The Cataclysm

[Taig]

The trees rustled gently in the autumn breeze as Silverwing glided over the forest. It was a simple errand that had Silver flying to River’s End; he had to get some water from the nearby pool to bring back to the village.

Rising over a crest of trees, Silver spotted the nearby glittering pool. The pool, as it turned out, was extremely large. Silverwing doubted if he’d ever seen that much water in his life. With a twist of his wings, he started to descend.

Landing gracefully yards from the pools edge, Silver stretched his shoulders with a shrug. He looked around, but couldn’t see anyone, at least anyone in the open. He then turned his eyes back towards the glittering surface of the pool. Something about it mystified him, sending a feeling through him not unlike the one he felt when he was alone with Nina. A breeze ran shivers up his spine as it ruffled his fur, the sheer power of the water before him seeming to call to him...

Silver shook his head violently, banishing the fog that had taken his mind. He’d come here to get water, not stare at it. With a smile, he walked closer to the edge of the water, but with each step the feeling of something calling him strengthened until he was practically drunk on the feeling.

This was getting out of hand...

He stumbled once, holding his head, as the ground seemed to shake violently beneath his paws. He was near the very edge of the lake when he was forced to his knees, grasping his head.

Silver looked around for whatever was causing this, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. His eyes instead turned back towards the lake, his vision pulsing every few seconds as if the entire world was shaking. He looked down into the water, eyeing his reflection, and noticed the water was rippling outward from him as if from a strong wind. The world pulsed again as a scream was ripped from his throat, echoing far in the crisp morning air. In unison with the mental vibration, the water around Silver jumped, sending a ripple with walls about three feet high roaring outwards across the entirety of the pool.

Falling limp, Silver took in a few deep breaths while he could, keeping his eyes closed for the moment. Pushing himself onto his paws and knees once more, he opened his eyes to see droplets of water floating around him. Some were as small as sand, others the size of watermelons, but the odd thing was... he was connected to all of them. Never before had his telepathy given him such a feeling, such an ease of control. He stood up, looking around, as a grin split his muzzle...

Mentally, he collected all the water and added it back into the pool, staring as each droplet became one with the larger body of water. This power was incredible. Bringing his paws up, a giant sphere of water rose from the depths. His grin split wider, turning wicked, as he brought his hands back down sharply.

The water smashed back down into the surface, causing a gigantic wave to rise into the air. It wouldn’t surprise him if you could see that from the village...

In fact just the opposite, it would surprise him if you couldn’t...

[FoxDragon]

Nina held her head in a hand as the other held to a branch. Yes a banch, she was up a tree looking for something or at least had been. Her large eyes had been looking for a Roc...the bird that had once snatched her up from the ground. He'd been wounded right before his large talons dropped her....

Her long body shuddered remembering, but she didn't look up again. Rather her purple orbs were on her arm. There were tear stains from the corners of her eyes. Why? she thought staring at the blonde fur that was starting to come through, Why!? she screamed mentally before slamming her fist into the tree. Brown fur fell away from her arm showing more blonde fur as she slowly lowered. The jill sat on the branch with her head in her hands. I can't deal with this again...

Only moments later a sound came to the ferret's folded round ears. Her head shot up, tear stained eyes wided. Nina knew the voice even in this scream of anguish tone. She would not be a good mate if she couldn't tell her lover's voice...
Blue triangle marked hands wiped at her face trying as best to clear her mask and muzzle of the salted water. The same hands pushed her up onto her dainty feet. Long, ringed tail swayed out behind her.

Purple orbs stared from the branch at the display that unfolded in the distance. There was water and not a little water but a cloud of pure liquid. Eyes quickly went to the sky looking for a form, a shadow, anything to show that there was a large bird circling. The ferret girl's breath came in fast bursts as she looked for the phantom. It wasn't there in the air...at least right now it wasn't. Head looked from either side, it was easy to tell she was in a panic, but from what? Was her heart racing because of the scream that could be danger from her mate? Or the possiblity of a mythological eagle coming to get her again? Perhaps something else?

Setting a hand down on one of the daggers on her leg she tried to calm down. She was fully clothed today, which meant she wore her loin cloth. Plain, simple...if only.
With ease the jill climbed down the tree. As soon as her feet touched dirt she was off like a light. Paws carrying her in the direction of her lover's voice and the display of water.

It took a few minutes, but the trees started thinning. Her pace slowed as she took care to be quiet. Ducking down the girl watched. Her mate was there...or at least his body was. Her face grew into a weasel snarl, she didn't see her Silverwing...
I'll have to deal with my problems later... her mind whispered even if her problems scared her. Losing the bat she called her mate did just as much.

[Taig]

Silver let out a deep laugh, pure joy and pure exhilaration at the same time. The wave of water began to fall, so much of it pouring down like rain, but not a drop hit him. He diverted each drop as it came, the simplicity of it making him grin wider. The lake gradually filled back to it’s fullest as Silver put each particle back into the pool.

Again, Silver sent out his thoughts to the water, but this time it was with more grace then before. A tendril of water emerged, about as wide as a thin tree, winding its way out of the water and around Silver.

Suddenly, it fell with a splash as Silver lost concentration. Someone was near. His healer’s sense had detected them off in the trees, hiding. With a quick flick of his paw, a globe of water flew from the lake and stopped right above his hand. A simple thought formed it into a jagged crystal, and with one more mental command it would fly directly towards the intruder.

“Show yourself... I know you’re there...” he said calmly with another laugh.

[FoxDragon]

Nina watched her eyes narrowed at the bat and his toys. There was a hand on her dagger, but her attention was on him. She didn't notice the dirt around her feet trying to cling to her paws. Trying to incase them in a protective layer...
The ferret finally felt something and looked down. Her eyes went pleading, No, not now...not here. she said mentally, Please just leave me alone... The jill held back tears again.

Ear perked hearing movment as she looked up. The bat had a orb of water in his hand, but it didn't stay that way for long. There was a crystal in his hand and his voice boomed;

“Show yourself... I know you’re there...”

The girl's mouth dropped, he didn't know it was her? Who was this creature? Why of all days did everything have to happen? In her crouch her eyes hardened as she watched him. A hand stayed on a dagger, fingers twitching.
"NO!" she hissed making a quick move to a tree, "I'm not coming out till Silver speaks to me!" she yelled peering a bit around the thick thunk that was now her hiding place.

"What have you done with my mate?!"

[Taig]

Ears perked up at the sound of his mate’s voice. The jagged crystal in his hand returned to an orb of liquid, and a smile found its way to his muzzle. The orb left his hand and began to orbit around him.

“Nina?” he asked. “Hello love. You’ll never guess what I just discovered...” he said in that deep rumble that was his voice without a clue that what he was saying was bothering her. His senses were entirely jumbled with the flux of power.

Yet even with his entirely useless senses, he could tell when he took a few steps nearer to Nina that something wasn’t right.

“Love? What’s wrong?”

[FoxDragon]

Nina forced a psychotic laugh out. One of those crazy uncontrolable I'm-going-to-scare-little-children laughs. "Love? What's wrong?!" she repeated with almost a mock, "So many things, just stay away!" The ferret's purple orbs looked seeing him come closer she moved to another tree. Dirt fell away from her legs as she moved to another spot. The jill was mentally crying.

Ears shot up as the girl looked to the sky. There was nothing, her mind playing games. There was no Roc, no shriek of it calling out. Her heart was pumping hard in her chest. Her breath came and went hard and fast. "Please just let me talk to Silver!" she cried, "Let him go..." The ferret squealed as dirt grabbed at her paws. Hand grasped at the tree as she climbed up into the branches.

Her body huddled on a branch with tail wrapped around her feet...the toes devoid of brown fur. "Please just let me talk to Silver...." she said through tears. Leave me alone!

[Taig]

Silver eyed his mate with a confused look on his face as she panicked. Emotions were reeling through him like a movie set to skip, sadness, lust, anger, confusion, love. Finally, after she had climbed up into the tree for reasons unknown to Silver, he took a breath.

He had not noticed the blonde fur. He was too distracted for that...

“Love... do you not understand... this is me...” he pleaded. His wing extended and he waved it in Nina’s direction. The tears running down her face parted from her, suddenly floating in the air like diamonds. “I am no different, only better...”

Her tears came to him, floating around his forehead as he closed his eyes. “I am capable of so much more now...”

Turning around, he flicked his paw out sharply and the tears shot into the depths of the pool. With a muffled bang, the top few inches of the entire lake turned to fine mist from the underwater explosion. Collecting it was easy, the entire fog coming towards him like a cloud on a swift breeze. Forming it, shaping it, he made a stairway of stars to the branch Nina was perched on.

“Come to me love, and I will prove to you it is still your mate you speak with...” he said with a deep rumble in his throat.

[FoxDragon]

Nina pushed herself back against the tree as her tear were 'pulled' off her fur. The ferret gave a soft yip of surprise looking toward the bat as they circled about him. Her purple eys were wide, she was going to be bug eyed the whole day, as she watched. Rounded ears went back on her head at his words and the display of the water.

“Come to me love, and I will prove to you it is still your mate you speak with...”

Her muzzle pulled back as she growled at him, "You are not my mate!" she hissed at him, "This is not Silver's doing!" Her hand flung pointing at the stairs. Her tail twitched as her head turned back to the sky looking, sreaching again. Her breath pushed out her lungs as she came back. There was a pleading look across her face.
Hands grabbed at the tree and she moved, swift graceful. There was only one option...

The ferret jumped to the ground, landing with a hand down against the earth and her body in a squat. She looked back, panic still over her face. Paws pushed off and she started off, "Silver would never be controlled!"

[Taig]

Silver flinched at Nina’s cruel words. The star-like stairway fell to pieces as Silver stared at his mate. She was never one to turn him down. What happened to the love they had shared?

Silver almost broke through; almost beat the power surging through him...

Almost...

Instead, feeding off his emotions, his powers took full control. His black eyes began to change until they were a dark blue glow with no pupils. His hair stood on end and already water near him began to rise off the ground.

“Then let me say this...”

Water formed above his hand, sharpening into a crystal once more...

“You’d better start running...”

[FoxDragon]

Nina was already running her long tail out behind her like the banner it was. WHY!? she screamed in her mind as she went. The ferret didnt' get far. She'd almost made it into the trees, but no there were other plans...
The earth grabbed at her paws causing her to trip. Graceful as she was her body still hit the ground, however a turn allowed her to get her hands under her, catching her body. The shock went up through her hand and she cried out.

The jill rolled over only see the dirt rising up at her feet. Tendrils wrapped around her legs as she squealed. Purple eyes were full of panic as she moved...or tried to move. The earth pulled taunt on her legs keeping her there. Nina growled and spat leaning forward as her claws tried to free her. Nothing happened and the dirt engulfed her legs. Fists clenched as a tear fell.

The girl's body fell back against the earth. The dirt quickly covered her, like ants it swarmed. One last cry escaped before the dirt took over her face. The ground went flat leaving no trace...

Above there was a shriek of a large raptor...

[Taig]

Silverwing watched with blank eyes as the ground swallowed his mate. Inside, Silver was screaming with torment, wanting nothing more but to run up and tear the very earth apart to save Nina...

Instead, he could only watch...

Suddenly, the sky was ripped with the shriek of a huge raptor. Silverwing’s head tilted upwards slowly, and with an air of boredom, he studied the bird of prey. Wind ruffled his fur once more as power surged through him.

Reaching out, water in all its fury answered his call. Three giant tendrils of water rose from the surface, the edge of the lake shrinking down from the sheer amount of water being taken. With a flick of his wrist, all three tendrils stuck at once, from three different directions, with the intent to crush the bird mid-flight...

[FoxDragon]

The large eagle circled above, his coloring that of a red-tailed hawk. There was a leaf marking on his forehead, the same rust red at the underside of his tail feathers.
Large yellow orbs peered down on the scene. He saw the water shudder and rise. It suddenly shot at him, three different spires three diferent directions. He yelled out, folding his and tearing on in a dive. His sharp talons slashed through one, but the no doubt would come upon him as while he was distracted...

The ground erupted behind the bat, spliting apart into a fissue. It spewed forth a golden beast from head to tail, markings the same except for the red having gone pink. Paws landed on the ground as it closed. Head turned to the sound of the Roc as he went through his target. Purple eyes were wide with horror at the sight. He was going to get smashed...

"Silver don't...!" she yelled.

[Taig]

As two tendrils caught the bird, the third reformed, wrapping itself around the bird as well. Silver laughed maliciously, about to contract the binding, until the ground before him broke and a golden goddess burst forth.

“Silver don’t...!”

Head turned to look at Nina. Eyes were unrecognizing, and the laugh that came out once more unforgiving.

“What can possibly stop me?”

His outstretched paw clenched, as the water above him tightened upon the bird...

[FoxDragon]

Nina growled at his response, hir eyes up to the Roc. His caw was choked in his throat as the water wrapped tighter about him. "Kodachi!" she yells reaching a hand into the air. The bird gave a nod as his eyes closed...
The bird started to melt or rather crumble into sand...

Purple eyes were on the bat as the golden ferret snarled, "Let my mate go!" she hissed, the markings on her face glowing, "I can!" The dirt around his feet grabbed at them.
A hand drew a dagger. She held the purple blade up and held her other arm up. The blade cut into the flesh drawing a line of bright red blood. Sand rained into the pool of water...

Her arm turned over letting the blood dip down onto the earth...

[Taig]

The bird crumbled to sand and the water suddenly crushed through it, causing an explosion of water. Suddenly, it was raining not only sand, but water as well. Everything mixed, mud cascading down as a result.

Raising a hand, Silver tried to divert the falling water once more... only to have a large glob of mud hit him square in the head.

“What!?”

Paw came up and wiped the mud from his brow. As his vision cleared, he saw a line of stark crimson down Nina’s newly blonde arm. Eyes went wide for a split second, the blue glow beginning to drain, and his voice whispered out...

“Nina...”

Head shook violently and eyes went back to blue...

“What a quaint trick... but what will you do now that you have failed?”

[FoxDragon]

Her pretty golden fur was matted down with water and sand, but she kept staring at him. Purple orbs never left him even as her blood mixed into the earth. Hand sheathed her dagger and went around her bleeding arm trying to stop the bleeding. She held firm even against the light headedness.
Tail swayed either direction behind her...

A smile spread across her muzzle at both voices that spoke. The jill's blood swirled in the wet earth before disappearing. Off at the tree line wet sand and dirt swarmed like it had when it engulfed her, growing from a pile of dirt into the shape of a bird till finally details formed. The extra dirt fell away revealing the Roc who towered over both anthro's. He cawed out only to get a wave from Nina's bloody hand...No.

She growled at Silver, her paws kicked at the wet earth as she launched at the bat, hands up teeth bared.

[Taig]

Silverwing’s eyes went wide with shock and, with a jagged motion using both hands, pulled up a wall of water... or well... mud. Had it been water, he would have done it much faster, as it was he struggled to get it up in time...

It hadn’t worked...

The wall came up just as Nina launched through at him, knocking him off his feet. Only his well muscled chest and the soft mud beneath him stopped the wind from getting knocked out of him.

With a twist, Silver’s hand flicked outwards, more water rushed from the lake, although even that was polluted with sand.

Water wrapped its way around Nina, as it had the Roc before. Strangely, he resisted the urge to crush her. Something was fighting back. Instead, he used the water to throw her off him...

[FoxDragon]

Nina squealed as she was thrown from his body. Her hands tried to grab at him, but nothing. There was a raptorian shriek and her thrown body was swept up in a flurry of feathers. Talons wrapped around her body before she was set down on the ground. The flutter of wings were all around her as she stood, the ground behind her throbbing as the large bird landed behind her. His wings clasping to his sides.

"Thank you Kodachi." she said not looking back at him.

"I will not drop you again Mistress Nina." he replied his leaf marked head looking over at Silver.

Nina's masked face was on the bat also. "This is pointless," she told the bird, "It has him."

"Aye," was his reply, "Why don't you go drown yourself?"

"Kodachi!"

"Sorry Mistress." the bird said with a giggle.

She growled starting to run back toward the back. The jill gracefully bent down in one movement scooping up a handful of mud. In mid-step she crow hopped and threw the mudball toward the bat's head.

[Taig]

After throwing Nina off him, Silverwing watched as that infuriating gold bird caught her. With a growl, he got to his feet, water swirling around him like a hurricane...

To suddenly find himself with a face full of mud...

Tripping over backwards from the shock, Silverwing fell into the mud once more, splashing the stuff all over him. He sat up and glared at the blonde ferret before him. A snarl founds its way to his lips, revealing more sharp teeth. Teeth that could rend flesh if they wanted to...

Or deliver a teasing nip in the middle of passion...

Silver stopped mid-snarl, his mouth left open as memories bombarded him... Memories of Nina, of the person who he loved more then anything in the world...

And he was snarling at her?

Slowly, blue drained away from his eyes, leaving them their original jet black. “Nina... what... where... why are you...?” he managed to mumble out softly as the world began to loose focus.

Silver’s eyelids closed slowly, and he fell backwards once more into the muck with a plop. Entirely drained from the toll his powers had taken on him, he passed out...

[FoxDragon]

Nina had been up and ready after her throw expecting something in return from the drunken bat. But nothing came her way. He snarled at her from the ground before asking silly questions. He came and went...

The ferrest sighed swaying where she stood from blood lost.

"Mistress you didn't need to cut yourself to summon me I would have reformed in time." said the bird from behind her.

"Could have, but been slammed into a tree without..." she said her purple orbs on the fallen bat, "I'm going to need more dye."

The Roc laughed ruffling his feathers, "I can't help you with that."

Nina's head looked back shooting him a look. His yellow eyes grinned as his wings spread out. He knew when he was not needed. Mighty wings flapped as he took off into the air and off toward the waste. Perhaps this time she would realize that she could not get rid of him...

Goldenpaws carried the ferret over to her fallen mate. She sat by him, taking his large eared head in her lap. Careful fingers wiped mud from his muzzle. The jill stared down on him, her tail going across his torso. "Please awake as my SilverWing..." she whispered almost like a pray to an unknown god. She was unconcerned with her golden fur and pink markings at the moment. Both of them would have to be at danger for now. The girl wasn't going to leave him like this...