Act 1: Prophecy

[Starry Dancer]

Okay people! Ready to get started? Because I sure am!
If you need any help making a character, you can definitely ask me for help! I love characterizations.
And now, without further ado…
Act 1: Prophecy


Clio moved away from the vaulted stained-glass window and trotted restlessly through the stacks in the Library of Ages. She tried not to pay attention to the howling, screeching, and sudden impacts outside; everything will be all right, she told herself. The thought seemed hardly likely, what with vicious wolves literally falling from the sky to wreak short havoc upon her beloved land, but she knew it to be true. At least, true up to a point; she hadn’t looked that far into the future.

Clio had taken a trip up to the highest Northern tower of Rolandsgaard castle earlier that evening, before the blitz had begun. In this tower was kept one of North of North’s greatest Treasures, the Patchwork. The enchanted quilt was regularly carried between here and Shahazar castle, far to the north in the endless desert of Autumn Sands. Its guardian, the legendary Fiona, had chosen this method so as to keep its location transitional. When it was indeed in Trail’s End, though, Clio had full use of its magical threads. The quilt told the future; all of North of North’s history, past, present, and future, was woven in tapestry upon the Patchwork. It would never do to look too far ahead, but Clio thought it proper to know a thing or two in advance. History was, after all, her speciality. She was North of North’s muse of history, and thus rather entitled to foreknowledge of events if only for the purpose of recording them with punctuality.

Today had a different purpose, however. The splashes of black, blue, and fiery silver denoting the Wolf Rider’s Blitz had caught her eye months ago, and Clio had gone to visit her cousin Oracle at the Pools of Reflection post-haste. Oracle had, in her typical cryptic fashion, delivered to Clio a prophecy that the young librarian was still puzzling over:
To each far land the troupe will go
To save our land from grievous woe
Treasures lost and pilfered long
Will bond the group and make them strong
With each herd a treasure lies
Our heroines together will duly earn their prize.
Clio knew that any minute now, the heroines from the prophecy would be deposited by the power of the Auroroborus just a few leagues northeast from where she stood in the Library chambers- they could even be there right now! She paced back to the window, straining her eyes into the darkness, as if to see all the way to the Pools of Reflection. How she longed to see them for herself- North of North’s next heroes!

But wait- she could.

Clio spun on a dime and clattered as quietly as she could up the winding staircase to the north tower. There, glowing in its own aura, the Patchwork was carefully folded on its sturdy wooden rack. Clio took a step closer, and then peered closely at the threads.

She dared not to look too far, but the picture on the square before her depicted a land and a Treasure that she was quite familiar with. After the group of horses and girls were sewn next to the Pools of Reflection, their images travelled a path to the embroidered Treasure they surely sought: The Waymaker key.

And Clio was delighted to see that the key was sewn as hidden- the Wolf Riders hadn’t been able to find it!

It made sense that a key that opened any door would be useful to both wolf riders and heroes; the question was, why hadn’t the Wolves been able to locate it? Clio brushed the thought from her mind, and hoped that her land’s new heroes would know to seek out Epona, Guardian of the Key, as soon as they could...

[kazul]

OCC (out of Character): Let's get this party started! and btw I'm doing 3rd person since I forgot what we agreed to >_<


*Kazul*

A teen and a snow white horse ran on from the wolf attack. For some reason something was pulling her to some certain area. She didn’t know what but she hoped it was safe whatever was pulling her. She had light blue eyes that matched her blue eyes perfectly. She was also wearing what kind of looked like a genie garments with a blue mark on her cheek. She looked behind her at the horse that, amazingly, was able to stay the same pace with her. The horse had a lunar mark on her forehead but was mostly covered by her light blue mane that gave off a faint glow. The horse sent an image of the Starlights herd and a scared feeling. The teen knew she was worried about the Starlights herd. They were considered part of the herd since they had always hanged out around them. She sent the horse an image of them heading to safety, hoping it would calm her down. It did in a way. Soon the pulling feeling stopped and she was in front of a large lake. Looking around she noticed smoke in the distance from where she came from. Watching, she cried silently for the ones that couldn't make it to safety. The horse walked up to her and nuzzled her while a white puppy popped out of her bag she had with her and yipped. The teen smiled and leaned on her horse letting the puppy out of her bag.

[Kai]

Tegan stared as the wolf riders began to surround her town. She suddenly had trouble breathing, feeling as if something was stuck in her throat. Tegan then realized, that for the best of all of North of North, as many people and horses as possible, must escape from the wolf riders.

Tegan ran to the local stable, her breath short, every noise seemingly extra loud. She blinked at the hubbub around the stable, people, mainly men, ran about tacking up horses, grabbing swords, women and children weeping for the certian death their husbands and father were going to.

Tegan slipped inbetween people and horses to a stall with a dun stallion inside it. She quickly grabbed the halter, bridle and the saddle. Tegan slipped into the stall and with shaking fingers pulled the halter over the stallion, Shakespeare's head, swiftly buckling it on the left side, she then swung the reins over Shakespeare's neck and pulled the bridle over his head, quickly slipping the bit in his mouth. then fastening the throatlatch and noseband.

Tegan then grasped the saddle swinging it over Shakespeare's back, he then put his ears back aggressively.

'Oh, knock it off.' Tegan slapped his neck as she grabbed the the girth and pulled it tight. She then led Shakespeare out the back way of the stable, where, there weren't so many people.
Tegan grabbed the stirrup and swiftly swung up, kicking Shakespeare into a canter immediatly.
They cantered through the forest, swerving around trees. Shakespeare suddenly skidded to a halt, snorting. Tegan attempted to kick Shakespeare forward, he promptly reared up.

'Come on, Shakespeare, we have to go!' Tegan repeatedly kicked him.

She then stared as a wolf and it's rider appeared out of the woods. 'Oh. So, THAT'S why you were freaking out...' Tegan gawked at the wolf rider, then Shakespeare swiftly turned one hundred and eighty degrees and galloped out of the area. Tegan let the reins slide through her fingers as she darted a glance behind her only to see that the wolf and the rider where rapidly gaining.

Then suddenly, Tegan realized that Shakespeare and her were being raised up on a multi-colored light above the trees, and taken at a quicker rate then what Shakespeare could gallop, and let down by a lake.

Shakespeare snorted and galloped along, Tegan quickly grabbed one rein and pulled Shakespeare into a circle, he quickly slowed down to a walk, his flanks heaving with each breath, his shoulders, neck, chest, and belly soaked with sweat.

[Britnie Jade]

*Jade, Twill - Third Person*




Twill snorted at his rider and caretaker, whom everyone called by her middle name, Jade, instead of her first name, Britnie; He sent her an image that was his point of view of looking at her, and was filled with amusement. She glared at him, and exclaimed, "Knock it off, it isn't my fault Papa made me wear this! It isn't that bad anyway," She nodded to the large cottage where her father was inside, waiting for Jade's mother, who was most likely deciding what garments to bring to sell; They were going to large festival in Canter Hollow, where all the merchants and farmers and bakers would be; Her father was well-known by many for his watermelons, which were the biggest, sweetest, and most perfect ones around. Her mother was also known to sell well-made clothes.
Papa had said to her that she must put on her best clothing, and when she came out in jeans and a blouse, he had stared at her. He then marched into her room, insisting that he picked her clothing since she couldn't pick anything decent to save her life, and had grabbed a shirt with white sleeves that stopped at the elbows but had extra material drifting down to her thighs; The front was suede, and was of two pieces beautifully weaved together in the center with a soft, thin leather. To her gratitude, it set at a good position on her chest, not to low but not too high. The shirt wasn't bad; The skirt, it was black, and airy; It came down to below her knees, but one step and it'd frill up into the air; That particularly annoyed her. Her shoes weren't what she usually preferred, being black sandals with a slight heel. At least she was able to bring one thing that she normally wore: Her leather satchel. Her mother had made it for her on her thirteenth birthday, which, since she was still thirteen, wasn't that long ago; But ever since she got it, she had always brought it with her, stuffing it with whatever she thought deemed appropiate to go in it.
"Besides, I wouldn't look too smug if I were you, considering you're the one pulling the wagon." Jade smirked with triumph as Twill's eyes went wide slightly, then he flicked his ears straight back, tossed his head to the sky, and snorted defiantly. "Anyway, come on, I have to get you hooked up to the wagon."
Though Twill was defiant about it, Jade eventually got him harnessed up to the wagon; It wasn't broken-down, but it wasn't the fanciest; It had one seat at the front, and the rest of it was simply area to put watermelons and her mother's clothes in; Currently, a dozen watermelons covered this area. Hopping up into the wagon, Jade asked Twill to walk on, and he pulled the wagon up by the cottage and stopped when she signaled him to. They waited.
The wait wasn't long, as soon Jade's father and mother came out; Her father was in a decent, plaid shirt with a pair of his best jeans on, and black shoes he saved only for special occassions. Jade's mother wore a light pink sun dress, and was carrying a bundle in her arms; It most likely was a couple of her best-made tops and bottoms to represent what she could do. When going to festivals and such, she never really went to sell her merchandise; She went to advertise it. She always liked to take in special orders, and she often did get a fair amount of them, too.
Jade handed the reins over to her father as she slid to the side. Her father sat beside her, and her mother next to him; She twisted around and set the bundle in the back, then turned back straight and set her hands on her lap.

At the festival, Jade was free to wander around and talk to people and look at goods. Her father and mother were back at the wagon, waiting for people to come and pick out a melon or admire the garments Mama had hanging on the wagon. Twill was free from the wagon, and now he walked beside Jade.
With ten horseshoes in her satchel, Jade looked around at all the different goods. She paused at a stand with baked goods laid out on it; A young girl, Rachel was her name, stood behind, waiting patiently. She and Jade sometimes chatted, but today they were both silent. Gazing over the goods, Jade was about to move on, when Twill sent her an image of the chocolate chip cookies. Sighing, Jade turned around with a friendly smile. "Hi Rachel, I'd like to buy a chocolate chip cookie." Rachel looked up.
"One horseshoe please," She chirped. Jade dug into her satchel and pulled out a horseshoe, and handed it over. Rachel, with a pleasant smile, gave her two cookies. When Jade gave her a questionable expression, Rachel simply said, "It's okay, the extra one is free." Jade nodded with a smile, and said, "Thanks."
Twill nosed her, and she gave him a cookie. As they walked away, Jade easily finished off the other. As she began looking at a table with different types of knives set on it, she considered getting a dagger. She picked up one, and studied it; The handle was carved well, out of a deep oak. The blade was simple, and was about five inches long. It seemed like it could be kept sharp just as easily as her pocket knife. Picking up the sheath the dagger belonged to, she slid it in.
"Excuse me?" She said slightly loudly, trying to get the salesman's attention; He had his back turned to her as he was chatting with another person; But at her voice, he glanced over his shoulder, then quickly finished his conversation with the person and came closer to her. "Yes?" He asked. "How much are you wanting for this?" He gave her a raised eyebrow, but simply said, "ten horseshoes."
"Oh. I only have nine.."
The man was silent for a moment, and Jade set the dagger back down. But then, he said, "I'll sell it to you, but first you gotta tell me....why do you want something like this?" He picked up the dagger. "Well, you never know when you could use a sharp object. And I like that dagger."
The man furrowed his eyebrows, then shrugged. "I'll sell it to you for nine horseshoes."
And so, jade traded the rest of her horseshoes for the dagger. She was quite excited at getting it, and immediately stuck it in her satchel. She wanted to look at it more, and try the sheath on around her waist to make sure the belt fit right, but now was not the time. Even if it was too big, she could burn more holes in it.
A piercing scream screeched into the air, and Jade whipped around, eyes slightly wide. That was not a playful scream. More screams rung out through the air, and snarls and snapping mixed in with it. People began racing around, and Jade was pushed around as she tried to figure out what was going on. Twill sprung forward, and bounded away a few strides; But then he halted, remembering her. Jade rushed to him, and he bowed down so she could get on him more quickly. Usually he didn't bow down for her, but now was not a time to be stubborn.
As Twill turned his hindquarters around, he suddenly stood frozen as a statue. Jade looked for whatever had him frozen, and soon saw exactly what: Wolves. Snarling wolves. With riders. And they had torches. Some of the riders were dismounted, ripping through tents, searching; they ahd torches, and when they were done searching, set whatever it was they searched on fire.
"Let's go, Twill!" Jade cried, kicking Twill hard. She knew Papa and Mama would want her to leave as soon as possible; Because she still remembered that day that there was another attack, though she wasn't there, and Papa had luckily gotten home safe; But as soon as he did, it wasn't long after he explained what happened that he made her promise to run away to safety if she was ever in an attack, no matter if he and Mama had to be left behind.
Twill whipped around, and charged forward. he plunged through the crowd of mostly people, though a few horses were scrambling through. He tried not to run over anyone, but it was hard, what with flames licking the tents on all sides and the wolves milling around, eager for a possible lunch, if their riders allowed.
As soon as he broke free, Twill charged away, steadily gaining speed. Jade simply clung to him, though she made sure to keep with the rythm of his gait. In only a few minutes, they were in sight of home - And instead of returning to safety and to her parents, Jade was only horrified as Twill stopped a few yards away from the cottage; Part of it was engulfed with flames, and Jade's parents were no where in sight. Springing from Twill's back, Jade rushed to the door. She ignored Twill as he sent emotions of warning to her; She leaped through the doorway, and rushed to her room, as it was not the part that was on fire. Smoke burned her eyes and made her nose and lungs scratchy, but she was able to block some of it out with her sleeves.
Racing into her room, Jade jerked open two drawers and grabbed two t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a pair of undergarments. She stuffed them in her satchel, and rushed out of her room and to the front door; She snatched her jacket off the hanger at the side, and grabbed her comfy, waterproof, leather boots. She sprang out of the cabin; She then paused, gathering her thoughts; Twill sent her an emotion of hurry, and he also told her in the best emotion possible that he knew a place to go, and they had to go there for some reason; She had a feeling that they were supposed to go somewhere that was far from here, too. She clambered onto his back. "We need to to to the stable," She said. Twill sent her an image to go into the forest. "No, to the stable, i can stay on better with a saddle, and my saddle also has saddlebags." Twill sent her an emotion of agitation, but then bounded off down the road.
When they came up to the barn, Twill ran right down the aisle to the front of the tack room; The place was completely empty, as all the horses were let out, and the barn was ablaze. Nobody wanted to save it because everyone was trying to save their own hide. As Jade sprang off of Twill, she threw her satchel, boots, and jacket down on the ground, and raced into the tack room; She pulled out her tack, and quickly place the pad and saddle on Twill's back, fumbled with the girth, clipped the breastcollar on, and slipped the bridle on Twill's head. She whipped around and went grab a set of saddlebags, and at Twill's asking, filled one with corn. She stuffed her jacket and boots in the other, then clipped them on. She tightened the girth again, slipped the stirrups down, and swung up, and without needing to ask him, Twill whipped around and leaped forward. "Nice rollback," Jade muttered, slightly irritated since he never tried that hard to perform a rollback when she had asked.
Twill didn't follow the road, Instead, he galloped straight across the field, and plunged into the forest. "Don't forget to give my knees room from the trees!" Jade yelped, as a tree had flashed by only a few inches away. twill paid more attention to the trees.
As they leaped onto a trail and galloped faster, Jade suddenly noticed bright colors carrying her and Twill; And as soon as they were there, they were gone, and left them galloping in an unknown area. Twill slowed down, and Jade looked around, taking in the new vegetation.
That's when they came upon a lake. Twill stopped, and puffing heavily with sweat dripping down his sides, he looked at the lake.
Both he and Jade realized it was the Pool of Reflection.

[Britnie Jade]

(Oh my, I didn't realize that was so long!

[Rain]

"Victoria!"
She could hear someone calling her name, but whoever it was, their voice seemed distant.
"Tori!"

She could feel the warmth of the blanket she slept beneath, and someone was shaking her vigorously. The voice became louder; clearer, and she opened her eyes to see her own mother looming over her, a glint of horror in her eyes, her face pale.
A series of screams, whinnies, snarls, and the clashing of swords came into earshot, and Tori jumped out of bed and rushed over to her bedroom window. She bit her lip nervously, watching in horror as countless Wolf Riders invaded the street below.

"We don't have much time!" her mother cried, grabbing Tori's arm.
"Mom, what's going-"
"There's no time to explain." With that, she started stuffing Tori's items, clothes, and several rations (Thanks, Stormy!) into a large backpack, shoved it into Tori's arms, and grabbed her elbows, looking her daughter in the eye (I'm overusing the word "her", I know, but I suck at this).
"No matter what happens-"
"Mom!" Tori's eyes began to water, and she shook her head at the thought of her mother dying at the hands of a Wolf Rider.
"-I want you to stay safe. I want you to take one of the horses and get as far away from here as you can."
"Mom! Nothing's going to happen to you, okay? We'll be alright! I'll stay here and fight them myself if I have-"
"Tori, listen." Tori continued to stomp her feet and shake her head in denial, but her mom kept a firm grasp on her arms. "I'll be alright. You'll be alright. But you have to leave now; we have no choice."

Screams and the clashing of swords once again came into earshot, and Tori bit her lip. "But Mom-"
"Promise me you'll stay safe; stay strong." She touched the golden locket hanging just below her daughter's collarbone; a token, so to say, reminding Tori of her hometown; of her mother. "Stay true to yourself, and do what you think is right." Tori sniffled, still in denial as her mother kissed her forehead tenderly, looked her daughter in the eye for the last time, and said, "I love you."
"But Mom-" But she was interrupted by the sound of another scream, and after giving one last, warm, meaningful hug, she clutched her locket, said, "I promise", and hurried out the back door, never to see her mother, or her beloved cottage, again.

(Whoosh. How 'bout that for dramatic, huh? I dunno whether this is what we're s'posed to be going for, but whatever; I tried. It's really cheesy, but hey. So yeah.
P.S. I kind of suck at descriptions; I'm more of a dialogue type of girl, as you can see. ;D)

[Britnie Jade]

(I like it, Rain

[Kai]

Tegan gawked at the lake, then almost fell off Shakespeare as he pivoted on his hind legs, wacking her face with his neck as he turned to stare into the nearby brush.

"Shakespeare!" Tegan yelped, rubbing her nose, "What is your problem?"

Shakespeare began to back up, down the slope and towards the water. Tegan futility kicked him, releasing the reins. Shakespeare bounded forward a stride or so as his hind legs hit the water.

"Shakespeare!" Tegan grasped to his mane as she slipped around a bit. Shakespeare ignored her, and softly nickered.

Tegan gasped as a dark horse came out of the brush, a rider on it's back.

[Stormy]

OCC: Sorry it took so long,I had to rush it so it's not the best either. And, Rain, rations is what I believe you were trying to say.

Brianne: Third-Person

Brianne clutched her side with her left hand; her right holding on so tightly to General’s reins her knuckles had turned white. She continued running blindly through the woods, unfeeling of the branches and briers as they scraped and cut into her flesh. There was one thought on her mind – get away. She led General deeper and deeper into the woods she had run to, trying not to focus on the what lay behind.

She had been up late, reading a book in her bedroom when it happened. She had first heard a scream, then a neigh, and before she could even begin to wonder what had happened, there was a blaze of fire from outside in the town square. She heard glass break nearby, and was thrown to the ground by an unseen force. Through the haze, she looked out her now broken window to see three wolf-riders entering her home. She got up, panicking. Looking around frantically, she grabbed a disregarded hanger and beat out the remaining glass in the window-frame. Her bare feet landed violently on glass and rocks as she scrambled out of it onto the street. She yelled in terror as she took in the scene before her. Scores and scores of wolf-riders were breaking into shops and homes, tearing apart everything. She could see several people being dragged down the street, and even noted a few, unmoving, lying on the ground. She let out a sob, her eyes suddenly blurry. Something hit her across the head and she turned around abruptly. She braced herself for a fight, but was surprised to see her mother.
“Come on!” Her mother shoved her harshly down an alleyway, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. She pushed Brianne against a wall, holding her tightly on the shoulders, and gave her a stern look. “Get General and go, run to the forest and go to your Uncle’s.” She ordered, her voice shaking with fear despite the determination in her eyes.
Brianne wanted to refuse, to demand she stay and help, but instead of the saying so, all she got out was. “What about you and dad?”
Her mom smiled down at her, sadness filling her voice as she said.
“Don’t worry about us, we will be leaving soon, we’ll meet you at your Uncle’s. Just go, go!” And again, before Brianne could do anything, her mother was back to violently pushing her down the alleyway. Her next words were almost a whisper. “General is saddled and waiting by the Butcher. I will see you soon my love.” She held out a bag to Brianne, and, reluctantly, she took it. Casting one last fleeting look at her mother, she rushed down the alley towards a small dirt road.
This road too was filled with wolfs, with much of the same chaos occurring here as the town square. Brianne sprinted past the menacing beasts, hoping they were too occupied with their mission to bother chasing her. She made it to the Butcher within a few minutes, spotting General in the shadow of the building as her mom had said. Without thinking she grabbed the reins and began to tug him towards the woods, her thought only to escape the horrid scenes around her.

Her breath was ragged, but she didn’t stop running, she didn’t want to stop. To stop would mean to think, to think would mean to comprehend what just happened, and to do that, would mean she had to accept the truth of it. She was quite certain by now nobody was following her; she had been running at this break-neck pace for around ten minutes, and was surprised she hadn’t passed out by now. When her adrenaline had died down enough though, she couldn’t run any farther, and fell to her knees in a forest clearing. She lay down and rolled over on her back, noticing suddenly the tears that were running down her face. She looked above at the full moon that lit the woods. It was like something out of a nightmare. The way its pale light cast shadows on the trees that loomed overhead, the way the distant screams of the townspeople mixed with the gentle creaking of the branches as they swayed softly in the breeze. How could something seem so beautiful, yet be so eerie at the same time?
Brianne closed her eyes, wishing everything away, and lay there for several minutes, allowing the tears to fill her eyes and stream down the side of her face, landing in her grime-covered, sweaty hair. She couldn’t stay here forever, they would find her. She slowly lifted herself to her feet, feeling hallow inside, and mounted General. He seemed to know where they were to go, even though Brianne had yet to tell him, and began north. They soon were out of the woods and were on the farmland. Brianne lifted her head from where she had it placed against General’s neck and looked over her shoulder into the distance. There was an orange glow to the south above where Canter Hollow was, and though the screams were no longer audible, she could still here them ringing in her ears. How many lives were lost? How many were captured? How many homes were destroyed? How many? She turned back to look ahead, focusing on the ground. How many?

[Starry Dancer]

Aaaaaaanda we're back!




Clio stepped back from the Patchwork, nodding slowly. The five girls and five horses were on their way to the Pools of reflection, where they would be assigned their task: finding the Waymaker key. Simple enough, if the Wolf Riders somehow managed to avoid the Pools...

[kazul]

(okay I'll start us up again peeps! :D)

*Kazul*
The Teen turned to see some more girls walking or flying towards them. She looked at the horse beside her and whispered: "Roxie, I don't think we're the only ones that were pulled to this place." Roxie looked at her and thought: "I think your right Kazul." Kazul nodded and took her puppy out of her bag.
"Stay put Snowy, I mean it." Kazul said sternly knowing that the horses didn’t like dogs due to the Wolf Riders. She started digging in her bag looking for her necklace that her mother gave her before pushing her out the door.
"You may never know when this necklace will come in handy Kazul." her mother had told her. Kazul put the necklace on as a tear went down her cheek and then put her puppy back in her bag. Kazul closed her eyes and imagined her family getting to safety. Roxie nickered bringing her back to reality. Who was she kidding? Her mother died right in front of her trying to save her. She noticed the others closing in and she decided to hide in the bushes. She sent Roxie an image of her acting like a wild horse. Roxie nodded in her direction and together they waited for them to arrive.

[Kai]

Tegan turned Shakespeare around in a slight panic, as seemingly the darkness grew heavy and oppresive, as if the wind and the whole land were holding their breath, if in horror or if that was just how it was to be, no one really knows. Tegan looked back towards the way she had come, she grimaced as she caught sight of the sky, turning red-orange due to the fire. She sighed as she thought of all the people back there, all the pain, they would go through before they finally got back on their feet. She felt a pang of guilt, she might of been able to help someone, someone who was now dead or anguishing in pain. And her parents, were they alright? She sighed and dismounted Shakespeare, who snorted nervously, knowing that if the wolfriders came back, Tegan wouldn't be able to get on quickly enough, for him to take off and take both of them to safety.

[snowflake]

what happens next u just left it there? i thought it was all really good and i would know i am an avid reader of many generas and books. ;D