Home, at last

[Akatala]

Cael D'Thurr

Like a contented tomcat, Cael listened in mostly silence as he watched Rhynna work her magick on the wounded girl. As she turned to place her hands on his shoulders, gently reminding him of his place, he sighed as he nodded.

"Aye. Though spirited, she need not try to tame the mess that is me. You well know my temper and it's resemblance to a pregnant panther. The only woman ever known to tame my storms waits for the return of my best friend while humoring me with a dance on cold lonely nights," he said while wistfully giving a bittersweet smile.

He followed her outside to sit in a chair next to her. Cael followed Rhynna's gaze to the stallion that was indeed returning to check on his mistress. He twitched a pinky finger and a nice breeze danced through smelling of the river and the forest. it danced around him and Rhynna before rippling over the stallion like hands caressing in assurance that all was well.

"I don't think Sebastian was the only one at fault. I think young Kriss might have found himself a little too fond of the girl, himself. One rash thing said to the old man could have easily convinced him that perhaps his darling maiden was no longer safe playing with faeries as she once was."

He glanced to Rhynna with a knowing look, "Dear Rhynna, my friend, I too am feline. How could I not know of Silver?" He smiled softly as he watched the breeze toss her hair about. Then he looked back to the horse who grazed on sweet grasses nearby, listening to them, to the cabin, to the woods. "I would be honored to invite Silver to stay for a while."

ooc: Bah! I need some muse attractant.

[angell]

~smiling softly to him she listens, a close kinship between them making it easy for both to be totally at ease around each other~ Even if she did have the chance to tame you, my dear, I do not see that in her. She would never tame a wild animal. It would just naturally come to her, as the young stallion did, without even knowing her.

oh Cael, you know how I feel about...*still after all these year she still couldnt say his name. The pain of loosing her life mate was just as fresh as if it happened yesterday. It was just the cold, lonely nights that had her questioning her own decisions at times* I might give in to you yet Cael. You are a very handsome, if not spirited, fae *she opened her mouth to say something else but was stopped by a footstep at the door and a whimper coming from the person opening said door*


Lydia:

*she woke up and it took her a bit to figure out where she was. It was Rhynna's house, but how had she gotten here? Why was she here? and why, in gods name did she hurt so bad and her head was pounding so bad she didnt even notice the dried goop, as she called it, on her temple. Standing up slowly she swayed a bit, took several shallow breathes and moved forward, her eyes open only enough to allow her to see and not stumble over anything here on her way to the door.

*opening the door she whimpered at the light in her eyes and the breeze brushing her hair away from the dried "goop" around the now healed, though still sore spot. Seeing Rhynna and Cael she smiled softly, unable to help it at the peacefullness at it all. Something inside her made her want to bow to Cael, but she didnt understand it, thought perhaps it was a memory from a game she might have played with Kriss and pushed it aside*

Rhynna, what am I doing here? last I remember I was trying to find Kriss and was riding the stallion after him......*she stood up straight suddenly and blinked, her memory clear of what happened in the stable yard*..and tell me why in gods name he did that and.....he turned into a......buck? *shaking her head she groaned and chalked it up to her head hurting so bad and moved to set beside Rhynna on the ground, rubbing her eyes a bit and looked to Cael, one eye opened one eye closed and studied him, not ready to greet him yet*

[Akatala]

Cael chuckled softly at the sloo of questions flung at Rhynna by the girl. He helped Rhynna with the onslaught by replying in a calm voice that flowed like deep silk, "I take responsibility for Kriss's unusual behavior. He has been having issues with the loss of his father, and though his father was in all respects my greatest comrade, I do not seem to have the same skill he had in teaching his son certain things about life as an adult. I try to rectify the problem, giving him things to do to channel his emotions, but it seems that your bond with him is capable of making him forget himself."

Cael glanced to her injury then to the pre-dawn sky. "It might be a couple of days before he returns. I will see what I can do to make his journey short so that he can do right by you." Then he easily rose to guide the girl into the chair he had vacated.

"Please, sit. You are still healing yet. You're lucky it was Rhynna caring for you, otherwise you might be in the hospital for quite some time with a head injury like that. Your steed should be commended for helping you get here as quickly as he did. As for the buck... that was a gift from Kriss's father. Pray tell me, you haven't forgotten the lessons Sebastian Quinn taught you," his smile at the last phrase brought an easy sly smile to his face, sending his green eyes glittering quite like fireflies to Lydia's advanced sight.

His comment questioning her memory of her uncle's lore stories was made rhetorical when, with a shimmer of green sparkling ethereal discharge, he shifted from regally clothed man to an uncollared large black tomcat with the same firefly green eyes. Only Rhynna would know his nervousness as he dared to leap into the River Countess's lap, knowing that her aura would calm his own. His contented purr was mostly show as he realized how tempting the maiden was. Yes, she would need a guard all right. Silver would do nicely in protecting the girl from even himself. He hoped.

[angell]

~watching Cael closely she notes his eyes but her expression does not change, she almost seems to calm down, the animals around them look their direction, all seem to be listening and wanting to come to her but stay just at the edge of the trees. Lydia takes a deep breath and licks her swollen lip and shakes her head~ No reason for one man to take the blame for what another man did. Time will make Kriss for what he did. If I never see him again, it will be to soon. Men have looked at me as he did, but none have ever touched me before.....it felt, wrong, our bond be dammed. He ruined everything. ~reaching up she runs a finger along her lips and takes a deep breath, as if pushing it behind her and looks closer to Cael~

~reaching up to allow him to help her up off the ground and to the chair he vacated her eyes flashed to a gold at the shock of the feeling that shot through her at the simple touch of his hand. Something very powerful that she did not understand was at work here but she didnt fear it, it felt to right. The feeling of it being right is what scared her the most. She studied him and listened to his comments about the stallion, who had wondered near enough to her that she reached out and let him nuzzle her hand. Her eyes softened and a smile raised the corners of her lips, enchanting enough to soften the hard Cael's masks he wears. leaning to the stallion a bit he moved forward and she put her forehead on his, each closing their eyes at the same time without a word spoken she pulls back laughing, the stallion takes off squealing and prancing around and disappears into the trees like a stallion on the mating hunt~ He found a filly he likes. Went to bring her home he says ~she said it more to herself but turned and looked back to Cael, listening to him again~

Lessons from uncle Seb? I dont.....I dont remember anything. But then after all this time and the lessons Ma and Pa forced me to take.....but the wierd language he taught me, the one he didnt name, I still speak it to myself frequently. ~she studied him, something in his eyes another switch in her mind, a memory that was tucked away. She showed no emotion again other than the smile that was left from the stallion's antics but took it all in.~

~her eyes flickered a bit as he shifted from the breathtakingly handsome man to the black cat she remembered seeing so many times before in her youth. her jaw dropped and her eyebrows went up as he jumped to Rhynna's lap and started purring. Surely this couldnt be the same cat. Surely not after all these years. Could this man have been the cat she tried so many times to make friends with? The one animal she could never get close enough to to touch? was is possibly that easy? Shaking her head she looked away, closed her eyes and her mouth and rubbed at the bridge of her nose~

Dont. My head hurts to bad for all this. I am not sure why I am not shocked at your ability to be more than one thing. For some reason I feel like I half expected it. It just makes sense that you, of all people would be the black cat I called Midnight and Uncle Seb only laughed when I asked him to help me catch you just so I could touch you. He only said to give it time, like there was a plan to follow and he wouldnt tell me what he ment or even give me a clue about it. Just walked off laughing at me. Then I was told I had to go.....leave the only home I ever knew and my best friends, Kriss and the horses. At least Jason will come see me soon. Even he never forced himself on me as Kriss did when we were at the stables. ~she was babbiling now and didnt realize her language had slipped to the ancient fae one that Seb spent most of his free time teaching her himself~


Rhynna:

~she simply sat back and watched the two interact with a soft smile. She was careful when Cael helped Lydia to his chair and almost gasped at the shock she felt at their touch. It was so intense coming from Lydia she felt it as if it were her own emotion. Only when Cael had shifted to his feline form and was setting in her lap, that she spoke at all, and even then her hand was firm with restraint on him though it appeared to be a gentle petting of the cat.~

Calm down dear....You are babbling again. Like you always did when frusterated about something. As for my son, I will deal with him and when he comes to you to ask forgiveness and make amends, accept him with the grace I can see in you. Surely you understand by now that we are fae, and not human as you are. Though even you still hold a bit of fae blood in your veins. Otherwise you wouldnt have ever been able to speak the language we are so easily speaking in now.

[Akatala]

Cael yawned then reluctantly slipped from Rhynna's lap. He turned to face the both of them, clearly about the say something when his eyes grew wide and his nose sniffed at the wind. In the next moment a large Irish Setter burst through the brush to barrel toward him full speed. Cale yowled and turned to flee. The thought he was safe with the dog stopped to sniff at Lydia curiously, then give her an affectionate lick. However, whatever draw Lydia had was not quite enough. In the next moment, the dog broke away to take off after one luscious black tomcat.

Little black house cat shifted to panther as Cael tried to speed up, aiming for that tree that hung out over the river. Just before he got there Irish Setter became red dire wolf that easily took him down. He tried to fight, clawing and biting at the bitch, but all too quickly, Cael relaxed, his eyes growing glassy and dilated. Just being stuck in her aura made him forget why he was struggling as he became physically drunk by her scent. Only one person in the history of Irish folklore had that power by her very name. One so old as to not think twice about snuggling the normally extremely temperamental Cael. Rhynna would know her instantly, yet knew better than to intervene.

Wolf became immodest woman dressed in red and gold glistening gossamer fabrics. Bold scarlet hair tumbled in curling waves down her back and spilled around her in pools of shadowed crimson. Her body was the voluptuous curvy form of a mature woman who wore her age like a finely sculpted gem of perfection. Her piercing honey eyes drank in the paralyzed cat before dancing over to land on Lydia. Her voice was slightly deep and husky yet still silky like.. smoke.. sweet tobacco smoke.. alluring yet dangerous in its ability to seduce, "Hello darling. Welcome back to Ireland."

Looking back to the stunned stupid massive black panther beneath her, she splayed fingers across the panther's furry chest, daring to caress where no cat let anyone touch.. except when said cat was bewitched. And her eerie sirens voice spoke, this time to Cael, softly so as Lydia only caught bits and pieces, yet Rhynna heard well, "You have a new play thing. I told you she would come back. Are you willing to whether the storm one wee lass can bring? Or will you send her away, just like others did when they felt the prophecy her body promises? Know that whatever you do, I will be watching. I will have your wings should you loose this land to the scum that seek to take your precious crown. Then what will you do, o mighty king of storms? You can, of course, always default and come to me. Give the land back and join my harem. You would have little to worry about then, my dear puss cat." Then her voice changed into razor crisp hissed warning, "Choose wisely, Cael. The fate of you and your dominion depends on it!"

Mebh. Anglicized as Maeve. Written in ancient folklore as a powerful faery queen who had earned herself the title of Goddess of Sovereignty. She was spoken of in hundreds of stories. Some compared her to the likes of the Irish Morrigan and the Roman Diana, both ruthless yet exquisite redheaded goddesses of triple forms and great power. Some say she brings great boons to those who worship her. Some say she rivals Aphrodite as a lover. Others call her a black widow who only loves to steal in whatever clever ways she can. Some say she protects the wilderness like a great mother hen. Others say she had a hand in the death of King Arther.

Currently, however, it was clear the land that Cael ruled was contracted to him by this woman who now stood to command the wind to brush the dust from her person with the mere flick of her eyelids into a glare at the trees. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who really called the shots in this part of Ireland. Cael may have the loyalty of the local faery folk and even a decent amount of mortals still. Yet, in the end, he was still just a little boy playing king of the mountain compared to her. To her, everything in this part of Ireland still yielded if they knew what was good for them.

She wiped the nastiness off her face which became sweet, though almost too much as she looked to Rhynna and Lydia. "I do apologize for the mess. However, often times, it takes extreme measures to let a Jack know his place and his job. I'm sure, as women, you both know this well."

Then her eyes turned to Lydia directly, "If you think your life at the moment is strange, you'd do well to get use to strange. For it will only get worse when the storm fated to you finally arrives with the full weight of its power and wrath. When lost, remember one thing. You are a woman, born with a fully functional mind while the men that dally around you must get past the mind between their legs before the one in their heads can chime in. Never forget it is our wombs that allow them to evolve from tadpoles. You can charm any man into yielding to you if you trust in your own power as a woman to capture them by their weakness and keep them where you want them. Once upon a time I was as young and naive as you. Now, I command kings. You already have the blood and the power. You have only to figure out how to use it. Try not to make a fool of yourself."

At that, Maeve became a simple robin which flew up to disappear through the trees. The moment she was gone, Cael scrambled dizzily for a bush to wretch in as though he was suddenly suffering from a hangover. A few bits of colorful Gaelic drifted throw Lydia's receptive head, letting her know just how much Cael despised the woman. Wind picked up, but the most Cael could do to discharge his anger was create a nice morning rainshower that missed the ladies on the porch yet soon had him soaked. The panther padded over to thump down at Rhynna's feet.

Meanwhile, a finch flitted down to land on Lydia's left arm. The finch chirped her lovely song yet through it, the fae language could be heard to Lydia's ear alone, "Don't let mother rattle you too much. She just gets rather moody when the Others threaten to take something from her. Just be careful and trust your instincts. They will not fail you."


ooc: Sorry about the length. I had meant this to be funny. But Maeve barged in the moment I settled on the Irish Setter. Memories of a dream with her and her daughter easily forged her part in the story. The blond daughter can be summoned to act in her mother's place to help Lydia when others are not there.

[angell]

~Lydia sat there, unable to believe any of it yet the talking animals and changing of forms didnt bother her. Her mind was searching for the reasons behind it. Had she seen it before in her past? Whatever it was, she accepted it and simply watched and listened. ~

~her first reaction was to the dog was to reach out and pet it, but no sooner than she was ready to do just that, the dog was off after Cael again. That in and of itself and the way Cael reacted as this being put a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She caught the part of being called a toy and nearly seethed but her years of schooling and time in court kept her bolted down and her lips clamped shut. She had to see if her gut feeling of who this woman was, was correct. Then, the woman turned to her and she listened but decided right away she hated this woman. Hated her with ever fiber of her being for the way she treated others. And to think, she acted as if Lydia didnt have a thread of sense about anything. As if Lydia didnt know better and would make a fool of herself. HA!

~the moment the woman changed forms, yet again, and flittered away she noticed the finch and couldnt help but reach out and scratch ever so gently under its beak.~ Thank you, but I am not sure what she thinks I would want that is hers anyway. I jsut want to find out if I have a home, a title and any money to keep Quinn Estates going. ~as an after thought she made not to have her name changed to Quinn. Not against her father, though she always stayed distant of him, but because of the Estate name and the man who she felt was more of a father to her~

~only then did she notice the massive black panther with blazing silver eyes walking towards them. Oh....after today NOTHING would surprise her now~


~Silver simply appeared not far from them and walked over to them in a lazy gate, looking very much like a large cat who just caught the rat and was to full to care if any other food were even under her nose~

Oh, my dearest Cael, you shouldnt let that woman get to you like that. She only does it because she knows she gets a rise out of you. You keep on like that, she will get exactly what she wants my dear. ~purring loudly and talking like a mother she goes over to Cael and nuzzles up against him for a few moments, as if giving him strength to be himself again. And more than that, she almost felt a mother to this one, it was just a pull her heart had for no other reason than he was a challenge, and she loved that in a feline~

And my dear Rhynna....oh, how I have missed you. ~putting her paws on Rhynna's knees they foreheads met and they both laughed a bit, wrapped arms/paws around each other and gave each a warm greetings. After a moment Silver licked Rhynna's face gently and stood up on her hind legs, stepped back and fell to all four feet again then turned to Lydia~

Now, Claudia...I am sure you want to know who I am. Call me Silver dearest. Everyone has for so long if I had another name, I would have forgotten it by now. Now, as for Maeve, dont worry about her nastyness. She is like that just because she has gotten away with it for to long. One day she will learn good and well who is more powerful around here. Me or her. But that is for another time. At the moment we must be sure your destiny is fulfilled. I will be around to help you so there is no worry in that. With Cael's help, Rhynna and I will help you learn and know all you have to know. As for leaving this place, you will never have to. I personally will be sure of that. ~while she was talking she moved over to Lydia and sat in front of her, on her haunches and talked to her as if she were talking to a friend and hadnt bothered to look behind her to the others here. The only emotion that came in her voice was a growl at the mention of Maeve, obviously there was hostility there. Silver knew good and well where Cael belonged and with that witch of a woman, was not it.~


~Rhynna shaked her head here and there but stayed silent, sure at the moment she needed to do just that. The only thing that showed her emotion were the river waters growing wild and flowed backwards for the short time Maeve was there. Once the woman left and Cael was at her feet again she reached down and scratched gently at his ear just to reassure him~

Oh Silver.....~laughing softly she pressed her forehead with the panther's and laughed, reading Silver's thoughts and added a few of her own as they wrapped in a hug for a long moment. They had a conversation of sorts, each expression concerns but both ending in agreement on a few things that they were sure now, after things that had happened just today, certain things were to come to pass~