Dec 1, 2023
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Look at smol Nera
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*Finds icons that I haven't used in quite a while*
Look at smol Nera
“That was my seventh birthday. ...Nobody came to my party, so [my family] spent time with me instead.”
Sam & Axel: Frenemies (part two)
The first time Samhain and Nightshade met Axel was nearly a decade ago.
Even before that, the two have heard whispers and rumors of a creature so indestructible, he was somewhat of a living legend even amongs the mythos. No one really knew what he looked like or where he lived or if he was even real and not just some improvised copycat version of some other ancient. But for the ones who swore they’d seen him, their descriptions were much too similar to brush aside as falsehood.
He mostly kept away from crowds and society in general, mingling only with the most dangerous in the darkest corners of the earth, and preying on those that dared get in his way. From what they gathered, he spent most of his time traveling and looking for people, never staying in one place.
As if he was perpetually searching for something.
So for Axel to end up in Sundown after all this time somehow felt fitting. There was so little Samhain knew about this creature. All he knew, from the last time they fought, was that Axel was much, much stronger and older a spirit than him. The sheer pressure from his spirit energy alone was enough to send both him and Nightshade wheezing, the first time they met. And his spirit energy was the most toxic Samhain had ever experienced in all his lifetime. He had never felt anything like it since. Axel was also a bit of a lunatic which made him unpredictable when fighting. Though he didn’t seem like much now, lazing across their couch while whittling a piece of wood, they’d heard the stories and seen him do unspeakable things.. Samhain dared not take a chance with the monster.
If there was one other thing Axel was known for was that it was easier to strike a deal with him than fighting him headfirst. Though this rung true, Samhain also knew that Axel was cunning enough to let people underestimate him - smart enough to twist his words and have their promises bite you back in the ass. Making a deal with the devil was never easy.
“I’m jus’ curious why someone like you would be so desperate t'come find someone like me.” And after all this time. Were they his last and final desperate attempt?
“Well ain’t someone fuckin’ Sherlock now,” Axel just chuckled, still carving the wood with a pocket-knife.
“I’m right though, aren’t I? Ye need us fer somethin’. Somethin’ that only Nightshade an’ I can do.” He’s tracked down hermits of the unknown and sphinxes of old. He’s sought out seers, casters and soothsayers of all kinds, but none of them had the answers he was looking for.
“....I’m lookin’ for someone.” He said finally. Samhain raised an eyebrow, his silence egging Axel to go on.
“I been tryna’ track the bitch for a really long time now. She goes to the human plains every once a third moon, from the hour of the Rabbit to the risin’ of the Jackal, like I know what the fuck that means. I even got the names of the places she’s supposed to be. But me an’ shit like this, we don’t get along~” He sits up, inspecting the piece of wood in his hands before chipping at it again. “Never liked all these riddles an’ bullshit, but they look right up your alley~ So you scratch my back, I scratch yours hella good~ Simple stuff, Sammy boy~”
“…Depends. I want to know how it’s possible a spirit like you couldn’t track her down all this time.”
“That’s cus she’s a demon,” Axel smirked. “They like ta play hard to get~”
Samhain’s eyes widened. He was never that prolific in demonology but he knew the gist of it. There were realms where demons spawned from and realms where they lived and thrived. There’s a living hierarchy, and with that hierarchy came factions. Depending on the realm and faction and level the demon was on the food chain, their chances of summoning one differed huge amounts. It would take more than reading a couple of maps or deciphering ancient riddle-filled directions in tongue. He and Nightshade rarely crossed paths with demons any higher than the usual underlings. They were going to do a lot more research now because of it.
Then there was also the other thing to be concerned about. He wondered if it was worth it. He exhaled, “…I know this sounds crazy comin’ from me.. But all right.. If that’s all ye want, we’ll help ye.” Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.
“HAH! Knew ya would!” Axel exclaimed. With a swish, he kept his knife but held out the carving he had made, admiring it for himself and looking satisfied. It was too small for Samhain to see clearly but it was definitely a creature’s head of some sort. It looked canine, like a wolf.
Samhain thought he’d push his luck and ask. “So this demon... Why are you lookin’ for her?”
Axel cocked his head to the side, his eyes gleaming like dangerous rubies. He smiled his crooked smile, sharp canines flashing like iron. “Cus I finally found a way to kill th'sunnavabitch.” And he crushed the carving head till it was nothing but sawdust. His hand pricked, dripping blood.
READ PART I HERE
❝You are a Stainthorpe.❞
These words were written in each letter she would receive from her parents when she was in boarding school. She started young. At six. Nearly half the age most schools took children. Her family insisted on younger. Her mother wanted to make sure that she got ahead. Each day being spent away from the family she barely knew. Learning everything that she “needed to know”. Everything that a child of someone of their status needed to know.
Sam & Axel: Frenemies (part one)
“Haha! If I ‘ad a dollar every time ah heard that..” Samhain chortled, touching down in the moors after a long flight. Nightshade shifted deftly, like the mist around them, from his shoulders onto the grass. “Okay but LISTEN! She was really onto somethin’, yunno? We should really think about it!” said the feline, which only made Samhain laugh some more. They bantered the whole time they walked until they caught sight of the large, black, twisted tree-house they called home. But something was different. Something felt amiss. Samhain could sense it the moment they neared the forest clearing. Something was very wrong.
“Sammy..! The bubble..!” Nightshade gasped, the fur on her back standing up once she realized it. Their protective barrier had been disturbed.
“Shattered..” Samhain whispered in disbelief. There were so few creatures powerful enough to intercept their home, especially without Sundown’s permission. It was then he noticed how quiet the island had been since their return. Normally the island would stir in ways only Samhain and Nightshade could sense, having lived and connected with the place for so long. But tonight, its stillness was eerie enough to even make Samhain shiver. Sundown was their sanctuary; it protected them the same way they protected it. Nothing happened on its land without Sundown allowing it. Sundown allowed this. But why?
Their front door was open and there were indistinct noises coming from inside. Quickly Samhain had his scythe appear in his bony hands as they crept towards their home. They both phased through the solid walls like the spirits they were, not making a sound. Upon entering they heard Nightshade’s records playing on their phonograph (Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles) and the house was in a complete mess. Or at least it was messier than usual and definitely not the state it was when they left.
Samhain stared ahead, shocked. The seal on the front door was also a powerful one, and so were the arcane barriers surrounding the whole tree-house. Ghosts and malicious spirits would have just bounced off the barrier, and the more sinister ones would have been wounded upon impact. As they investigated further, Samhain was picking his brain as to the few individuals powerful enough to break a seal like his…. Until he saw the black cowboy hat hanging off the nearby table-lamp and several black feathers scattered across the floor. “…….Oh fuck no…” the ghoul exhaled.
“Well nice to see ya too, Sammy~” called a raspy, graveled voice from above. The moment Nightshade heard it, she zipped behind her masters legs for cover. And there leaning against the railing of the second floor was their uninvited guest. His bangs covered part of his face, revealing half of a crooked smile which was not any less menacing. The streaks in his hair were dark red, as if blood had just spilled into it. And even from far away, Samhain could see that his eyes were as mad and unhinged as ever.
“Cioară..” Samhain hissed but the man beast? guest held up his hand before he could say another word. “Ah ah ah~ It’s Axel now,” he corrected the boy. His hands were like talons with long, black claws at the ends of his discolored fingers. He jumped from the second floor and landed directly in front of Samhain, with a loud and heavy
BANG
Since there was no need for glamour here, the lower half of his body was on full display. The first time Samhain saw him, he thought he was some kind of harpy - Half-man, half-bird. His giant black wings were missing right now but he was probably hiding it for convenience’s sake. But this was no man, nor any ordinary mythos. This was a monster.
The young ghoul did not flinch and did his best not to show fear. He was more perplexed than anything, a million questions running through his head. One of the most dangerous beings they know had just invaded their home and Sundown didn’t do anything to stop them? He thought nothing could rival the island’s power. Was there something wrong with it? Had they not noticed? Or did the island let them come here willingly? Why would it endanger them like that? Unless...
Before Samhain could finish his thought enough to like it, he snarled. “I don’t care what yer name is now or why you’re here - I want you to LEAVE.”
“Ooh touchy, touchy,” the crow laughed as he walked past, large talons padding across the hardwood, not feeling the slightest bit threatened. “If you’re worried about your shit upstairs, I didn’t touch anything~” he said, mockingly. “What’s a guy got against an old friend droppin’ in ta say ‘hi’ anyway?”
“We’re not friends. You nearly killed me,” Samhain was concise. He sounded angry but Nightshade knew the fear laced in his words and the slight tremble in his knees. His scythe was starting to build up heat where he held it and green flames were slowly sparking at the corners of his eyes. “Besides that, we don’t appreciate trespassers..” the words seethed through his teeth, which only amused the crow even more.
“Oh? We up for round two? Want me ta fuck you up harder than I did last time, mudstick? Cus I can~” Being more than a head taller, it was easy for Axel to size Samhain up, to look down at and tease him with the most disgusting smirk. “I coulda killed you that day.. But I didn’t. She came an’ saved your ass an’ I let you both go~”
Why would Sundown allow this... this psychopath into our home?? Why would it risk such dark, filthy energies to taint its soil? Why was he here? Why does anyone end up in Sundown to begin with...? Sundown whisked away those that were lost and needed guidance...
“So why??” Samhain practically shouted. “Why are you here??”
And the creature just grinned back. “Because you’re gonna help me~”
READ PART II HERE
I started this project early last year, around April 2016. Because of work and juggling other projects in between, my motivation to work on the video was sporadic and failed me in the best of times. You might notice a shift in art style somewhere in the video because sometimes it took me a month or more to continue where I left off. But I've finally finished it and I couldn't be happier!!!!!!
PLEASE BE EXCITED WITH ME, I WORKED ON THIS FOR ALMOST 12 MONTHS AND ITS FINALLY DONE I'M SO HAPPY <3
Don't chase the rabbit.
Vali and his other brothers were having a laugh by the river bed, but their jokes were cut short when they heard a high-pitched scream behind them.
“WHAT DID YOU DO??”
“What??” The oldest of the group huffed back. “We were jus’ playin’ around!!”
“Yeah, jus’ playin’ round, y’know harmless fun!” said another.
“Tell ‘er, Vali. Tell ‘er!”
But before Vali opened his mouth, their sister interjected with a temper that could shake the earth beneath them. “YOU CALL THIS HARMLESS??” she pointed to the body of the now dead tortoise, it’s shell crushed, picked apart and bloody from the boys and their jesting. There was only so much to do on their island home, far away and distant from everything else. Vali’s brothers sought what little excitement they could from hurting smaller creatures and watching them writhe in their last breaths.
A heated argument ensued between their younger sister and the two older brothers. She stood her ground even as the two boys snarled and puffed up their chests. In the end, she had the last say as the two elders, tired of her preaching, flew away in a blast. Leaving only her and Vali behind.
It was the first time Vali was invited by them to play. At first he thought they were to go fishing at the river. But it turned into a game of mindless torture and now, seeing their sister so upset, he felt worse than ever.
“I.. I’m sorry..” the taller boy murmured. He was so caught up in being part of the group, he didn’t stand up for the creature when he knew he should have. His silence had led to the creature’s suffering, and the guilt dug into his chest like a cold, knife.
He watched as she buried what remained of the tortoise and glare back at him. She stood up, wiping the tears away with one hand and holding his hand with the other. “Vali.. You promise me. Promise you won’t ever hurt something or let it be in such pain ever again. You promise me.”
“I.. I promise, Miruna.. I won’t.. I promise..”