Tawnie Holter.
Semblance: Pain Transference. PT. 1
Born of little wings the scavenger shows no hostility; a stark contrast of this brother five years prior. Since birth tensions were held between he and his elder not even yet known, but as those years pass, such hatred burns away as two more are in the wake of the Holter family. Brothers of four all grown upon the same path that splits into two sets of forks, and each sibling takes their path with pride; even if some may be lead down the wrong.
His youngest siblings they sob beneath the cruelty of their eldest, and Tawnie knows he must stand tall, he must take their pain and harbor it for himself; to not allow such hatred to twist little hearts to follow such a path of despair.
Only but the age of ten, their eldest of fifteen, and the littlest of seven, and Tawnie cradles their heads, shushing their cries, his exterior of calm ever encompassing. They do not stop, pained by the words of their loved one, and in desperation to ease his brothers a crackle of orange sparks against the vulture’s visage, and suddenly, he’s thrown into disarray. No longer do the little ones cry, and two sets of eyes stare up now at Tawnie who in their place sheds their tears of abuse; broken to sobs, and devastated by what they felt.
A semblance, Tawnie would come to learn that his had been unlocked; but at such a young age, and the sensations it gave, uncertainty was had to its practicality.
He was careful; frightened even of feeling such emotions again, but as he grew and his brothers hatred rose, Tawnie learned to understand the use of this ‘gift’, that it was not just he who felt, but the other as well.
He’d begin to wear a smile, to swallow his worries and fears, and only ever allow joy to be held in his heart--a joy, that he so wished his eldest would understand. They would argue and fight, but still did the vulture hold his head up, baring his teeth in a grin, and clasping against his eldest’ wrist; forcing through his semblance, and taking away that anger to harbor if only to give his brother a moments peace.
Never had such rage been swallowed before--never had Tawnie felt so sickened with himself, and as his eldest began to smile, Tawnie began to seethe. The emotions were riled, overwhelming, and it was but minutes before it all dispersed; unable to stand the sensation of hatred in his heart.
It was the next week the eldest had left, not to Shade Academy, but to the call of the White Fang.
Tawnie has heard nothing of his brothers travels from that day; and in his place, would instead put himself through the training that Vacuo’s Academy would offer. A star student ever willing to learn, ever welcoming and social with all those around, and a positive beacon of hope for the team he would soon learn to carry upon his shoulders.
Years pass, skills evolve, and an accident on the field leads to tragedy; to a pain, that none should ever need to witness.
His semblance had been explored, he’d learned to harness and keep it under control; but still he did not know of the next steps in its evolution. Cries of pain echo through the desert, and crimson soaks into its sands; the body of his teammate coiled upon themselves, blooded and pained from the strike of a Deathstalker.
They’d been warned and prepared how to handle such attacks, the venomous creatures no rarity within the desert, but that did not leave any comfort to the one struck. Panic, and Tawnie remembers the words of his teaching, beginning to dig through their pack of supplies for first-aid while their other teammates kept the perimeter safe. Though, no focus can be found--not through the wailing of the injured, not through the panic gripping at his heart, and as he’d done before, the vulture only breathes--willing away those sensations of panic, attempting to draw forth one of calm, and only then, would he dare touch his ally.
A mistake, one would find, as no emotions are transferred through the hurt--and yet, those cries die down, the writhing slows, and while he believes it all to be well, the sudden upturn of pain dizzies him. As if he’d been stabbed through Tawnie’s breath began to rattle, vision blackened at the edges as a heat blossoms in his chest, and in replace of his teammate, voice breaks with a scream as venom not present bites in his veins.
