Of Fire and Ice [Emiryal]

[[cass]]

It was dark. The moon shone high above, it was like a beacon and on nights like this many of the people within Surda would stare at it. She knew. She knew how people worked, she knew what made them act like that, just as a moth was attracted to the glimmering, dancing flames, a human’s eyes was destined to flicker towards the golden orb that lived in the sky. When night spilled across the land, dragging the sun away and drowning the world in darkness she felt safe. Whenever the sun graced them with their presence she would slink away, her body fleeing into the safety of the shadows. They were the only places where she felt safe, they were the only places where the cool, cold air could wrap itself around each of her limbs and protect her from the gaze of others. The shadows were her safe heaven, her protectors, they kept her safe and in return she served them loyally, making them her own, letting them claim her and become part of her.

Nolamarra always stayed away from other werecats, they did not scare her. She was braver and smarted then nay of them, she just didn’t like them. After she had been banished from her own kind she had grown a rather large disgust towards them. Her black fair stood on end with a small whiff of them, her green eyes would narrow, glinting dangerously in the darkness as she followed them until they disappeared from her sight and hopefully from her life. She had only ever talked to one of them; it had not been her choice. If it were it would not have happened. Her emerald eyes had been filled to the brim with venom, her fur bristling, her tail lashing side to side. Showing, clearly her obvious displeasure at what she was doing. The werecat in return had remained calm, eyeing her like some little child that knew nothing.

In the end she had bite him, her teeth sinking into his flesh. It had been just a little warning to never bother her again. She liked to believe it worked. She hadn’t been approached since. Her eyes flicked at a familiar sound. It was the gentle, almost silent patter of paws on dirt. She had long been able to pick up the sound from any other. Not many animals could do that, but when you hated your own kind you learned every little bit about them, to avoid them. She found herself within the confines of a shadow, where she could not go backwards and she could not go forwards. So instead she bared her teeth a snarl tearing from her throat. Her eyes glittered angrily, as she waited for the werecat to pass.

[Emiryal ♕]

Syaoran was in his human form, he spent most of his time that way. It seemed some werecats liked to stay in their cat form, but he preferred his human form. He liked interacting with people and that was difficult to do when he looked like a cat. Most humans he spoke to never realized his true nature, and simply thought of him as a young curious boy. He reclined on a roof top as he looked at the moon and stars, it wasn't often he got time to himself, quiet peaceful time. Or maybe it was just he'd spent to much time among humans and had picked up on one of their strange habits.

He ran one hand through his shaggy blonde hair and stood up with a sigh. He didn't mind his own kind but he felt more welcome amoung the humans, besides they were more interesting. Humans could be very unpredictable and seemed to have strange quirks he hadn't figured out yet.

Syaoran stood up and straightened his red gold-trimmed jacket and dusted off his tan pants. He was bare foot. Though he spent a lot of time among humans he had not picked up the odd habit of wearing shoes. He liked to feel the ground under his feet. He climbed down from the roof he was on and landed softly on his feet. He blinked in surprise seeing a small brown cat staring at him. "Oh hello," he said. The cat purred and rubbed up against him. She wasn't a werecat just a domestic cat. She walked away from him and past the spot Nolamarra hid. Syaoran followed somewhat absent minded. Something caught his eye as a human with a lantern walked down the road, momentarily scaring away the shadows of the night.

Syaoran paused and looked at Nolamarra who was now once again hidden in shadow, except her eyes that reflected the low light of the moon. "What wrong?" he asked slipping into the feline language. That alone would tip off Nolamarra that his human form was not his only form.

[[cass]]

She’d been wrong, she hated being wrong. Being wrong was not something Nolamarra had ever accustomed herself to. She fought viciously in any situation to prove that she was right and by the end of it, even if she was wrong the other party would give up and accept what she said. More often than not her teeth what show, in a rare smile of joy. There was little joy in her life, and in the moments when she won an argument she would let the emotion play across her face, uncaring of the idea that someone would be able to see it. Within seconds she would slink back into her old form, a scowl, teeth ready to be bared at a seconds notice, eyes flickering and glancing around dangerously. Her tail would sway from side to side more often than not. People seemed to not understand that when her tail swayed it meant she was not happy. Most humans assumed that all werecats were like domestic cats, eager to be stroked and patted as though they had no brains and were aimless animals. She was not that and never would be. She bites and scratched anyone who dared touch her. She cared naught if it was a child or a soldier with a sword, let them try and hurt her, let them try and hit her.

A little brown cat pelted past her hiding spot, and she hissed in annoyance at the wrongness of the assumption she had made. She was sure she had caught that tell-tale wift of a werecat. She was bigger than the cat, she was better and stronger. And her nose twitched as though sensing the anger that poured from her fur. She was sure she had smelt the werecat. They had a distinctive smell, but them every animal did. Humans were the most revolting, they smelled all wrong, and even when a werecat was in human form they clung to their true smell. She hated being in her human form more than being in her cat form. People assumed too much when you were human, people assumed who she was and what she looked like, they assumed because of her black hair and green eyes, and because that she was a female that she was simply asking to be protected, to be loved and cared for. There had been so many human males trying to get her to go with them.

Of course she had not responded well to that. She was only twenty three years old and sometimes she worried the perhaps she acted like she was so much older. There was just so much hate and anger within her, a girl of her age should not be like that. She should be having fun and living her life, not sticking to the shadows where no one could see her, where no one would ever know her. She would never admit it, but she acted for some attention, she ached to be wanted and cared for, but whenever the thought drifted into her mind, bringing itself to the fore-front of her head she would snap at herself, telling herself she was like this because she had allowed it to happen. She snapped and growled like some old animal because it was who she was. It was her own fault.

For a brief second her hiding spot was exposed, a human had walked past with a lantern, tightly in their grip. The flame had threw the shadows away from her, revealing her black fur and gleaming emerald eyes. But within seconds the darkness swallowed her once more and she could breathe easy. "What wrong?" A voice asked. Her head snapped upwards and she almost hissed, her lips tittering on the edge of being drawn into a snarl. She held it back with all her will power. A glimmer of triumph sparked her eyes for a brief second. She had gotten it right, but it was quickly replaced with guarded suspicion as she eyes the werecat in front of her. He was in his human form, shaggy blonde hair sat atop his head.

She turned herself away from him, slipping into her own human form, before turning to face him once more. She hated it, but she would not talk to him as a cat. ”I’m fine. Who might you be?”She drawled. She almost snapped it out, but she refrained from doing so, instead biting her tongue she had held herself back.

[Emiryal ♕]

Curiosity seemed to be his most notable attribute. That and always speaking his mind, even when his opinion wasn't asked for. That was probably why he didn't mind being around humans, many of them were eager to dispose of answers to satisfy his curiosity. He didn't understand why most of his kind stayed away from humans. He found them interesting though he did not wish to actually be one of them. Rather than humans annoying him it was usually the reverse. He'd been shewed away on more than one occasions for asking to many questions to an impatient human. He had learned much about them though and had picked up on some of their ways of thinking. Unlike Nolamarra he didn't mind if humans stroked his fur when he was in cat form. Sometimes it could be irritating when they didn't let him leave and clung to him, but he found it a very good way to learn more about them without them knowing he was listening.

One downside to his human form was his senses were not as sharp. It was much harder to tell the difference between werecats and cats. Maybe it was the over powering smell of humans that could be most attributed to it. Regardless due to the over powering smell of humans or his decreased senses in human form he had not realized Nolamarra was a were cat until she turned away and transformed. He instinctively looked away when she transformed, maybe it was just a human custom of courtesy but he'd picked up on it nonetheless.

When she spoke he returned his gaze. He seemed a bit stunned at first. She was quite stunning looking, but he could see why humans would treat her as someone to be protected. It once again was one of their strange quirks. He realized he probably had an advantage being a tom, humans didn't think twice about boys running about. But they seemed to have some need to dictate what girls could and could not do. Recovering from his surprise he spoke. "I am Syaoran Li, who are you? And what are you doing dwelling in the shadows on such a splendid night?"

[[cass]]

She ran her hands through her hair. It was long, reaching almost to her waist. It never seemed to astound her how when she transformed the hair became short cropped. Her body was thin, and unlike many other female humans there was a certain amount of muscle beneath her. It gave her a strong, independent look. That is what she was. She was strong and independent. SH relied on no one and nothing, except for own ability to defend herself and care for herself. Sometimes eh would disappear for days, hunting in the sands that surrounded the camp. She would stray as far as the empire, but never would she go in there. She had heard many tales of werecats out of the empire, but in the empire a tale had barely left, as though they never lived, as though a werecats life in the empire was a dead one. She might hate her own kind, she might hate being a human, but Nolamarra could say with ease that she did not want to die.

Those solitary walks were relaxing and they remained her of why she chose to take step after step, why she placed one foot in front of the other instead of stopping and simply dying. It would be a lot easier to end it all, to just relax and rest, to never have to worry about anything anymore. Her eyes flickered away from the boys. He was good looking for a human, more so for a werecat. He looked accustomed to walking on two feet, whereas Nolamarra felt as though she could barely do it. She hated two feet, they weren’t as fast as four, and it made her loose her ability to smell, hear and sense better. It sucked, it really sucked. She felt blind in the night; her ability to see had become so very limited. She felt as though she was deaf. She could not make out much of the world around her, except for loud, annoying things. It was difficult to adjust to. She felt the urge to flick her tail in anger and frustration, but there was nothing there to move. It had been a long time since she had last transformed.

She sighed, her eyes still watching the other werecat suspiciously. She was not one to simply give away her trust and more so to her own kind. She had only even given out her trust –as limited as it was- once, that had been to the rider, Nepherion. It hadn’t been as much to the rider as it had been to his dragon. She had liked Starlight. She had liked the way his scales glittered, the way he had easily talked to her, as though they had known each other for a long time. He had left as quickly as he had come, but she did not care. People were never destined to stay in her life, they always left and it just made that hole in her chest go wider, until it was a black abyss she was sure she would never fix. "I am Syaoran Li, who are you? And what are you doing dwelling in the shadows on such a splendid night?"

She had never heard of him before, but then she had really heard of any werecats, she knew little of them. She didn’t want to know much about them, to be like them, to understand them. She despised them too much. ”I am Nolamarra. A werecat, if you hadn’t figured out yet.” the sarcasm particularly dripped off those last few words. She eyes him shrewdly her gaze never leaving his. Once more she resisted the urge to snap or growl, to bare her teeth and snarl at him. It had become a habit of hers to treat anyone she met with a hostile attitude. ”I’m staying the shadows because the moon shines every night. It will do the same thing again and again. What is the difference tonight? It will be the same in a month to come.” She replied, her voice neutral, with a touch of frost. She was not going to be nice to him, neither was she going to be out right rude.

[Emiryal ♕]

Syaoran Li was suddenly glad for the dim light of the moon, he was sure he was blushing slightly as Nolamarra ran her hands through her hair. Nolamarra did not look frail like any full human equivalent of her would've. It was obvious she could take care of herself, at least it was obvious to Syaoran. She was quite strikingly beautiful, even her neutral tone seemed to draw him. Humans might have labeled his reaction as love at first sight. That was a rather misguided thing humans said. More a good first impression on him. He didn't love Nolamarra, he just found her beautiful. Love was something that was reserved for those who earned it and it was never given quickly.

Seeing Nolamarra made him realize how little time he spent with his own kind. Sure werecats were solitary, but even solitary people enjoyed company once in a while. When was the last time he'd been with one of his own? Oh probably last time he'd seen Solumbum in the dwarven city. Which was quite some time ago.

The suspicion in her eyes was understandable. They had only just met and she had no reason to give him her trust. Humans often acted in a similar manner, not giving their trust away but generally they were more friendly with strangers than Nolamarra was being. Was he acting human-like having tried to start a friendly conversation? He decided he really ought to spend more time in his feline form. He'd spent so much time in his human form being a cat was almost foreign to him. As much as being a human was foreign to Nolamarra.

Maybe out of nerves or just habit his hand slid up to his neck as he reassured himself the bird necklace he wore was still there. Without it he was unable to transform, it was an odd situation but he was lucky to be alive and have survived a Shade.

Syaoran chuckled amused by Nolamarra's sarcasm. Obviously only a blind fool would not know she was a werecat after seeing her transform into a human. "And what is the point of that? Spending a lifetime hiding in shadows is no life at all. It doesn't appear to me you have reason to hide unless the moon is your enemy?"

[[cass]]

It had been a long time since she had last communicated with anyone. To be frank the last time she had communicated with another living thing had been quick bit and some hissing and snarling. Nola was sure she had become more cat then human, she was not evenly balanced, it was a rare thing for her to stay within the shaped of a human. Humans were not confusing, they were straight forward things that only lived for a few reasons. Their lives were short and useless, they could not change and only a rare few of them knew anything of magic. They were clumsy and stupid, condescending and believed they were superior. She had yet to meet a human that believed they were the equal of a werecat, or an animal for that matter. It amused her to no end how they believed that she was like a pet. That they could pat her at their own free will and control her. A human not too long ago had tried to take her, give her a name he liked. She had been hiding when he grabbed her. She had loved it. She had loved being able to dig her claws into his flesh, she had loved making him squeal in pain and surprise.

She spent little time with anyone. The last time she had gone hunting she had not returned for three weeks. That had been three weeks of having no one, but herself. At first she had loved it, but then she had come to miss the comforts of a busy camp, of the world around her humming with life. Silence was a good thing, peace was something everybody needed, but you also needed balance, you needed to be able to live a life, not of just being alone. Yet it was what she was accustomed to. She had never had a life with another person; she had never managed a conversation more than a few words long. Sometimes it scared her to think that she would be alone forever, that this need to hate and hate would stay with her forever as she shoved away anyone and everyone who ever tried to get close to her.

It was habit. It had become the essence of her life.

Her eyes followed his hand as he grasped a small charm around his neck. From that simple glance she knew it held magic. She could sense it, just like she could sense those humans that strode around the camp with their superior looks because they had been given the gift of magic. It puzzled her to see the magic item around his neck. Werecats could not use magic; they were bound to a simple change of form. She had tried to use magic, once. It hadn’t ended well. Curiosity begged her to ask what it meant, but she held her tongue, her eyes hovering over it for a second longer before turning away. He chuckled. He actually chuckled. She stared at him, her eyes widening slightly at the sound. She had heard it before, she heard it every day, but no one had every chuckled at her. At something she said. She felt an unwanted liking to it.

"And what is the point of that? Spending a lifetime hiding in shadows is no life at all. It doesn't appear to me you have reason to hide unless the moon is your enemy?" Nola looked sharply away from him. ”There are a lot of things to hide from. The moon is nothing to fear. The moon is a million leagues away, it cannot hurt anyone.” She replied coolly. She was not going to fall for that, she was not going to tell him anything about her. She was a guarded girl, she did not trust easily. ”What is that?” She raised a hand and pointed a finger at the charm on his neck. Her abrupt change of subject was something she always did, she would always remove herself from anyone’s mind, she was not someone others wanted to know about.

[Emiryal ♕]

Syaoran didn't realize it, but had Nolamarra known how much time he spent around humans she'd probably think he was stranger than a blue colored cat would be. Aside from Solumbum, not many werecats stayed near humans. Syaoran practically lived as and with the humans, it had become his way of life. Having someone want to take him in as a pet, was something that had never happened to him. He spent most of his time in human form and well humans were not pets. The most he got were concerned women realizing he was a young looking boy without a mother. Now that was annoying, they would coddle him and insist on having him stay with them. He could take care of himself and was older than they realized.

Seeing her eyes follow his hand to his necklace he quickly dropped his hand to his side. He hadn't meant to draw attention to that. Subconsciously he often did that to assure himself it was still there. Some had called him somewhat obsessed with it, as he refused to ever take it off or let anyone else touch it. It was simple piece of carved wood in the shape of a bird, not very detailed and even crude but it resembled the creature closely enough to get the idea of it.

Before he could respond Nola shot him a question. One he wished she hadn't. The less attention he could draw to his necklace the better. But her curiosity seemed to be peaked now, and well besides another werecat would be the only one who could understand. He picked up the necklace charm but left the leather string around his neck. "My mother gave it to me," he said. "...it's probably my greatest folly too. Have you ever ventured into the Empire's lands?"

[last post for tonight.]

[[cass]]

When she was young I would sometimes stand outside, whether it is cold, whether the snow fell or the moon blazed on a boiling night. I would perch myself on a roof, I didn’t care whose it was. This was in a time when I did not fear being seen, this was in a time when the shadows were not my friends, when I resented the idea of being within the confines of darkness. I still had a family back then. I would sit atop any roof that I could, this was a time in which I would stay as a human more than a cat. I loved being a cat, but I felt more real, more alive as a human in those times. When my feet grazed the ground it was as a human, when I spoke it was as a human, when I was not a human I was with other werecats, being me, happy and free. My feet would tangle at the edge of the roof. The drop would never worry, I loved the feel of the air as it raced over my limbs, clipping my body until I felt as though one more push, one more little push would send me sprawling and flying over the edge to my death. In those moments I would smile, as if tempting fate, daring the wind to try and have a go, to try and push me down. It never would, it never had the courage to keep my down, to make me be frightened of it.

There came power when you stand above it all, when nothing can stop you from leaning over the edge, your eyes swallowing the height as though you were no more than a few centimetres up. The favourite part of those nights was when I would scramble to my feet and as though I had wings I would leap from roof to roof, halfway through the third leap I would transform, my figure shrinking into the smaller, nimble form of a cat. I loved that span of time when the changed happened. Because the world would brighten, my hearing would become sharper and suddenly everything I saw as in a new light a new visibility. It looked amazing, that sharp take always brought an intake of breath from my lips. But no matter what happened I would land on all four feet, my paws drawing me up to a stop as I spun. My eyes glittering with joy, following my own trail through the world. Without hesitating I would take off again, the world beneath my feet at my command to do as I wanted. Nothing and no one could stop me in those times. I was wild, crazy and free. I had a family a home and people that knew me and loved me. I could fly.

For some odd reason the boy in front of her reminded her of those nights. He made her think back to those times, back into another world where she had been happy, where she had never snapped or scratched, or clawed her way out of a situation. He remained her of everything she had lost, everything that was missing in her broken world. "My mother gave it to me," he said. "...it's probably my greatest folly too. Have you ever ventured into the Empire's lands?" She looked up at him once more. This time her eyes were less cold, her gaze less superior. She kept her face guarded, but she didn’t look at him as though he was some criminal, as though he was going to hurt her. Syaoran was not treating her like the rest of them did and for that reason she respected him. A small amount of respect within her heart could go a long way.

”No. I have never ventured in the Empire’s lands. Too many bad stories have come from there.” She laughed a small, bitter little laugh. ”No, that is wrong. Not enough, stories have come from there. It has lead me to believe that either werecats do not go there, or that those that have, have either died or are trapped by Galbatorix.” There was a new interest in her eyes as she looked at him once more. I little spark of understanding. She drew her hand through her hair again. It was a habit. Whenever she was in human form she did it. ”But you have, haven’t you? You’ve been in there. You lived. Tell me what is it like?” She asked, she could keep the eagerness from her voice. If he survived then so could she. If he went in there and came out alive then so could she. And if he tells her true she would go. She would leave and go into the empire. The taste of adventure and the need to do something was what she wanted.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

olamarra likewise had sparked a memory in him. For Syaoran, it was a deep longing. He had not realized he'd nearly forgotten what it meant to be a werecat. He'd spent so much of his life among humans he often acted like them more than a werecat. His cat form he rarely changed to though for that he had good reason. He feared loosing his bird necklace and forever being stuck unable to communicate as easily as he could in human form. He'd gotten stuck unable to transform once, he'd felt a grave sense of panic and desperately searched for the necklace.

It had been more than a fortnight until he found what he was missing. A thief had stolen it from him, thinking it something valuable. Finding a simple wood carving the thief had tossed it aside. A child had found it and claimed it for his own. Syoaran had a difficult time taking it back, stuck in his cat form he couldn't speak with the child and continuously was waved away by adults thinking he was a domestic cat. It wasn't until that night he'd been able to sneak in and take it off the shelf the child had placed it on. Since then he'd been fearful of loosing it and being stuck in a form he'd lack communication. Sure he could mentally speak still, but not many humans would be able to converse with him.

Syaoran pursed his lips thoughtfully and nodded slightly, his messy hair shifting with the motion causing some to fall in front of his face. His hair wasn't long but long enough for him to notice. He raised his hand and pushed the strands of hair back into place. "I never believed the few stories, about the Empire. I was wrong to ignore them though. I don't think many werecats stay within the bounds of the Empire, Solumbum is the only one I know of," he said.

He fell silent as a dog barked somewhere in the distance. For a moment he thought the dog might be coming towards them, a stray. But the noise came no closer and was soon followed by an angry shout from the dog's master to be quiet. His eyes had wandered to the direction of the sound but returned to Nora now. "I have been in the Empire's lands. In someways it's like Surda, people are everywhere. However, the Empire takes tight hold on certain cities and punishes harshly. Most of the people there live in fear and try to not draw the Empire's wrath. It's sad really," he paused for a moment collecting his thoughts.

"I did stay in the Empire lands for quite some time, simply looking for adventure and to quench my curiosity. I grew careless and the Empire discovered I was a werecat. They set out to capture me, I had no were to run...it was terrifying and they were so cruel. Eventually a Shade came to question me by means of torture. When I wouldn't talk he cursed me with his foul magic attempting to prevent me from ever shifting form again. I don't know why but it only partially worked. I was able to escape in cat form and flee the Empire's lands. The curse still holds power of me even now, I am only able to change shape when I have this bird charm with me. If I loose it I am stuck in whatever form I was in when I lost it." He drew quiet at the end. It was somewhat humiliating to not be able to freely change forms as he should've been able to. He felt like the Shade had taken something very dear from him.

[[cass]]

Nola listened with the kind of attention she wasn’t sure she had. She drank in each of his words, her eyes following his hands, she loved this. She loved hearing about the empire, about its dark secrets. She wanted to be in there, she wanted that kind of adventure. She did not care at all that the werecat in front of her had lost part of him. She felt some sympathy for what had become of him, but he had taken that risk and that was what had happened. She looked now at the charm around his neck, her eyes focused on it. She had wanted that kind of adventure for such a long time, she wanted to explore and see the world that she lived in. She was tired of bending herself to stay to the shadows of being weary and scared of everything and the fact that this werecat had survived meant that she could to. It barely registered with her that she could end up like him, or worse.

Her eagerness caused her to take a step forward and closer to him; she could see his eyes as though the memory had pained him. She wanted to ask him more about it, she wanted to talk about all of it and know about this place. And yet she bit her lip, holding herself back, preventing herself from asking him more pestering questions. She could see it, a little glimmer in his eyes that told her that what they were talking about was painful. This area of his life was not something he often stepped into and he had, he had flung this information at another werecat he had never met before. She stepped back and away from him, letting her black hair fall across her face, her eyes turning away from his. Inside her chest her heart was racing, Nola had never felt so excited and she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her lips. It felt foreign and hard to hold there, but it was staying.

It was exciting and it made her want to jump up and laugh. ”This, this is amazing – No I mean, what happened to you isn’t, but the empire? That is.” She almost laughed. Hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings with her abrupt way of speaking. She hoped, because even though she hated him and any werecat, for that matter, she did not want to offend him. She turned her bright eyes back onto his. Another smile lingering on her lips. ”What I mean is that I can go, I can go to the empire and live. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.” She grinned, her teeth flashing in the dull light. She was excited, more excited then she had been for such a long long time. She stepped closer once more, ignoring his personal space. ”Please, take me, shiow me the Empire. I would love to have a guide-“ She shrugged, ”of course I don’t need one, but it would help to have one with me.

The look in her eyes was pleading, for a second she ignored that pestering feeling that he was a werecat. That she hated them, that she did not want to be near them and instead she watched, hoping he would say yes, because even if he didn’t she would go. She would and he would not stop her.