Post by Atra Alveus on Feb 26, 2008 13:11:23 GMT -5
That Last Happy Moment
It had been nearly seven months since Atra had been captured and thrown into the cells. Her time under Plutus’ care really had been completely horrible. She was fed every once and again and sometimes allowed water. The kind Minister had even called all of the dementors away from their daily visits. Of course, this new development had nothing to do with generosity but instead, pure selfishness. Plutus knew the panther was coming to the end of her days, and he wanted all of her strength to be dedicated to breaking underneath his torture. She would talk; he was sure of it.
The daily tray of meager rations scraped loudly across the stone floor. It was covered in what looked like crawling lettuce and dancing cheese. Atra blinked a few times to clear her head. Her hallucinations had been getting progressively worse. There was no dancing cheese. It was a slab of raw meat; the Minister’s sick way of feeding her blood thirst, knowing full well his victim could not stomach the raw meat when not in animagus form.
The crawling lettuce and dancing cheese had been several days ago.
Now Atra was curled up in the corner of her cell, fighting off Melia Bircheel in front of the University those many months before. She whimpered as a red blast grazed her arm; it stung, and the weakened woman swore she could feel the cut now. Her hallucinations had been getting progressively worse. Before she had only hallucinated during the torture sessions. Then they shifted to appearing whenever she opened her eyes. Now it was like the back of her eyelids were large movie screens plaguing her with true and false memories.
A gust of wind raced down the hallway and blasted into her cell. Atra suddenly started coughing, fingers grasping at her throat to pull away the hand choking her. She fought furiously against the invisible hand, her lungs beginning to collapse from lack of oxygen. What was happening? There was no way a simple invisibility cloak would hide a wizard who could only choke his mark. No, this was something else. Her head started swimming, a horrid stench like breath tainted with blood filled her nostrils. She cringed at the smell and feeling of hot air blasting on her face.
Then, as if by magic, air was restored to her lungs, the grip around her throat gone. The witch collapsed back to the floor, her body having levitated so that her toes were inches above the hard ground. She shivered and whimpered. What had just happened? It was like a dream had taken control of her, the scene with Melia having shifted to nighttime in front of a shining lake. A connection with the outside was all she could conclude it might be. Did this mean someone was coming for her?
One image slowly returned to her mind. It had taken almost all of the five weeks it had been since the dementors were called off for the memory to completely fill out. Now, however, the memory was as crystal clear as the moment it had happened.
“Atra,” a man’s voice whispered.
She could feel gentle fingers stroking through her hair. Fearing it was only a dream from her past, Atra was hesitant to open her eyes; she didn’t want the moment to end. It was so peaceful, the feeling of the fingers, the warmth of the room, how restful her sleep had been. The time had come to wake up, though, and she couldn’t ignore that fact for much longer. So, reluctantly, her dark blue eyes opened to the room around her.
Her eyes wandered over the scene. A fire danced happily inside the fireplace, flames licking thirstily at the logs there. She could not only feel but also see the hunter green blanket that had been draped over her. Looking around for a second to make sure, she then smiled brightly upon noticing the light in the room. For the past week or so he had wanted everything dark. That’s why she had been assigned the night watch, because she could actually see. Her smile shifted up to him, eyes blinking softly a few times to adjust to the change from expected lighting.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the man said.
“I’m glad I can see you,” Atra retorted with a smirk, her hand starting to reach up to touch his face but then changing its mind and slipping back down to her side.
“Raven brought down breakfast. Are you hungry?”
Atra sat up on the couch she had somehow ended up on during the course of the night. How had she fallen asleep? It wasn’t the end of the world that she had dozed off because no one knew he was alive, the chances of an attack thereby being low. The guard was needed to protect him from his nightmares, which had happened every night since the showdown at the corral. So, of course, Atra was surprised that she had had actually fallen asleep for what felt like more than twenty minutes. Had he slept through the night? Without waking screaming or wanting to kill something?
He leaned to his side and pulled a cup of tea closer to the edge for her. Then his attention returned to her. It was hard to say what he was thinking. After all, she was not in his mind. All she could comment on was how she felt and what she saw. And what she saw were two blue-green eyes gazing at her tenderly, possibly the most human thing she had seen in several years now and positively the most human thing she had ever seen radiating from him.
“I…” she stammered in a whisper, only able to gaze into those eyes. “I…am…” she finally managed to say, but was interrupted by her hand tenderly brushing away a strand of hair from his face. She blushed immediately when he flinched. She shouldn’t have done that. He never did like to be touched.
There was no time to apologize, however, for he was on her in a second, their lips pressed together for a kiss.
It was as if the kiss had forged a bond between the two that could not be broken.
A gust of wind blasted down the cells more rapidly than before, and this time the wind circled into more than just her cell. Every Shadow, those loyal and those betrayers, could feel this sharp, piercing gust. Something big was happening, and it was happening at this very moment.
In her mind’s eye, Atra was surrounded by green smoke in the darkness of a graveyard. There was the scent of blood fresh in the breeze and the whimpers of a frightened servant. She looked around, trying to put the pieces together. A glint of silver crossed her sight, and a surge of power rushed through her. Suddenly, she could not stop laughing.
Remember, mortal, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I....
As I am now, so shall you be....
So prepare thyself, and follow me...
So prepare thyself, and follow me...
She had seen them before, carved into the obsidian monument at the entrance to Diadem as well as scrawled out in her dreams. The panther now sang them, her surprisingly beautiful voice echoing hauntingly down the stone corridors. Her face was covered in a smile and a new life .It had been months since her eyes had sparkled like they were sparkling right now, like the morning of their first kiss.
The wind continued to blast through the cells, encircling every being there. Atra was standing at the bars of her prison, hands wrapped around the metal tightly, and feet inches off the ground. She was laughing, maniacally laughing.
It was time for the Shadows to count off.
[Open for Fellow Prisoners]
It had been nearly seven months since Atra had been captured and thrown into the cells. Her time under Plutus’ care really had been completely horrible. She was fed every once and again and sometimes allowed water. The kind Minister had even called all of the dementors away from their daily visits. Of course, this new development had nothing to do with generosity but instead, pure selfishness. Plutus knew the panther was coming to the end of her days, and he wanted all of her strength to be dedicated to breaking underneath his torture. She would talk; he was sure of it.
The daily tray of meager rations scraped loudly across the stone floor. It was covered in what looked like crawling lettuce and dancing cheese. Atra blinked a few times to clear her head. Her hallucinations had been getting progressively worse. There was no dancing cheese. It was a slab of raw meat; the Minister’s sick way of feeding her blood thirst, knowing full well his victim could not stomach the raw meat when not in animagus form.
The crawling lettuce and dancing cheese had been several days ago.
Now Atra was curled up in the corner of her cell, fighting off Melia Bircheel in front of the University those many months before. She whimpered as a red blast grazed her arm; it stung, and the weakened woman swore she could feel the cut now. Her hallucinations had been getting progressively worse. Before she had only hallucinated during the torture sessions. Then they shifted to appearing whenever she opened her eyes. Now it was like the back of her eyelids were large movie screens plaguing her with true and false memories.
A gust of wind raced down the hallway and blasted into her cell. Atra suddenly started coughing, fingers grasping at her throat to pull away the hand choking her. She fought furiously against the invisible hand, her lungs beginning to collapse from lack of oxygen. What was happening? There was no way a simple invisibility cloak would hide a wizard who could only choke his mark. No, this was something else. Her head started swimming, a horrid stench like breath tainted with blood filled her nostrils. She cringed at the smell and feeling of hot air blasting on her face.
Then, as if by magic, air was restored to her lungs, the grip around her throat gone. The witch collapsed back to the floor, her body having levitated so that her toes were inches above the hard ground. She shivered and whimpered. What had just happened? It was like a dream had taken control of her, the scene with Melia having shifted to nighttime in front of a shining lake. A connection with the outside was all she could conclude it might be. Did this mean someone was coming for her?
One image slowly returned to her mind. It had taken almost all of the five weeks it had been since the dementors were called off for the memory to completely fill out. Now, however, the memory was as crystal clear as the moment it had happened.
“Atra,” a man’s voice whispered.
She could feel gentle fingers stroking through her hair. Fearing it was only a dream from her past, Atra was hesitant to open her eyes; she didn’t want the moment to end. It was so peaceful, the feeling of the fingers, the warmth of the room, how restful her sleep had been. The time had come to wake up, though, and she couldn’t ignore that fact for much longer. So, reluctantly, her dark blue eyes opened to the room around her.
Her eyes wandered over the scene. A fire danced happily inside the fireplace, flames licking thirstily at the logs there. She could not only feel but also see the hunter green blanket that had been draped over her. Looking around for a second to make sure, she then smiled brightly upon noticing the light in the room. For the past week or so he had wanted everything dark. That’s why she had been assigned the night watch, because she could actually see. Her smile shifted up to him, eyes blinking softly a few times to adjust to the change from expected lighting.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the man said.
“I’m glad I can see you,” Atra retorted with a smirk, her hand starting to reach up to touch his face but then changing its mind and slipping back down to her side.
“Raven brought down breakfast. Are you hungry?”
Atra sat up on the couch she had somehow ended up on during the course of the night. How had she fallen asleep? It wasn’t the end of the world that she had dozed off because no one knew he was alive, the chances of an attack thereby being low. The guard was needed to protect him from his nightmares, which had happened every night since the showdown at the corral. So, of course, Atra was surprised that she had had actually fallen asleep for what felt like more than twenty minutes. Had he slept through the night? Without waking screaming or wanting to kill something?
He leaned to his side and pulled a cup of tea closer to the edge for her. Then his attention returned to her. It was hard to say what he was thinking. After all, she was not in his mind. All she could comment on was how she felt and what she saw. And what she saw were two blue-green eyes gazing at her tenderly, possibly the most human thing she had seen in several years now and positively the most human thing she had ever seen radiating from him.
“I…” she stammered in a whisper, only able to gaze into those eyes. “I…am…” she finally managed to say, but was interrupted by her hand tenderly brushing away a strand of hair from his face. She blushed immediately when he flinched. She shouldn’t have done that. He never did like to be touched.
There was no time to apologize, however, for he was on her in a second, their lips pressed together for a kiss.
It was as if the kiss had forged a bond between the two that could not be broken.
A gust of wind blasted down the cells more rapidly than before, and this time the wind circled into more than just her cell. Every Shadow, those loyal and those betrayers, could feel this sharp, piercing gust. Something big was happening, and it was happening at this very moment.
In her mind’s eye, Atra was surrounded by green smoke in the darkness of a graveyard. There was the scent of blood fresh in the breeze and the whimpers of a frightened servant. She looked around, trying to put the pieces together. A glint of silver crossed her sight, and a surge of power rushed through her. Suddenly, she could not stop laughing.
Remember, mortal, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I....
As I am now, so shall you be....
So prepare thyself, and follow me...
So prepare thyself, and follow me...
She had seen them before, carved into the obsidian monument at the entrance to Diadem as well as scrawled out in her dreams. The panther now sang them, her surprisingly beautiful voice echoing hauntingly down the stone corridors. Her face was covered in a smile and a new life .It had been months since her eyes had sparkled like they were sparkling right now, like the morning of their first kiss.
The wind continued to blast through the cells, encircling every being there. Atra was standing at the bars of her prison, hands wrapped around the metal tightly, and feet inches off the ground. She was laughing, maniacally laughing.
It was time for the Shadows to count off.
[Open for Fellow Prisoners]