<span style="font-weight: bold">OOC Thread:  </span><a class="postlink" href="https://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;t=46174&amp;p=287237#p287237">http://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;t=46174&amp;p=287237#p287237</a><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Interest Check Thread:</span><a class="postlink" href="https://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=75&amp;t=46169&amp;p=287458#p287458">http://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=75&amp;t=46169&amp;p=287458#p287458</a><br/><br/><br/><br/>There was a stampede.  Kat ran alongside armor clad warriors and the ground trembled with the weight of their pounding feet.  Kat could hear nothing but the roar of their cries which filled her ears.  The air was thick with sweat, blood, and adrenaline as they ran over the warm sand, the full moon casting a pale blue glow over the rushing army.  Kat joined in with their cries, all of their eyes set on the towering palace ahead.  It seemed to almost rise up to the heavens themselves.  It was a monstrous angry thing, staring down upon them with hungry eyes from its many windows.<br/><br/>This monstrous thing held the object of their rage, of their warring.  The army itself was so sure, so sure that they would win this war.  Their enemy was outnumbered, they had to be.  There were thousands in their army.  Kat was running in the front flanks and she was one of the first ones to see the fog that suddenly began to materialize out of nowhere.  It rolled, curling within itself as it devoured the sand surrounding the palace.<br/><br/>Suddenly, a tiny figure emerged from the fog.  At first, it was only a dark silhouette.  It was so small, so alone that upon site, it seemed as if a lone child had dangerously wandered into the battle field.  It was somehow compelling and as each eye caught sight of the lone figure, they came to a screeching halt.  Bodies clashed against each other and somewhere trampled.  There were very few humans within this army, so there were no fatalities, not yet.<br/><br/>Kat could not remove her eyes from the approaching figure.  She took a few slow precious steps closer, her curiosity rising.  What was this small child doing on the battle field?  Suddenly, the figure came into complete view and Kat uttered a sharp cry, her breath catching in her throat.  It looked like a small child.  It was so petite, so harmless looking.  Except for the atrocity of its face.  She could only use the term 'it' because she could not even make out the gender.<br/><br/>It was completely androgynous.  Its long dark hair tumbled down its tiny curveless frame.  It had no noticeable feminine curves, but if it were a child, it would be underdeveloped.  But the features weren't specifically male or female.  It's large round eyes stared blankly forward, expressionless.  Its hands were limp by its side.  It wore nothing but a simple brown gown.  Well, it looked more like a sack than any sort of dress or gown.  The material looked rough and uncomfortable.  Its skin was an even tan, but it was caked with dried dirt on its legs and arms.<br/><br/>The thing that caught Kat's breath, the thing that was so utterly atrocious was its mouth and nose.  Or rather, the lack there of.  The skin were they should have been was completely smoothed over.  They didn't even look as if they had been mutilated.  They just simply weren't there.  A hush had fallen over the army now as they stared in repulsion and shock at the figure.<br/><br/>Suddenly, a tiny hole began to produce itself on the smooth flesh were the creature's mouth and nose should have been.  The creature's eyes began to roll back in its head until all that was seen were the whites of its eyes.  As they all watched in horror, the skin peeled and snapped apart as the hole grew larger, extending to take up more space than what its nose and mouth should have taken.  It's jaw dislocated like a snake and pressed lower down the creature's neck to widen the hole.<br/><br/>Then suddenly, a deep reverberating sound emitted from the creature's hole.  The army could only hear the depth of its tone for a second before it deafened them.  The sound made the very air and ground tremble.  Suddenly, bodies were falling and Kat felt as sprays of blood, tissue and brain splattered against her.  She could still hear the deep rumbling coming from the creature's hole and she collapsed to her knees, tears streaking down her face.<br/><br/><br/>*					*					*<br/><br/><br/>Kat's shrill shriek vibrated the air around her.  Her head was thrown back and the shrieks kept coming.  She knew, somewhere in her conscious, that she was awake now, but she couldn't seem to snap herself out of it.  The glass of the mirrors and windows gave in, shattering and sending shards flying around the bedroom.  She was vaguely aware that Cross was shaking her violently, but still, the screams wouldn't stop.<br/><br/>She couldn't hear his desperate shouts for her to wake up, or see the blood that dripped from his ears.  She couldn't see anything, only the gaping hole of the creature's mouth.  It was as if it had swallowed her hole and all she could hear was that deep, devastating sound.  Cross gave up on shaking her, bringing his hands to his ears to press them there hard, pain on his face.<br/><br/>Suddenly, she was pinned to the wall by her throat and the screams were cut short as the air was cut off from her lungs.  She could now hear the voice that screamed at her.  "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"  It repeated over and over, slamming her against the wall.  Her head cracked against the wall repeatedly, sending plaster crumbling to the ground.<br/><br/>She tried to gasp for air; her lips working open and shut as she tried to breathe.  Finally, she opened her eyes and she could see Liam's twisted face.  His features were contoured into something hideously disrupted, his expression crazed and murderous.  Suddenly, his nails were digging into her flesh, tearing into it.<br/><br/>A moment later, she was crashing to the bed and Kat could hear Cross and Liam's shouts of anger as they struggled.  She was gasping for breath as she kneeled on the bed on all fours, her hair a tangled mess around her face.  When she was able to, she finally pushed her hair back to look at the other two in the room.  Cross finally had Liam pinned to the floor and Liam's eyes were glued to Kat, hatred twisting his otherwise handsome face into something utterly ugly.<br/><br/>"SHE STOPPED!  SHE STOPPED LIAM!"  Cross screamed into Liam's face.  "I'LL KILL HER!  I'LL KILL HER! I'LL KILL HER!" Liam screamed, his arms trying to reach for her as if he could make them stretch beyond their length.  After a few minutes, Cross finally managed to get Liam to stop struggling, though his eyes still remained on Kat's face.  "I'm sorry..." Kat murmured hoarsely and she swallowed, trying to get rid of the dryness in her mouth.<br/><br/>Liam and Cross were breathing heavily as both had grown quiet.  Cross kept his eyes on Liam as he spoke.  "It's alright, Kat...you didn't mean it.  You were having a nightmare."  He said quietly.  She noticed the blood that trickled down from both of their ears and she drew in a breath.  "I hurt you..." She murmured, her hand fluttering to her throat.  Cross shook his head.  "It's fine, Kat.  My ears are already healed."<br/><br/>Liam let out a low guttural growl.  "The fuck it's fine!  That bitch could have killed us!  I could feel it....in my head...in my brain..."  He hissed, his eyes wild.  Kat's breath caught in her throat.  No, she couldn't have killed them that way.  They weren't human.  It wasn't like it had been when Auris had found the club.  Cross and Liam could heal, they wouldn't have died.  It couldn't be true, Liam couldn't be right.<br/><br/>Cross let out a low growl of his own at Liam's words.  "It's over, Liam.  She didn't mean to do it."  He spoke, his voice low.  Liam finally slid his eyes to Cross's own.  "I want her out of the house.  Now.  I WANT HER OUT!"  He screamed and Cross slammed Liam against the floor again, restraining him.  "No, she stays here.  Could you imagine what that would have done to anyone in the tavern?  It's too dangerous.  We can handle it, she stays here."<br/><br/>Liam's eyes slid to Kat's face again, his teeth bearing.  Cross narrowed his eyes and suddenly, he was yanking Liam up and they were out the bedroom door.  Cross shut the bedroom door behind them and slammed Liam against the wall.  Liam let out a soft hiss, his eyes bearing into his father's own.  Cross uttered a low growl and leaned into Liam's face.  "The next time you touch her....I will kill you, son or not."<br/><br/>Liam narrowed his eyes into slits.  "You would choose a siren over your own son?"  He hissed, making the word siren sound like something vile.  "You're damned straight I will.  You are my son and I do not relish the thought of killing you.  If she were a threat to you, I would do the same."  He said in a low even voice.  Liam growled.  "She IS a threat!  She almost killed us both!"  He said venomously.<br/><br/>Cross shook his head.  "No, she did not mean for it to happen.  She did not purposely assault you.  You however, crossed the line."  Liam let out a low growl and shoved at Cross.  Cross took a step back, his body guarding the doorway.  They both stood tensely for a while, eyeing each other down.  Liam made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat.  "I can smell her on you.  Is this really what it's about?  Because you want her?  You're protecting a whore?  Is she really worth more to you than your son?"  He hissed and Cross's eyes grew cold.  "If that's how you wish to see it, then yes, she is worth more to me than you are."<br/><br/>Liam stiffened at Cross's words, then seemed to collect himself.  His face grew impassive.  "I'll take my things and go.  It is either her or me and you have obviously made your choice.  I refuse to share the same house with that tramp."  He said, his words cool steel.  At that moment, Kat stepped out of the room, already fully dressed.  She had a look upon her face that was determined.  "No, I'm going to leave.  I'll stay at the tents and wear a muzzle when I sleep to prevent me from hurting anyone."  Before she gave either of them a chance to react, she was already leaving.<br/><br/>The fresh hot air hit her face as she made her way out through the stretch of sand and she could see the tents ahead of her.  She tried to get her mind off of what had just happened and her mind wandered to the encounter she had had with Amunet.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000"><span style="font-style: italic">8 Monthes ago:</span></span></span><br/><br/>This morning, she had risen from the bed and crossed the room to the window to peek out at the sky.  It was dark grey and the clouds were quickly becoming black.  Cross was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't concern her.  It was late afternoon before she actually left the house.  By the time she did, the sky was almost black with the coming storm.  She debated on weither to go and train in the woods or to head to the tavern.  She wasn't particularly in a social mood yet today, so she chose the woods.<br/><br/>She spent a couple of hours practicing, but stopped short when she first felt the hint of powerful energy that reached her senses.  It was a strange foreign one, not anything she had yet come across in the realm.  The strength of the energy it was giving off made her feel like the creature was close.  She immediately tensed, her eyes scanning the trees.  If she had thought the creature was close, she had been wrong.  Suddenly, it was more than just powerful, it was absolutely consuming.  The power of it knocked Kat to her knees, sending her gasping for breath.<br/><br/>The siren within her screamed to feed, demanded it.  She struggled to tame her instincts, trying to gather her scattering thoughts.  What the hell was this thing?  It sent an overwhelming wave of fear to course through her.  It was...monstrous, devouring.  Dry leaves crunched underneath her fists as they clenched, another wave of power washing over her.  The brilliant blue colors in her eyes immediately began to churn with fury like the coming storm that devoured the sky above.  The silver streak in her hair crept down the length of her mane and her flesh began to throb and pulse as her instincts fed from the very energy that seemed to replace the air she breathed.<br/><br/>More.  She needed more.  She hadn't even gathered her wits enough to look around her for the creature.  Energy pumped through her body as if she were consuming a feast.  There was just so much energy, so much power that emitted from this creature that there seemed to be an endless supply of it.  Already, she had consumed more energy than she had ever fed on before in her life.  This life force...this...essence was utterly intoxicating.<br/><br/>She felt the world spin around her, the colors swirling crazily together.  The edges of her eyesight began to grow white and the rest of the world turned blue.  She suddenly realized that it was the bright glow of her flesh and her eyes that cast the odd colors and lights in her vision.  She was nearly choking on the energy that she greedily consumed.  Her fear was soon overcome by her utter need for more.<br/><br/>Suddenly, two tanned bare feet came into her vision and she could see churning wisps of black here and there.  The essences of the wisps were almost like smoke, but it was too solid for that texture and too alive.<span style="font-style: italic">"Katherine..." </span>The voice purred and when she heard it, it was like music to her ears.  It had to be the most enticing voice she had ever heard.  It was deep and sultry, smoldering even.  She knew it belonged to only one woman, and yet there was almost something distinctively multiple about it.<br/><br/>She had to see who the voice belonged to.  Was her face as beautiful as her voice?  She was still on her knees.  She could not muster even the want to stand to her feet.  Slowly, her gaze lifted.  First, the legs rose, a mixture of soft white and black wisps fluttered around them.  The white, she could tell, was cloth, but it seemed so soft that she feared a single touch could cause it to crumble.  Or perhaps her hand would pass right through.<br/><br/>She could see the widening of the woman's thighs, which soon became hips and her delicate slender hands came into view as they hung by her sides.  Then, there was the long stretch of perfect flesh that was the plain of her stomach.  It seemed to be sculpted from marble, but it was too rich of a bronze and too soft of a texture to be marble.  Next, the soft curves of her shoulders and breasts came into view, peaking to a slender extension of delicate throat.<br/><br/>A soft gasp left Kat's lips as her eyes found the woman's face.  It was the face of a goddess.  It had to be.  It was absolutely divine.  A sob erupted from her lips as she took her in.  Any thought of fight or flight left her.  If she would die in this moment, she would die in ecstasy, just to glimpse this woman's beautiful face.  The shape of the bone structure was flawlessly designed, a perfect mixture of strong lines and soft curves.  The flesh there was the same perfectly bronzed hue.  Her lips were all soft curves, in perfect proportion to the rest of her face.<br/><br/>Her eyes were her most striking feature and she found herself lost within them.  They were an array of emerald fires, containing shades of green that she never knew existed.  Long full lashes extended from her lids and, of course, her eyebrows were just as flawless.  Make up would only destroy the beauty of this face.  She had to be hallucinating.  Nothing this beautiful could exist, not in her world or any other.<br/><br/>She felt something soft stroke her arms and her cheeks, but she ignored it all together.  Nothing mattered but the goddess above her.  The woman's hair was the deepest black she had ever seen.  The strangest thing about it is that it seemed to have a life of its very own.  The strands churned and slithered this way and that.  It seemed to have drawn an interest in Kat and had begun to explore her body, coiling and uncoiling around her arms and waist.  It danced along Kat's flesh with curiosity, but Kat didn't even notice.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Katherine...."</span>The woman spoke once more and Kat shuddered softly at the power within it.  "Yes?"  She whispered softly, barely able to find her voice.  The woman was suddenly crouching in front of her and Kat was awed to be so close to the creature's lovely face.  Out of instinct, Kat's fingers lifted, the tips of them tentatively seeking out the soft flesh of her cheeks.  Finally, she felt the texture upon her fingertips and a whimper escaped her lips.<br/><br/>The flesh itself was so soft that she feared her own fingers would pass straight through, ruining the creature's beauty.  Her fingers quickly recoiled, horrified by the possibility that she could ruin such a thing.  The creature smiled softly, its lips curling as she watched Kat patiently.  She seemed only slightly amused at Kat's reaction, but there was something so serene about her face, about its expression.  Her eyes were soft, understanding.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Katherine....You must listen to me..."</span>She said gently and Kat gasped, feeling the woman's breath caress her face.  "I..."  Kat struggled to think, to say anything coherent, but all of her thoughts flew and scattered.  "I suppose my...appearance...would disrupt your ability to process thought."  The woman spoke, her voice like velvet to Kat's ears.  Suddenly, all of the woman's features shifted.  The looks themselves were extremely similar, but it was as if someone had dimmed down a brilliant light.<br/><br/>Utter sorrow flooded her as the woman shifted, crushed that the beauty had disappeared so suddenly.  The woman smiled again and her expression was gentle as she reached a hand forward and brushed a tear from Kat's cheek.  Kat closed her eyes, instinctively leaning into the woman's touch.  She wanted nothing more than to curl up into the woman's arms and remain there forever in her touch.  The woman gently turned Kat's gaze to her own.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"You must listen to me, Katherine.  It is important.  I am Amunet.  I must give you something..." </span>She said softly, but her voice held a note of urgency.  Kat struggled to gather her thoughts.  Slowly, things were coming together and she felt as if she were waking from a dream.  A very lovely dream, but a dream, none the less.  She wondered briefly if perhaps she had been in a dream, but the woman was still there.  She looked so very similar to her other form, but there was something drastically different about it that Kat could not put her finger on.<br/><br/>Amunet took hold of Kat's hand and unfurled her clenched fingers carefully, but with ease.  She placed something within her palm and then curled Kat's fingers around the object.<span style="font-style: italic">"When you are near him....if you have this on, he will not sense you.  This is important, Katherine.  Always wear this.  Never take it off.  He will find you if you do not."</span>She said, her voice pleading.  Kat nodded numbly.<br/><br/>And suddenly, just like that, she was gone, vanished.  It was as if she had only been an illusion, a cruel joke played on her mind.  But she felt something in her palm.  That was real.  Amunet had given something to her.  Kat lowered her gaze to her hand and slowly, with effort, unfurled her fingers.  Within her palm was a slender silver ring.  It looked so ordinary.  There was no writing upon it, nothing that she could see.  Just a silver band.<br/><br/>Regardless, she would listen to the woman's request.  She probably would have jumped off a cliff for this woman, had she simply asked.  She slid the cool metal band around her finger.  She had almost expected to feel something.  Some hint of Amunet's energy, or at least something.  But it just lay there, wrapped around her finger, utterly bland and unnoticeable for all intents and purposes.  Her eyes finally began to take in her surroundings.  Had the night been so deep and utterly black before?  It was as if Amunet had taken all of the light with her when she had left.<br/><br/>Her eyes searched desperately for Amunet in the darkness, but she was no longer there.  She couldn't even feel her energy anymore.  Kat's chest felt heavy and constricting.  Without Amunet's presence, she suddenly felt so alone and every ounce of her craved nothing but Amunet's touch.  Why had she left her alone in these strange woods?  Where was she?  Where had she been before?  It was hard for Kat to remember anything beyond the memory of Amunet's beautiful face.<br/><br/>Perhaps if she waited here.  Maybe if she waited, Amunet would come.  So Kat knelt, her hands clutched to her chest as the darkness crept in.  She began to rock back and forth and she was vaguely aware of a soft murmuring of voices around her.  She didn't realize it was her own.  It wasn't long before the darkness consumed her, but Kat faithfully waited, waited for Amunet, her Amunet, to come back for her, to bring the light she had taken with her when she had left Kat so alone.<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #008000">Present time:</span></span></span><br/><br/>The ordeal had left her catatonic and glowing from the seer mass of powerful energy she had consumed from the demigoddess.  It had taken Cross and Liam dream walking to wake her up and it had taken five months before the glow had worn off.  She was sick of these dreams and their affect on those around her.  She knew now what that terrifying creature in her dream was and she was horrified that that very same abomination now grew within her stomach.  She had been told that the baby within her would play a role in this war.  She wasn't sure if she was prepared for that.  She shook the thoughts from her head as she entered the area where the tents were set up.  She already had a tent that was reserved for herself, but she had been staying in Cross's house to prevent her shrieks from harming anyone, or causing a violent reaction.<br/><br/><br/>She took a few minutes to speak to one of the craftsmen stationed in their camp and instructed him on what she needed for the muzzle she required to sleep with.  It should be ready by the time she needed it, it was a simple enough piece and elves were fast workers.  After speaking with the man, she quickly made her way into her tent, intending to go over all of the intel she had so far gathered.