Mara
Restoration of Brilliance
Mara had woke some time later, in darkness. Everything hurt, and she buried herself into the warmth around her, trying to hide from her own pain. She smelled and tasted blood. But she also smelled --- "Saeladiir..?" Mara asked weakly in the darkness. "I am here." Was the gentle response. The small fae realized the warmth around her was Saeladiir's fur. There was comfort in it. She soon drifted off to sleep again. ---- Days had turned to weeks, and Mara healed, though slowly. What members of the clan were loyal to her remained by her side, though they hide near the far fringes of their former territory. Whisper amassed troops through lies and deception, but there were also others that came solely due to his blood, due to the nature of the Shade that he used to blind them. Mara felt defeated, and at a loss of how to reclaim everything. What was the point? They wanted to follow him, right? Exodus... Abyss...? Mara sat on a collection of rocks, her wings tucked against herself, and her long neck curled so she could nestle her snout into the crook of her arm. She heard the shuffle of foot steps, and slid her eyes to the side. "... what?" She asked Saeladiir, who came to sit near her. "More clans have come to offer their best warriors to you, my Queen. They come to help you reclaim your territory from your younger brother." The tundra moved his head, tilting it to try and catch the fae's gaze, but she just looked away. "Tell them to save themselves, and go home." She curled up into a little ball, but Saeladiir was already moving a front paw to pluck her up from the rocks. Mara flailed a little, and then just hung there meekly as he brought her up to eye level. "... not funny." She said, deadpan. "You give yourself little credit. Anyone would have been caught off guard for something like that." "I should have felt him, I should have been able to tell." Mara's tail flicked, her angry growing again before she just sighed, and hung there, looking to the side. "Lick your wounds, little Queen. Realize that you have others that believe in you. Those that were once outcasts, those that were of the dark, but wanted more.. those that believe in your power." "No one belie--" "Stop!" Saeladiir snapped angrily at the little fae, whose eyes snapped open and moved quickly toward the tundra. "You are better than this. Stop cowering. This was once MY Clan, and I stepped down when I knew that a new power could rule. Nacht and Lang gave us many, prosperous years. Abyss came and destroyed us, but you calmed his fury. We have been peaceful and content as we could be while in this darkness that swelled between the two of you." "Saeladiir--" Mara said quietly, but trailed off, because he kept talking. "You are our Queen. Whatever is in you, you have held at bay. You have held Abyss at bay. You have pulled brightness from the hearts of those who were pulled into the depths... and you are of Naomi... yet not consumed by what she was, what her lineage is. You have strength. But no ruler was strength only within themselves, they rely on their Clan." Mara's crest lifted slightly. "Rely on us, Mara." Saeladiir lifted her up, and plopped her on his head between his horns, in the mass of fur there. Once plopped down, it was instinct for Mara to bury herself back into the fur. It reminded her of Abyss, nestled between horns. She half-closed her eyes, and drew in a breath, the scent of Saeladiir. "... okay." She said, closing her eyes the rest of the way. --- Time moved onward, and she stayed with her clan. She built relationships with them, helped them through this darkness, and even developed feelings for Saeladiir that led to two nests. Though her oldest with him stayed by her side, the rest would go out into the world and hopefully spread the same light they hoped to keep alive. Mara didn't notice, but as she worked with her clan and those that had joined them, planning on how to take back their territory, her body's scales lightened in colour. Her wings took on a blue hue. And though her accent colour was dark, it was also blue. She was an echo of Naomi in appearance, though somewhat different. She was the embodiment of Light with her maize coloured self. She was also Darkness, that which lingered in her and could not truly be pushed aside. She would not rest until Whisper paid for what he did, subjugated under her and those that wanted the Light. She would not kill him, despite the fact he had killed others. She would do with him as she had done with Abyss; She would bring forth, and cultivate only the Good. Or at least, she would make the attempt... Soon.