And it's finished!!
The aftermath of Lira's rather embarrassing (and instigated) announcement. Rayla is completely mortified, Callum is embarrassed but trying to stay positive.
Hadan is being supportive, Sirius is trying while also about to burst out laughing.
Vela is scolding the instigator.
And Altari is, naturally, laughing his ass off at his poor pride mate's expense.
To be fair, it was a terrific prank, Altari.
OC's (left to right) Hadan, Sirius, Vela and Altari belong to @dragon-susceptible and feature in their fic, Long Live The Kings.
Idk man I don't know what to title this, here you go
Meeting the elves' mounts had gone better than Callum originally hoped. He'd never been great with horses, but the shadowpaw Rayla led over to him - Astari - purred just like the palace cats and knelt on her front paws to let him climb onto her fluffy back. Hadan lifted Ezran up in front of him, too, and the cat didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by having two unfamiliar riders.
Sneaking out of the village was a lengthy affair. Rayla and Sirius led the group, with Sirius rapidly weaving illusions to hide them from the village guards at turns. Rayla led them in a wide arc around an area she only said they didn't want to be caught in, and they moved alongside of a path rather than on it outside the village.
With how much time that had taken to stay undetected, silent, it was well after dawn before they reached the edge of the trees. Vela reined her cat to a stop there, squinting out at the light. The other elves all stopped too, and the shadowpaw Callum was riding stopped without any signal from him. "Are we ready?" The woman asked.
Sirius' ears were tilted back and his smile was a bit nervous. "I've just realized this is the farthest I've ever been from home," He admitted.
Hadan shot him a reassuring look. "It's not as scary as it seems," He promised. "My mother took me to visit the Uncharted Forest once a few years ago. The rest of the world isn't as . . . tricksome as Moonshadow Forest."
"Wait," Callum said with a blink, looking around at the elves. "Have most of you guys never left Moonshadow Forest before? It's so small."
Sirius winced, his ears laying back further, and Rayla glowered, wrinkling her nose like an annoyed kitten. Vela shrugged, though her ears were lying off to the sides a bit too, and Hadan sighed as Altari cleared his throat. "The rest of Xadia isn't the friendliest towards our kind," The white-horned young man said after a moment. "So no, most of us don't bother going too far beyond the tree line."
"It isn't safe," Vela concluded with a shrug, rubbing the back of her neck. "We've got a bit of a reputation, and most elves are a bit uncomfortable around us."
"They're afraid," Hadan corrected, with a tone Callum could only take as resigned.
"It'll serve us well enough to get these two through Xadia without interruption if most people are too afraid of us to talk," Altari pointed out.
Rayla glanced over her shoulder. "We should probably get goin'," She said. "Runaan's definitely noticed Shinx is missin' by now." She patted the neck of the moonstrider she rode, the foxlike creature giving a chirp at her name.
"Right."
"Last chance to turn back." Hadan said.
Sirius smiled weakly at him. "I think we passed last chance to back out when Rayla stole Shinx and Astari. Let's go." He urged his shadowpaw into motion, and the other elves followed suit. Hadan took the lead, as he was the one who knew where they were going.
Ezran found himself grateful they had made new friends on this mission. He and Callum had been traveling light and having to sleep on the cold ground, but the elves brought proper bedrolls and tents. They pitched a full camp to sleep in when night fell, hidden in a copse of trees on the plains.
Vela had also had the foresight to bring extra tents, though Ezran was privately grateful Callum insisted they share one. He didn't like the idea of sleeping completely alone, too used to his bedroom sharing a wall with Callum where he could go curl up with his brother if he woke up from a nightmare. Here in the strange new environment of Xadia, it was a nice comfort to just cuddle with Callum to begin with.
As they all shared some of the fruit the elves had brought as provisions before going to bed, Ezran peeked curiously at their differing horns again and asked a question that had been bothering him since he met them. "How come some of you have those lines on your horns, and Rayla and Sirius don't? Everyone we saw in the village had them too."
"They're paint," Hadan replied with a little reassuring smile, though Sirius and Rayla looked startled at the question. "The lines are patterns we had drawn as a coming of age. We pick the color and the design. Parents are usually the ones to actually apply them. Rayla an' Sirius are just a little younger than the rest of us, haven't had their staining ceremonies yet."
"Though I hear Rayla's is coming up soon," Vela piped up with a proud smile at her friend.
Rayla straightened up proudly like Soren did whenever someone complimented him. "Yeah! I've already decided on a color an' everythin'."
"Let me guess - pink?" Sirius said with a grin.
She shoved him, rolling her eyes as she visibly fought a smile. "What if it is?"
"Oh, I can't imagine why it would be pink," Sirius moaned dramatically, flopping over as if her shove had knocked him out of his seat. "It isn't as though Runaan's are pink or anything."
"Shut up." Rayla threw a berry at him and he just rolled over to catch it and popped it in his mouth, righting himself with a smug little smirk. "Anyway, maybe I also just like pink."
"That's cute." Callum said, though he looked embarrassed when Ezran glanced at him for some reason.
"I think mine will be blue," Sirius mused. "My sister's are blue too. Mom's are purple, though, and I . . . don't remember what color my father used." He shrugged sadly. "I think blue, though, and that's why Andromeda uses it."
Altari cleared his throat. "Blue's a good choice."
"Very," Hadan agreed, idly touching his own horns with their blue stains and lines.
Ezran tilted his head at Altari. "So how come yours are different, Altari? Is the white a paint too?"
Altari wrinkled his nose. "Unfortunately, no. I'm sick." He waved a hand dismissively in the air. "Always have been. My body doesn't make enough of some of the things it's supposed to for horn development - and color. I know enough about what to eat now that they don't break like they used to, but the color's never going to come in at this point. I've learned to enjoy the attention."
"Thank the Moon they don't," Hadan said with a grimace. "My head hurt just lookin' at you sometimes when we were kids."
"Wasn't exactly a walk in the square for me either," Altari quipped back, reaching up to trace his own horns idly.
"What happens to you guys if you break your horns?" Callum asked. "I mean, I can't tell, so I guess they just grow back?"
The elves exchanged glances and Hadan huffed and chose to explain. "From a minor break, yes. The tips don't have any feelin' or living tissue left, so it's not even that painful to carve the very tips out for jewelry if you like. But broken horns make it easier for the rest of the horn to split, an' lower down, they're still alive. It's not flesh, exactly, but it's like bone, and they attach to the skull. The deeper the break, the more serious it gets."
"Splits are the worst," Rayla said with some amount of relish though Ezran's stomach was twisting uncomfortably from even Hadan's gentle description. "If they split far enough down, they can split your whole head open - an' that's if you don't bleed out first."
"Rayla!" Vela and Sirius both cut her off, scandalized.
Sirius was the one who continued, as Vela looked vaguely ill. "You don't have to get graphic in front of the child, Rayla."
"In my case, the frequent breaks led to my horns developing . . ." Altari interrupted, and Ezran looked to him, grateful for the distraction as Rayla and Sirius began to bicker more quietly. The white-horned youth gestured at his own head. "A bit oversized for my age. Though they might just stunt now, it's too early to be sure. Growth slows down quite a bit after they sharpen."
Ezran tilted his head as he put it together. "So that means when you're little you have little horn nubs like baby deer?"
"Something like that," Vela said.
Ezran couldn't help but coo at the mental image. "Oh, that's so cute! I love little horn nubs!"
"Oh, I know," Sirius completely broke off his argument with Rayla to enthuse, beaming back at Ezran. "Elflings with their little bumps are so cute. I get excited whenever my sister brings a rotation of Mooncubs to visit, they're adorable. Once I've had my staining I'm signing up too."
Hadan was smiling softly at his friend when he commented, "I think Sirius and I both want to have kids one day."
"Definitely."
Altari and Vela both shrugged. "I don't think I will," Altari said, looking up at the moon through the trees. "I don't love the idea anyway, and with my condition being what it is, likely best I don't pass it on."
That brought Ezran's mind back around to Altari's original explanation and he clasped his hands together sympathetically. "Our dad says that too," he said quietly. "That he was scared Callum would end up sick like him."
Callum winced, looking down at the ground, and Altari glanced at each of them with his eyes going a little softer. "I'm not above admitting that's part of why I was moved to help."
"I had a feeling." Vela sighed. "Should we keep watches tonight?"
"We're outside the village, the answer is yes." Rayla replied, stretching as they all seemed to move past the moment of vulnerability. The elves didn't seem to like living in those moments, though it made Ezran frown a little to himself. He preferred to pause stay in moments like that, especially if they felt like good connections like this one.
Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "I think we can let Ezran sleep through. Callum can join the rotation though."
Callum sat up straighter and his eyes shone at being included. Ezran frowned a little, offended, but . . . he really was sleepy. He could argue another night. For now, he let the elves discuss watch times with Callum and crawled into the bedroll they'd provided to cuddle with Bait and finally give in to sleep.
Managed to finish both Callum and Rayla's base colors (ignore the pink cloud, you couldn't see Rayla's hair otherwise), and while I wasn't able to start coloring the others...
I was able to nail down their palettes, I think.
Please ignore my horrific digital handwriting and the absolute madness that is my palette making.
I hope the palettes align with what you imagined @dragon-susceptible
I have headcanons about Rayla's pride of mooncubs (as in the pride she was a part of as a cub) and I'm consolidating them here so I have a post to reference their names.
Sirius: A young mage, the younger brother of assassin Andromeda (son of the late assassin Alcor). He was planning on becoming an assassin as well until Alcor died and he realized that would leave their mother (Miraa) alone. He's a compassionate sort much like Rayla, and most of their pride shares a love for musical games/singing together (he's a tenor). He's an illusionist who likes playing with what amounts to magic tricks, sparkling things to entertain children, and will likely become a teacher. He's the same age as Rayla, though his birthday is just over a month after hers in September.
Vela: A sharp young woman who's on a path to becoming a Forest Guide. Her elder cousin Vega is Ethari's apprentice (post-Runaan's supposed death). She's a year older than Rayla and Sirius and notably larger than either of them, built along thicker lines that speak to other elven blood somewhere in her family history though both of her parents are Moonshadow. She's got way less anxiety than Rayla and is fairly comfortable in her own skin and who she is. Forest Guides are essentially scout-guards who make sure the paths between villages in Moonshadow Forest are still clear and safe, and guide people down them to avoid any incidents with the more run of the mill menaces of the forest.
Hadan: A unique case of a rare Earthblood woman marrying into a Moonshadow family. He's Moonshadow (arcana don't mix even if the parents don't match, and children identify by arcana not blood), but built with the broad mass of a Drake Rider and with much more sharply curved horns than most in Moonshadow Forest. He's often quiet, relying on sheer presence and intimidation to do his fighting for him, but he's very capable and definitely plans to become a village guard. He also figured out several years before Sirius did that they were gay for each other and just kept his mouth shut and waited for Sirius to notice too. Part of it was nerves but increasingly as time went on he just wanted to know how long it was going to take. (seven years)
Altari: A bit of a himbo, Soren reminds Rayla of him. He's loud for a Moonshadow elf, a bit boisterous, and most likely to become an entertainer though he has personal dreams of being a teacher one day. He's overwhelmingly friendly to a point that he gets burned really easily when people don't return his energy, and his whole Pride is a bit protective of him as a result. Hadan often jokes that he somehow managed to steal the Earthblood hospitality despite the two being unrelated to each other (and Hadan's Earthblood ancestry is anything but hospitable).
(Bonus: Go listen to Pentatonix "Come Along" and imagine these five darting around the dangerous shadows of the haunted/illusion plagued Moonshadow Forest singing that together. Absolutely terrifying, they contribute to why their neighbors are afraid of them.)
(fic specific ages under the cut)
Different Path Taken: Sirius and Rayla are both 15, Vela and Altari are 16, and Hadan is 17. Rayla is starting her adult career at this point, and Vela has been a full-fledged Forest Guide for a year already. Altari and Sirius' apprenticeships started later in their lives, and so they're still apprentices. Hadan is also officially a village guard already.
Long Live The Kings: while the fic largely takes place in the same year, it's earlier in the year. Rayla and Sirius are still 14. Vela and Hadan are both 16, but Altari is 15. Rayla isn't a full fledged assassin yet; she and Sirius are still waiting for their staining ceremonies/coming of age ceremonies and aren't considered adults yet though the rest of their pride are.
Background Time!!!
Side note, I was halfway through Altari's line art when I realized I had accidentally made his eyebrows the wrong color XD. It fixed now though.
OC's (left to right) Hadan, Sirius, Vela and Altari belong to @dragon-susceptible and feature in their fic Long Live The Kings.
Edit: annoyed noises I tried posting from mobile and a bunch of it deleted after posting. I've fixed it now.
"Okay," Hadan said with a huff as they gathered on the riverbank the next day. They had found a few berries here and there to last Altari the day, but it wasn't enough to store for travel, and they all knew their strategy wasn't working. "We've got a choice to make."
Altari rubbed his temples. "I should split off," He said reluctantly. "I'll find a village or a caravan and get supplies from there, and meet you near the edge of the Uncharted Forest."
"You don't know the way," Rayla reminded him grumpily. "It's too risky, you could end up in the southern forests or somewhere on the coast."
"Rayla's right," Vela put in. "We're trained to survive in Moonshadow Forest but neither of us knows the trails out here. Hadan's the only one who knows the full trail. The only way we're splitting up is if you just go home and stay there."
Altari bared his fangs at them halfheartedly. "And face the village's wrath alone? I think not."
"So we stick together," Callum said firmly. "Hadan, what choice were you thinking?"
"Where to go from here." Hadan gestured broadly at the river. "The way I see it, we've got a few options. We can keep goin' south along this river and try to find more forage, but so far, things look sparse. This doesn't lead to the coast - it lets out at the Sea of the Cast Out, so we're not likely to run into civilization. We can strike out east, head for Blood Lake. Maybe we'll find something in the savannah and maybe we don't but either way we'll find the southern earthblood tribes there, and we can probably split up enough for Rayla and I to go trade for some supplies before we come back and keep goin'. We might also run into a caravan that way, which gets us food sooner than any other options. Or we head back north and risk goin' to Brightflame Village."
Rayla immediately shook her head. "No. No way. Even if we make it there, there's no way we get out without Ayuret realizin' somethin's up."
Hadan grunted. "Brightflame's also our only guarantee of findin' familiar food," He pointed out. "Because Elathin lives there. Who knows, he's a softer heart than some of us, perhaps he'd be moved by the story."
Rayla was still shaking her head violently. "Even if he is, Ayuret won't be," She argued. "I'm not riskin' it, and I don't wanna lie to him either."
"South seems like a dead end," Vela interrupted, easing the topic a little. "We're not having any luck with it, and maybe that would change, but we can't be sure. North is risky because we might run into someone who can and will stop us. Resuming our journey east seems like the best option."
Hadan inclined his head to acknowledge the point, but cautioned, "That said we're out of sight of the Desert's Bit River, which means I'm also makin' some guesses about where we're goin'. Do we go back up to the river or take the chance of headin' straight to Blood Lake?"
"What's Blood Lake?" Ezran asked in a small voice.
Understanding sparked in Hadan's eyes and he rushed to apologize, leaning over to make himself smaller in remorse. "I'm sorry, Ezran, it's not what it sounds like," he said quickly. "Blood Lake is named for the Earthblood who live closest to it. In the autumn when the trees start t' change color it's said the reflection turns the lake red, but there's no great awful truth about it."
Relaxing at the explanation, Ezran smiled. "Oh, okay."
"That's a relief," Callum admitted. "What happens if we get lost?"
"We're in a square of land surrounded by waterways," Hadan said simply. "We just crossed Shadow River, south of the Desert's Bit. Blood Lake is right in the middle of Northern Forest River and Southern Forest River, and Southern Forest and Shadow River both let out into the Sea of the Cast Out. We keep goin' until we hit a river or the Sea and I'll be able to figure somethin' out based on which direction it flows. We just might lose a few days, and Altari might go hungry longer if we don't make the right call."
Altari stretched, rolling his shoulders with a slightly grim look in his eyes though he smiled. "East for Blood Lake." He said simply. "I've been hungry before, we should make good enough time that I'll be fine, and the quicker we cross the better."
"That's our best shot at food other than Brightflame," Vela agreed.
"It's our best shot, period," Rayla said grumpily. "I'm not lyin' to Ethari's dad, and his mum will actually kill us if she finds out."
"Blood Lake." Sirius said simply, though he was twisting his hands with a bit of nervousness, and Callum and Ezran soon voiced their agreement as well, deferring to the elves' expertise.
