feral heart

I was born in a big grey cloud Screaming out a love song All the broken chords and unnamed cries What a place to come from I wish to remain nameless And live without shame 'Cause what's in a name, oh I still remain the same

[contriitums]

It was short and sweet, but it was enough to make her insides tingle. Jane’s reaction wasn’t anything more than what she expected. In fact, she was glad (and probably lucky) that the smaller female hadn’t pulled a knife on her. She pulled away only slightly, not really moving her feet, and a smile made the apples of her cheeks more plump and stand out. “Once upon a time, if I saw something that I liked, I took it.”

[ferapuella]

Jane was baffled and perhaps her confusion was the only thing keeping her from getting violent with Eveline. She had no idea what the gesture was and had certainly never experienced it herself. Though it was nice, the young woman’s distrust won out any desire she had to repeat the action and she stepped away. “Don’t...take...” Her words were hesitant, misunderstanding the other woman’s words. “Mine. Don’t take,” she stated, glancing towards the things around them that she had thought Eve was referring to.

[contriitums]

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes when Jane declined her help. Of course she would, but then again, so would she if Eveline was placed in the others position. Watching with great fascination, she couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful the wildling was, even after smudging coal over her face. When she was handed the petals, she gave a small smile followed with a thank you before she was told to wait for their meal to cook. And god, it had been so long since she had experienced human contact, Eveline was craving it with a burning desire. Sitting the petals down, she took a step closer to the brunette. “You know, there are other ways to keep warm.” her voice had changed from curious to curiouser, with a hint of flirtatiousness. She moved slowly, cautiously, not wanting to scare her off in the wrong sense before pressing her lips to Jane’s in a tender kiss.

[ferapuella]

There were many things in the world that Jane did not understand. She was a child when she lost her family, running off into the forest and surviving only by becoming an animal with little regard to what humans were supposed to be. What little she had learned before then had been lost to the wilderness, swallowed up by the monsters that had tried to kill her for so long. She forgot about things like tenderness and love and companionship and  all of the things that came with it; loneliness meant nothing to a girl who ran with wolves. So when Eve moved closer and the action was not a threat, confusion crept into Jane’s mine. When soft lips pressed against her’s, she froze like an animal caught in a trap, wild mind trying to make sense of a gesture she had never experienced. Eventually, she pulled away, staring at the other with wide eyes and furrowed brows. “Why?”

[contriitums]

To hear about Amitiels spell made her somewhat relieved, but it did not cease the pain that throbbed through her veins from the loss of her connection to the Olympians and her wings. “Certainly not – I could never ask someone such a thing. If he seeks me then I shall give myself voluntarily. I would not risk him harming your home. Forgive me if I am wrong, but are you allowing me to stay with you for the time being?” 

[ferapuella]

Amitiel would never go so far as to call the cottage her home--only Heaven was her home and she doubted she would ever return there--but it was good to know that Althea would not put her or her property in harm’s way. “Yes. You may stay here as long as you both desire to and you pose no risk to my well being. Now, will you come inside or do you plan to remain in the garden?”

[contriitums]

Nine winters; nine years? Eveline was astonished that the female had managed to stay in one place for so long. “That explains, well, everything.” she breathed, eyes still trailing over the environment she had been brought within. Even though it was dirty, made of rock and mud and smelt of mould – she was impressed at how beautiful it was. For something in this time, at least. Nodding her head sternly as she was ordered to stay put, Eve found herself moving to the wall where she had carved single digits and traced the marks with her fingertips. She was so entranced that she swiftly jumped into a stance when Jane reappeared from the shadows. “Oh.” Eve watched as she began working with several objects to create heat for the pair, and the brunette couldn’t help but miss the skin contact that used to keep her warm when she was in the small group what seemed like a year ago. “Do you… need some help?”

[ferapuella]

The cave went far into the earth, made of twisting tunnels that no one but Jane was familiar with. If someone stole the front room from her, she could easily disappear into the dark labyrinth and never be found again. Before she started the fire, she drug her fingers through the charcoal and painted the black around her eyes and cheeks, replacing that which had started to wear off. “No,” Jane said gruffly, eventually creating sparks that led to a full blown fire. Once set up, she slid the meat onto a sturdy metal grate that was placed over the fire, allowing it to cook; even wild as she was, she wasn’t stupid enough to eat raw meat. After finishing with that, she made her way over to a small box, pulling out a handful of rose petals that she promptly brought to Eve and handed over. “Eat,” she instructed before gesturing to the meat in the fire. “Wait.” It would take some time to cook.

[contriitums]

“I have heard that some are quite lovely.” It was that question that she had awaited. She almost stumbled over her words, uncertain how to answer. “I asked him to save someone I hold dear. She was very ill and I could not save her. As payment for his help, I.. I gave him my servitude. If I were to disobey, he willed the death of an innocent. Hades gave me poison to give to Poseidon. He wishes his brothers’ deaths. If I had not have been caught, I fear Poseidon would now be gone. As punishment for my betrayal, they exiled me from Olympus. Because I didn’t complete Hades’ ill will, I believe he may come looking for me. If it is his wish, he shan’t be far.”

[ferapuella]

It was a crime, that was certain, but it was not one that Amitiel could damn her for. Not long ago, when she had worked as the archangel of truth and justice, she oversaw many trials and took part in many punishments. Many who had done worse than Althea for weaker reasons had gotten off easier and thus the angel could not find it in herself to hate the other. “If he seeks you, he will not find you here. Before my grace grew too unstable to use without deep consequence, I used it to establish a protective barrier around this property. No being such as us can track you within the borders of the spell. I cannot fight him, however, and thus if he does find you, do not expect me to risk my life on your behalf.”

[contriitums]

“Humans can be foolish.” she had no intentions on exploiting herself on earth, but Amitiels experience had only strengthened her ill wishes. “Yes, he is. I am afraid he may come searching for me.” Althea admitted, stopping near the entrance.

[ferapuella]

"That is certainly an understatement. Humans are flawed beyond belief. I cannot understand why it is the Gods love them so.” She understood once, or she thought she had. Now that she lived among them, she regarded them with disdain and distrust. “What is it that you did?”

[contriitums]

She was taught to listen intently to what others had to say, and listening to the tale about how Amitiel came by the small cottage she now called a home made her heart ache. She was always the sympathetic type – being half of the reason she had become a healer for the Gods – and her heart grew more sorrowful due to the mans attempt on her life. “I am sorry that he tried to harm you, but glad you were able to form a home here.” Althea stepped achingly into the cottage, but the sight of all the nature aided ever so slightly. It was almost unrecognizable. “Have you ever had an encounter with Hades?”

[ferapuella]

"He is not the first to harm me and I doubt he will be the last. Though I tell the humans I am angel, they are quick to assume I am a witch and thus prone to violence. Unless you assimilate better than I, it is not a stretch to assume the same will be thought of you.” Living among humans  was far from her favorite thing as they treated her with such suspicion it made her wonder how they could survive with their hearts so full of fear and hatred. “I worked only for my Lord, but I have heard of Hades. He is the ruler of your underworld, yes? As Lucifer is the ruler of mine?”

[contriitums]

She was unsure how to react to Amitiels following words. The archangel would surely force her out of her home when it was revealed what Althea had done which resulted in her falling. She attempted to muster a smile at the others attempted assistance, grateful that she had run into someone from her realm rather than a mortal on earth. Surely it made it easier on her half. Once on her feet, she followed her companion to her cottage. It was beautiful, flowers decorating the garden surrounding the small building. “Your home is very beautiful.”

[ferapuella]

The walk was not long, but Amitiel tired easily with her grace in the state it was in. She made no attempt to disguise the way her hands shook by the time they arrived as she was no fan of any falsehoods, good intentioned or not. “Thank you. When I arrived here, the man who lived here attempted to attack me. I killed him and buried him in the garden. Strangely enough, his wicked body has made the flowers and vegetables grow well.” She explained in a monotone as she walked inside, holding the door open for Althea. The inside was much like the outside, filled with plants and carefully maintained decorations.

[contriitums]

Althea had heard much of earths landscapes, and she had yearned to experience them for herself but not like this. Her arms wrapped around her shaking figure, pain from the loss of everything that maintained her virtue aching in her bones. “I am sorry about your wings.” she spoke, empathy building in her tone. “Thank you for your generosity.” Slowly and unsteadily rising to her feet, she tried to maintain her balance.

[ferapuella]

"And I am sorry about yours, though I hope that will not change if I learn of the reason you lost them.” Amitiel’s trust in the strange woman was little to none, for there were many reasons one might have had their wings stolen away and she didn’t feel like getting stabbed in the back by a traitor. “You are welcome,” she said as she held out a hand to help as well she could, though her grip was weak and unsteady.

[contriitums]

“No!” the sound had passed through her lips before she had the chance to stop them. “Please. I– I do not know where else to go. I have no idea where I am. They…” she swallowed a cry, her fingers touching the black feathers that lay on the grass floor. “They took my wings. I have nothing left. If you could spare some of your time to help me, to find my way, I would be very grateful.”

[ferapuella]

Amitiel felt some sympathy as her eyes fell to the feathers that littered the ground. Her own back still bore ragged stumps that were all that was left of carelessly removed wings and they ached at the thought of their removal. “You are in the French countryside. There are no towns for many miles, but I have a small cottage not far. If you wish to go there, we must walk as I have no more wings than you do.”

[contriitums]

Something inside of her, be it instinct or something else entirely, told her to trust the older brunette. Her eyes widened at the distinct name and the title after it, fresh tears rimming her lower lash line. “My name is Althea, daughter of Nyx.” it hurt to restrain herself – to not give her the name she had worked so hard to gain and then have it slip through her fingers. “Did they send you to me?”

[ferapuella]

The name was distantly familiar, though Amitiel had little connection with the other groups of Gods and Goddesses. She worked for her Lord--or at least she had before he had abandoned her--and that was all she had cared to know. Manners escaped her, even as she stared down at the wide eyed brunette. “No one sent me. Gods care nothing for fallen angels such as myself. I am no more instructed by my Lord than a fish is instructed by a horse. If you are waiting for someone to be sent, then I will leave and you can wait for the one you desire.”

[contriitums]

Even in her distressed state, Thea could feel something inside that urged her in a particular direction. She hadn’t felt it exactly before, however it almost felt familiar. Like home. She tried to swallow her sobs as she came to gaze up at a woman – she was strikingly beautiful, no doubt, even with her near wild hair and bold eyes. It took her a moment to be able to speak, her grief overflowing her tiny body. “Who – who are you?” the angel hadn’t intended to be rude, but there was something about the woman that made her both cautious and intrigued.

[ferapuella]

Compassion had once been nearly all that Amitiel felt, a burning desire to help those who needed it always consuming her heart. After being betrayed and cast down to Earth, compassion was pushed away by fear and anger. There was little to her that hurt quite as much as finding out that those who were meant to care for you wished only harm and it had broken her heart perhaps beyond repair. “My name is Amitiel, the archangel of truth and justice,” she introduced as blunt as ever. “And you are?”

[contriitums]

Her palms were outstretched in front of her as she watched her feathers shed. Something that had once been a portrayal of purity and light had been ruined by her sins, and Althea knew she could never forgive herself for what she had done. The truth was that she couldn’t even place blame on Hades – even if he had manipulated her she had been the one that was so naive to believe what had left his lips, even with his reputation. It was torturous losing something you were born with. to feel more exposed and bare than ever before. She had no idea where she was, all that she knew was she had been exiled to earth for the remainder of her immortal life. Gazing down at the green below her feet, her eyes only paid attention to the sheer black details that scattered around her feet. Her wings were gone. She had nothing left, not even her dignity. Thea fell to her feet, broken, her frame shaking. 

[ferapuella]

Even with her grace in the ruined state it was in, Amitiel could still feel a slight tug of something when creatures such as herself were nearby. She had been walking to ease her mind--something she found she did often now that her wings had been stolen from her so brutally--when she felt that familiar tug, though it was gone as quickly as it had come. Curiosity won out over cautious and she made her way towards where the feeling had come from, stopping as she entered a clearing and spotted a shaking figure on the ground. After a few wary moments, she continued moving forward, eyeing the stranger. “Are you...alright?”

[contriitums]

It was probably the most beautiful thing she had seen in a long time, the way that she had created a home for herself. It was admirable and made her wonder if perhaps in her past life that she was a creative person. Stepping beneath the blanket of twigs and leaves that hid the entrance from onlookers, she jumped and expected an attack until light shone onto Jane’s face. Eve couldn’t help but take in how beautiful she was, even with the muck adorning her face and the ragged clothes hugging her body. Her shoulders relaxed, looking around the area and taking in the environment. Her feet began to wander as soon as her mind had, gazing over the remnants of what had once been civilization (even though there wasn’t much of it). “How long have you been here?”

[ferapuella]

The cave--the place Jane had come to call her home many long years ago--was carefully maintained, even if dirt and blood streaked across the stone in the same way it streaked across Jane’s skin. She was a wild thing and she had grown accustomed to her bed of wood and leaves; if somehow she ended up a real bed in a real home, it could be assumed that she would act much like a caged animal. At the question, she gave a shrug. “Nine winters.” The answer was the best she had and she gestured to scratches on the cave wall that matched her given number. “Stay.” She turned away from Eve, disappearing further into the cave where it was dark and cold. A few minutes later, she returned with a small bag that she promptly set down on a makeshift table created from stone as she turned her attention to the fire pit that was carefully tucked into the wall where the light wouldn’t shine out of the hole in the roof. Paying little attention to the strange woman except to make sure she didn’t attack, she worked on starting a fire.

[contriitums]

The brunette watched with curiosity and interest as different variations of her name fell from Jane’s tongue; it was clear now more than ever that she had become more or less a part of nature herself. Eveline couldn’t help but imagine what she was like before the world had basically come to an end, if she was carefree and wild as she had once been or if she paid attention to detail and kept herself closed off from the world. “Okay.” she tried not to think about the fact that this could be a trap, that this Jane Doe was leading her into another trap (even if it was accidental before). Standing tall, she followed the smaller female as she moved throughout the forestry, exactly, as she had commanded. There was no way Eveline was about to risk becoming live bait, or worse.

[ferapuella]

Jane was prepared to kill Eve at any moment, despite her slight fondness for the woman. If she decided that the risk of having her around outweighed the benefits, there would be no hesitation. Once upon a time, Jane was a little girl with compassion for every living thing but now she was a creature of instinct and survival, no better than a wild animal. After following the twisting path, she came to a place that looked like a bush but as she reached into a small crack and pulled it aside, she revealed it to be a cave entrance covered by a cloth that she had attached branches to. Waiting for Eve to come inside, she let the cloth shut which sent the cave into almost pure darkness for a few seconds before she clambered up a steep rock face to slide a board to the side and open up a ‘window’ to let the light in.

[contriitums]

She couldn’t stop the smile on her face at the irony of her name. Obviously it wasn’t the one she was given at birth — one she applied to herself, to this version of herself, at least. Even she had been tempted to change her name, but she was determined to always be Eveline, and she longed to remember her parents, to remember that she was a Kane. “Okay, Jane. I’m Eveline.” it shocked her that she hadn’t met a single person she couldn’t trust after ten years. “Do you think you could spare something to eat? Assuming you have something. It’s been a few days since my last meal.”

[ferapuella]

"Eveline,” she echoed, turning the word over in her mouth and deciding if she liked it. “Eve. Eve. Eveline. Eve.” In her rough voice that stumbled over unfamiliar syllables, Eve came easier and so she decided that was what she would call the woman; Eve’s opinion didn’t really matter that much to her. Her head tipped from side to side, debating internally before finally deciding to show kindness. She turned towards where she had come from, pointing her machete towards her feet as she spoke. “Step. Follow. Exactly.” There were more holes, some with spikes, and if Eve didn’t follow her path right, she could fall again.

[contriitums]

Always; the females response took her by surprise, even if she had expected something similar. “You’ve been alone all this time?” her voice peaked in pitch, shock clear in her tone. Her arms crossed over her chest, the thought of being alone for the rest of her days a tragedy she hoped not to endure. “Have you not met one person you enjoyed? Who you could trust?” her stomach squirmed, her appetite making itself well known. Normally, she would have been embarrassed, excused herself, but with all the sounds in this world, it was the least of her worries — of their worries. “What’s your name? Assuming you have one.”

[ferapuella]

Though Jane was fond of the honesty that came from the woman, she was less fond of all the questions. It was difficult for her to understand them well enough to answer and when she did, she was limited to the small selection of words that she had properly committed to memory. “Yes. No. No. Jane Doe.” Quickly, she answered them as best as she could, giving the name that had been given to her years ago by a stranger no less foreign to her than the woman that stood in front of her now.