Chapter 63: Dreams In Triplet
In Which Destiny Begins To Assert Itself.
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Arrin: While the ferret falls asleep, Soquan is currently dreaming of walking down some random stretch of road while talking to his ferret companion about lighthearted things. Suddenly, his dreamscape shifts and the otter looks around the area. Being able to see doesn’t faze the dream-otter’s consciousness as he comes to the conclusion that he’s somewhere far North of Donfin. To the East, he spots smoke rising from above the trees of the snowy landscape and a sense of urgency fills the otter as he runs towards the origin of the smoke.
Yazeth: Elsewhere, flames flicker. The ferret rolls over in her sleep and into a depressingly familiar scene. Behind her, Azrun lights another flaming arrow and sends it arching onto a tightly thatched roof. Once again she whirls and pegs a squirrel that crumples to the ground but then stares at her with accusing eyes.
Through the smoky haze the ferret notices something… different, and then she finds herself looking into the eyes of a very familiar otter. Distracted, the Badger’s approach is completely unnoticed. The claws, however, are not.
Arrin: In the otter’s dream, he arrives in the burning village and after a few minutes of searching he spots Jozra in the midst of the chaos. He locks eyes with her for a second before he spots the badger behind her. “Joz! Look out!†He moves to assist his friend, his staff appearing in his paws.
Chris: A fox’s figure in the distance leans casually against the trunk of a tree, his form obscured by a dark haze. He pushes off from the tree, the mist following him as he walks through the destruction. His heart sinks. Beasts die every day. It’s not my problem … He turns to see a quizzical scene.
A badger, an otter with a staff, and a ferret? He begins to think about it, but he turns away.
Yazeth: Any enraged badger is a terrifying sight but this one takes a turn to macabre. In place of a right eye is the hilt of a slightly curved knife which looks like the twin of the knife Jozra has clenched in her left paw. By all rights, the badger should be very dead but instead she lunges at the ferret who can’t seem to bring herself to even roll out of the way.
Arrin: Soquan arrives just in time to knock the ferret out of the way, gritting his teeth as the badger’s claws graze his right shoulder. He gives her a grin as he rolls them out of the way from a second shot. “Just can’t stay out of trouble without me, can you?†He springs to his feet to try and fight off the Badger.
Chris: The various shrieks and screams of the town slow the fox’s pace. It’s NOT my problem. He stops and turns back to view the town. … but some things are just plain wrong.
The dark haze begins to turn white, blackened eyes to golden light. It didn’t matter who was right or whose fault it was.
Someone was hurting.
Badly.
And it had to be stopped. The sinking had to be stopped. The fox looks down at his paws. They’re meatier. And so are his arms. Like a boxer’s. He knows what he has to do. He begins to run towards the perplexing trio.
Quickly.
Yazeth: Jozra squeezes her eyes shut tight and grinds her paws into her ears, trying to block it all out as the remaining Scorpions fade away and the dead beasts of Ostoria get up to torment her but she knows from experience now she can’t stop it.
The badger lunges for her again around the otter’s staff and the ferret waits for the part where Soquan looks at her in horror and disgust.
Arrin: However much the scene has changed, the otter dosen’t look at her in horror and disgust. He still ties to defend his friend from the badger with his staff, taking yet another blow meant for the ferret.
Chris: The fox arrives at breakneck speed, a readied fist hits the badger square in the jaw line. A loud crack resounds through the plane of the dream, seemingly moving the air even. The fox’s glowing eyes meet that of the otter’s, never leaving them as a paw grabs the mad badger’s scruff and lands another blow heavy blow to the temple. And your heart just can’t take seeing the world like this anymore.
Yazeth: The ferret’s eyes pop open in surprise. When they happen frequently enough, you become familiar with your nightmares and demons and this was definitely out of the ordinary.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jozra catches a glimpse of looming dark iron gates but the unfamiliar fox and dedicated otter both protecting her from the Badger and thus the other beasts of Ostoria command her attention. She sits, watching in wonder until a small movement sends her leaping towards Soquan to bat a small arachnid away.
The stinger meant for the otter finds its way into her paw but the flood of poison is followed only by newfound strength. There is a reason they are called Scorpions.
Arrin: Soquan doesn’t see Jozra rise, or bat away the scorpion, but he notices that she’s on her feet and at his side. “Well there you are Joz, pulled yourself together have you?†He grins at her and ducks just in time to avoid a swipe from the Badger. He straightens to watch the mysterious fox finally subdue the Badger and he turns towards the ferret to find his friend as white as a sheet. “What’s the matter Joz? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.â€
Chris: The fox’s eyes are now locked into Jozra’s. An ethereal voice, almost simply Joz’s own thinking speaks.
“Forgiveness is all you have.â€
An emblem begins to glow white hot in his forearm before he breaks the gaze to face the large black gates opening to monstrous things shrouded in haze and only hinting at their ferocity. Damn them all.
Yazeth: The ferret’s gaze follows the fox’s as the otter slips his paw into hers. The gates seem to encompass the entire dream world now but the three manage to stay just beyond the threshold. Jozra squeezes Soquan’s paw and tries to burn the fox’s features into her memory as she whispers, “There is a chance at redemption…”
The dream world begins to lose its clarity.
Arrin: As the dream word begins to twist and fade, Soquan squeezes back at Jozra’s paw. His gaze however, is not focused on the fox, like Jozra’s is, but alternating between the badger slumped on the ground to the large black gate. Closing his eyes, he murmurs to himself, “She needs me.â€
Chris: As the image is about to fade, the fox’s figure can be seen standing at the foot of the gates, his body braced as if against some huge force. And suddenly, before the image snaps away, he rushes forward. But the image is gone.
Yazeth: Sand blasts out of the remnants of the dreamscape and with a jolt, Jozra wakes to find her paw in Soquan’s. For once the sense of overpowering doom that had been hanging over the ferret finds its self coming in a sorry second to the near-overwhelming curiosity as to who the fox was and what the whole dream meant.
Arrin: Soquan wakes from the dream with a start, his heart still racing. The otter stares unseeing at the ceiling for a few moments, not saying anything, although he gives her paw a gentle squeeze. Finally he rolls towards the ferret and draws her close.
Yazeth: Jozra sighs into the otter’s fur, wondering if she’ll ever be rid of her nightmares. Of course, if the owl is right…
The ferret finds herself awake again, realizing she had dozed off in the middle of a thought but for the life of her, she can’t remember what it was. Oh well. She snuggles a little closer to Soquan and falls back to sleep.
Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan murmurs some comforting phrase sleepily and kisses the top of her head softly before completely dropping off into a much less confusing dream.
