the mob was closer, dreadfully so, and coming from two sides now. They knew this city, he didn’t… Zerl merely smiled at his edgy look, then folded his arms within the sleeves of his pale robe, his pale blue eyes dancing in merriment. “Don’t fret, young one, we’ll get this all sorted out. Kesa likes you, so I’m not about to let anything happen to you.” The leaders of the mob swept around the corner and into sight just then, as did more leaders at the other end of the street. Various cries of “We have him!” and “He’s entranced that poor man!” echoed off the stone buildings, merging into a wordless tide of violence that threatened to overwhelm him. “Times like these, I really wish I was more of a traditional Mage of my people and carried a staff. There are so many uses for one,” Zerl murmured with a disgusted snort. “But I’ll just have to cope.” Sondraun blinked, startled when the fragile looking man stepped before the mob and held up his hands for silence… and frowned when Zerl actually got it. That was a skill he wished he had. “Good people, why do you chase this man with blood in your minds and rage on your tongues?” “He’s a Lo’shee! They’re all baby snatchers and murderers!” “Yeah! My poor Shia died of insanity because of one of the bastards!” “My only son ran away with the freaks!” “My little daughter screeches for some ‘Cailika’ to free her! She’s mad because of the beasts!” An angry murmur rose from the crowd, growing louder as more and more people agreed or chimed in their own stories of children gone mad or vanishing from their houses. Zerl raised his hands again, but silence would not be had. The angry murmur grew louder, as the two mobs started pacing forward, intent on Sondraun. “Fine then,” Zerl muttered, “We’ll just have to deal with this later. Safety comes first.” Sondraun sighed, running a paw through his mane. Now the stranger talked about leaving, when there was no escape and… The thunder of wings brought his chain of thoughts to an end, as a pale dragon the same blue color as Zerl’s cat like eyes landed with delicate grace. There seemed to be nothing substantial about her in the slightest, as if she was made of mist and clouds, with a few drops of deep sky blue dotting her hide in odd shapes. Her arrival had the effect of pushing the mob back and freezing it in place. Silence dropped on the street once more, broken only by the soft rustle of wings folding closed. “Come, come, up you go,” Zerl smiled brightly, giving the dragoness – Kesa, apparently – a fond scratch under her chin as he walked past. With an easy grace, Zerl climbed up onto the dragoness’ back, where he settled into a saddle, then carefully strapped himself in. Then, leaning over the saddle, he offered his hand, even as Kesa shifted to offer her leg as a ramp to step up onto her back. Sondraun grimaced, but swiftly clambered up the dragoness’ side and settled himself behind Zerl, unwilling to be left behind with the still dangerous mob. “So!” Zerl spoke brightly, as Kesa crouched and leapt into the sky, her first mighty downbeat deafening in its intensity, pushing the mob leaders back even further. “Ever thought about bonding a dragon? Kesa thinks you’d be a marvelous bond for anyone.” “Bond?” Sondraun repeated blankly, wondering at the meaning. “Yes, bond. Apparently, from what Kesa can tell, you would have bonded at birth if you were a full Lo’shee. But as you’re not, she thinks the need is reduced… but you will need to at some point.” “I… I don’t think I should.” Sondraun murmured, staring down at his paws, before raising one of them to rub at his muzzle, “At least… not yet.” “Well, even so, you should accustom yourself to various Nexus worlds. That way you’re better informed as to what’s out there than you’d otherwise be.” “And how do you suggest that?” Zerl went silent for a long moment before replying, “Do you think you could manage to care for young dragons without difficulty?” The question took Sondraun aback, “I suppose so. Why?” “Because I was thinking… being a sponsor and caretaker for dragons would let you travel to different worlds and be on the varying sands. Maybe then you’ll find a place that suits you.” “I see…” “Look, I’ll be blunt,” Zerl spoke with authority, commanding attention, “Do you have it in you to treat any and all beings with respect and equality that they deserve, no matter of what race they are?” “I… yes.” He hoped. He fervently hoped he would be able too. He didn’t feel any urge to put others through what he had been through… and possibly would be put through in the future. Zerl nodded, the gesture mostly lost as Kesa banked to one side and slid into a thick cloud, “Good. We’re off to Darkling Dawn, then. There’s a clutch on the sands where the hatchlings would undoubtedly prefer to remain unbonded. You’ll stand as a sponsor there, first.” And then the darkness enveloped them, and there was no more time for talk. |