It had been weeks since the stag and confronted his mentor and disowned him and his teachings. Each day that had followed it Scythos found himself flinching at every sound, shying from the flickering shadows cast by the moon...it was childish and he was ashamed of himself for it. However how could he not? He felt completely responsible for the monster he had turned Baeric, unknowingly, into. His students took notice of the stags absence too and were quick to question Scythos. He simply ignored their inquires and encouraged them to focus on their own troubles and studies that took precedence.
Datur was the only one who couldn't seem to let his old rivals disappearance go. He boasted often that he had confronted Baeric on his own and humiliated him in combat. He had, as he so finely put it, 'righted a great wrong to the All Mother'. His attitude was almost impossible to handle as the days passed and with no sign of Baeric returning...Scythos began to relax.
Granted, deep in his heart he felt a great pain. He took responsibility for the stags derailment and had barely been able to face his parents. He did put forth the effort to meet them in person and understood the stags desperate desire to prove himself. His younger brother was proving to be quiet the prodigal fawn who was also gifted in magic. The family could have cared less about their eldest, the boy having burnt his family bridges when he left home it seemed. With a sorrow heavy enough to drown him in even a puddle of water, Scythos did his best to try and forget.
He prayed to the All Mother nightly, begging for her forgiveness on his careless teachings. He also prayed for Baeric, fearing his young pupil was already suffering from a severe case of Witches Malady. He spoke to some some herbalists he knew personally, wondering if they could cook up a cure or at least something to help snap the young stag out of it. The problem was...where to find him. No one had seen Baeric since that night in the glen and tracking him had been impossible with the near constant snow showers.
Unfortunately for the elder stag...his paranoia wasn't misplaced.
It was the the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, and as he gathered his students to announce their special plans for the coming night a nervous whisper rolled through the crowd. Heads turned, ears flashed to the 'gates' to their training grounds as people began to move aside.
The younger stags darted away like their hooves had touched hot coals and as he moved closer, some even swore there was a chill on the air like winter himself had just dove into the glade.
"Datur!!" His voice called out, the air seeming to shake with the rage that burned his soul. "Son of Dratack! Coward of Blackwood and Blasphemer to the All Mother! I challenge you!!" Baeric roared, eyes seeming to glow with the faintest green fire as his lips curled over his teeth.
Scythos twisted his head around, hearing the bulking giant of a stag starting to push his way through the crowds.
"Datur...this is unwise. He's not in his right mind. He's dangerous." He urged, trying to slow the stag.
"Move out of the way you old sack, look at him. This will take but a second.." Datur sneered, moving to face his rival.
He wasn't wrong...in the days that had passed Baeric appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight. His winter coat hung in patches around his boney frame, his flesh seeming so thin and stretched so tight it looked like one quick move would cause it to tear. His head seemed to be straining to hold up his own set of glistening tines, the only part of him that did seem healthy.
"So you actually have the nerve to show up...to step forward and face me down..." Baeric snickered, nose flaring as he watched Datur with an almost unsettling jovial smile.
"You're a joke you sick freak. You can't even see what you've become...I'll be saving your families honor by removing you from this earth." Datur grinned as he pawed the earth. He didn't even hesitate as he threw his weight back and lunged forward. The other students gasped in shock as they felt the stags strides shake the earth around them. Not only had he been excelling at his magical studies but he was growing powerful in strength and speed as well. It was a field of study Baeric had clearly been neglecting. Despite the obvious disadvantage, Baeric stood his ground. He even continued to wear his smug little grin, something that only fueled Daturs rage as he continued to barrel towards the almost sickly looking stag.
The collusion, if you could call it that, went about as expected. For a moment their tines connected, the softly crack echoing out before Baeric was airborne. The crowd of on lookers gasped, some making jokes about how they had always thought fawnlings couldn't fly but, obviously, it was possible. There was a chorus of laughes and snickers as they watched Baeric impact into the ground, legs a tangled mess as he flipped over several times before smashing into a tree. He gave a small cry as his head snapped back into the trunk of the tree which had halted his endless tumbles.
Above everyone else, Daturs laughs were the loudest. He was in fits with how hard he laughed, the stag sauntering over with victorious strides as he looked down at his opponent who almost appeared unconscious.
"Was that it!? Is that all you have to oppose me with of great warrior of Uir?" He mocked, stopping just a few strides short of the pile of Baeric. He winced some, starting to lift his head as he glared back at the gloating stag.
"Well if you're so sure of your divine purpose Datur...then go ahead. End it. Like I know you've always wanted to..." He snarled, heaving a little as he coughed up a touch of crimson. His eyes flicked up to Datur, smirking at the uncertainty in his eyes. His eyes moved off from Baeric, back to Scythos who had been struggling to keep up with the stags. He shook his head no, eyes begging for this to just end.
"Your point has been made Datur. Let the match end." Scythos insisted as he moved between the onlooking crowd and the boys. It was a miracle things had not escalated already and he was grateful for it. However his prayers were not to be answered. As Datur turned back, planning to claim his victory over his sickly rival he was met with something else.
Thick, hot, red splattered into his face, Baeric sneering at him as he spat in his face.
Datur saw red, both metaphorically and literally as he flinched a step back.
"Why you little.." He seethed, shaking his head before rearing back on his legs. "If you want DEATH so badly then let me give it to you!" He thundered as he took aim with his hooves. He ignored the cries from Scythos, the gasps as of his classmates as he threw his weight back down and aimed for Baeric's head.
But that was what he had wanted.
It was what he had wanted from the start.
With another confident grin his eyes locked on Datur before they slowly began to glow once more. Datur gasped for air, his frame locked in place by the power of Baeric's Possession. He couldn't move. He couldn't even breath as Baeric slowly dragged himself up and onto his hooves.
His body screamed in pain and ached as he shifted to put weight back on his legs.
"You should never underestimate my power Datur..." He hissed, voice seeming to drip a new found hatred. The crowd visibly shrunk back as they looked on, Datur frozen mid rear like he had been frozen bone, muscle and all. He moved around his prize, his possessed rival who would find was unable to control even his own blinking.
"How weak...how easy it is to turn you into my own puppet.." He purred, circling around Datur as he looked him over. "What should I have you do first? Hhmm? There are so many things...you could...be my personal servant. You could drag the bottom of the Redwater for prizes...build me a magnificent glen to call home..." He mused, pushing his magic as he allowed Datur drop back to his hooves in a fit of twitches. He flinched and hissed at every forced move, Baeric smiling with pride as he forced Datur kneel before him. "Yes...I think I like this servant idea...you can just come with me...shield me from any threats that would want to do harm to me. I'm sure the wolves would love a taste of your hide." He continued to gloat before noticing that his rivals eyes seemed strained.
"What's wrong Datur? Short of breathe? Shame you didn't shut that trap of yours earlier or you could still have something to breath..." He barked, coming over to whisper in his ears. "Or perhaps...I should just end it now? Save you the humiliation? Give you an honorable death? Hmm?" He purred softly, almost with pity and sympathy. "I would be saving the air for the rest of us who deserve it.." He concluded as he tilted his head. "Yes....I think..I think that would be the thing to do..." He decided, smirking as he locked Datur into his bowed position.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" He thundered, looking out to his old classmates. "Do NOT cross me!! I am NO WEAKLING! SOMEONE TO BE PITIED!" He reared back on his own legs then, wild eyes staring into the tearful ones of Datur as he twisted his head to aim his tines at Daturs jugular.
Datur couldn't even shut his eyes, he couldn't look away from the death that approached him. The tears were free flowing as he watched Baeric prepare his strike. He allowed himself those shameful tears, not caring who saw. For him, it was a final act of defiance. Baeric's magic couldn't control ALL of him.
"NO." He came charging in, faster than he had pushing himself to go in years. Despite his aches and pains and the protests of his body, Scythos found the power to stop this. He slammed into Baeric, sending him flying though not as far as Datur had. The impact broke Baeric's hold on Datur, his rival springing back to life as he sucked down air and teetered about deliriously.
Scythos placed himself between the two stags, watching as Baeric struggled to regain his footing from the sneak attack.
"You will NOT spill blood on this earth, you will not take a life in MY SCHOOL." The elder roared as his tail thrashed behind him. "Leave...NOW Baeric! You are banished from this school, from these grounds!" He roared, something in his words setting a hidden spell at work. Baeric was about to bark back a rebuttal but realized what was happening here... He had never asked the old man what his other strain of magic was but it was becoming clear now...
The clearing with the rock, the school...he could see the dark, threatening sparks flashing over the grass and snaking towards him...
Scythos was a spellcaster...
"FINE!" Baeric roared, hurrying to his feet as he started to jump and dodge the curses that were biting at his hooves. "I don't need you! I don't need ANY of you!! You'll see!! May the All Mother have mercy on your pathetic souls! You'll all feel my revenge when the time is right! You'll see!!" He barked, tearing off before the spells could grab a hold of him. Scythos watched, noticing the severe limp that Baeric carried as he burned his own path into the darker parts of Blackwood.
"May Úir have mercy on your soul boy..." He muttered at last, shaking his head as he turned his back on his once student and any hopes of aiding him...
Granted, deep in his heart he felt a great pain. He took responsibility for the stags derailment and had barely been able to face his parents. He did put forth the effort to meet them in person and understood the stags desperate desire to prove himself. His younger brother was proving to be quiet the prodigal fawn who was also gifted in magic. The family could have cared less about their eldest, the boy having burnt his family bridges when he left home it seemed. With a sorrow heavy enough to drown him in even a puddle of water, Scythos did his best to try and forget.
He prayed to the All Mother nightly, begging for her forgiveness on his careless teachings. He also prayed for Baeric, fearing his young pupil was already suffering from a severe case of Witches Malady. He spoke to some some herbalists he knew personally, wondering if they could cook up a cure or at least something to help snap the young stag out of it. The problem was...where to find him. No one had seen Baeric since that night in the glen and tracking him had been impossible with the near constant snow showers.
Unfortunately for the elder stag...his paranoia wasn't misplaced.
It was the the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, and as he gathered his students to announce their special plans for the coming night a nervous whisper rolled through the crowd. Heads turned, ears flashed to the 'gates' to their training grounds as people began to move aside.
The younger stags darted away like their hooves had touched hot coals and as he moved closer, some even swore there was a chill on the air like winter himself had just dove into the glade.
"Datur!!" His voice called out, the air seeming to shake with the rage that burned his soul. "Son of Dratack! Coward of Blackwood and Blasphemer to the All Mother! I challenge you!!" Baeric roared, eyes seeming to glow with the faintest green fire as his lips curled over his teeth.
Scythos twisted his head around, hearing the bulking giant of a stag starting to push his way through the crowds.
"Datur...this is unwise. He's not in his right mind. He's dangerous." He urged, trying to slow the stag.
"Move out of the way you old sack, look at him. This will take but a second.." Datur sneered, moving to face his rival.
He wasn't wrong...in the days that had passed Baeric appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight. His winter coat hung in patches around his boney frame, his flesh seeming so thin and stretched so tight it looked like one quick move would cause it to tear. His head seemed to be straining to hold up his own set of glistening tines, the only part of him that did seem healthy.
"So you actually have the nerve to show up...to step forward and face me down..." Baeric snickered, nose flaring as he watched Datur with an almost unsettling jovial smile.
"You're a joke you sick freak. You can't even see what you've become...I'll be saving your families honor by removing you from this earth." Datur grinned as he pawed the earth. He didn't even hesitate as he threw his weight back and lunged forward. The other students gasped in shock as they felt the stags strides shake the earth around them. Not only had he been excelling at his magical studies but he was growing powerful in strength and speed as well. It was a field of study Baeric had clearly been neglecting. Despite the obvious disadvantage, Baeric stood his ground. He even continued to wear his smug little grin, something that only fueled Daturs rage as he continued to barrel towards the almost sickly looking stag.
The collusion, if you could call it that, went about as expected. For a moment their tines connected, the softly crack echoing out before Baeric was airborne. The crowd of on lookers gasped, some making jokes about how they had always thought fawnlings couldn't fly but, obviously, it was possible. There was a chorus of laughes and snickers as they watched Baeric impact into the ground, legs a tangled mess as he flipped over several times before smashing into a tree. He gave a small cry as his head snapped back into the trunk of the tree which had halted his endless tumbles.
Above everyone else, Daturs laughs were the loudest. He was in fits with how hard he laughed, the stag sauntering over with victorious strides as he looked down at his opponent who almost appeared unconscious.
"Was that it!? Is that all you have to oppose me with of great warrior of Uir?" He mocked, stopping just a few strides short of the pile of Baeric. He winced some, starting to lift his head as he glared back at the gloating stag.
"Well if you're so sure of your divine purpose Datur...then go ahead. End it. Like I know you've always wanted to..." He snarled, heaving a little as he coughed up a touch of crimson. His eyes flicked up to Datur, smirking at the uncertainty in his eyes. His eyes moved off from Baeric, back to Scythos who had been struggling to keep up with the stags. He shook his head no, eyes begging for this to just end.
"Your point has been made Datur. Let the match end." Scythos insisted as he moved between the onlooking crowd and the boys. It was a miracle things had not escalated already and he was grateful for it. However his prayers were not to be answered. As Datur turned back, planning to claim his victory over his sickly rival he was met with something else.
Thick, hot, red splattered into his face, Baeric sneering at him as he spat in his face.
Datur saw red, both metaphorically and literally as he flinched a step back.
"Why you little.." He seethed, shaking his head before rearing back on his legs. "If you want DEATH so badly then let me give it to you!" He thundered as he took aim with his hooves. He ignored the cries from Scythos, the gasps as of his classmates as he threw his weight back down and aimed for Baeric's head.
But that was what he had wanted.
It was what he had wanted from the start.
With another confident grin his eyes locked on Datur before they slowly began to glow once more. Datur gasped for air, his frame locked in place by the power of Baeric's Possession. He couldn't move. He couldn't even breath as Baeric slowly dragged himself up and onto his hooves.
His body screamed in pain and ached as he shifted to put weight back on his legs.
"You should never underestimate my power Datur..." He hissed, voice seeming to drip a new found hatred. The crowd visibly shrunk back as they looked on, Datur frozen mid rear like he had been frozen bone, muscle and all. He moved around his prize, his possessed rival who would find was unable to control even his own blinking.
"How weak...how easy it is to turn you into my own puppet.." He purred, circling around Datur as he looked him over. "What should I have you do first? Hhmm? There are so many things...you could...be my personal servant. You could drag the bottom of the Redwater for prizes...build me a magnificent glen to call home..." He mused, pushing his magic as he allowed Datur drop back to his hooves in a fit of twitches. He flinched and hissed at every forced move, Baeric smiling with pride as he forced Datur kneel before him. "Yes...I think I like this servant idea...you can just come with me...shield me from any threats that would want to do harm to me. I'm sure the wolves would love a taste of your hide." He continued to gloat before noticing that his rivals eyes seemed strained.
"What's wrong Datur? Short of breathe? Shame you didn't shut that trap of yours earlier or you could still have something to breath..." He barked, coming over to whisper in his ears. "Or perhaps...I should just end it now? Save you the humiliation? Give you an honorable death? Hmm?" He purred softly, almost with pity and sympathy. "I would be saving the air for the rest of us who deserve it.." He concluded as he tilted his head. "Yes....I think..I think that would be the thing to do..." He decided, smirking as he locked Datur into his bowed position.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" He thundered, looking out to his old classmates. "Do NOT cross me!! I am NO WEAKLING! SOMEONE TO BE PITIED!" He reared back on his own legs then, wild eyes staring into the tearful ones of Datur as he twisted his head to aim his tines at Daturs jugular.
Datur couldn't even shut his eyes, he couldn't look away from the death that approached him. The tears were free flowing as he watched Baeric prepare his strike. He allowed himself those shameful tears, not caring who saw. For him, it was a final act of defiance. Baeric's magic couldn't control ALL of him.
"NO." He came charging in, faster than he had pushing himself to go in years. Despite his aches and pains and the protests of his body, Scythos found the power to stop this. He slammed into Baeric, sending him flying though not as far as Datur had. The impact broke Baeric's hold on Datur, his rival springing back to life as he sucked down air and teetered about deliriously.
Scythos placed himself between the two stags, watching as Baeric struggled to regain his footing from the sneak attack.
"You will NOT spill blood on this earth, you will not take a life in MY SCHOOL." The elder roared as his tail thrashed behind him. "Leave...NOW Baeric! You are banished from this school, from these grounds!" He roared, something in his words setting a hidden spell at work. Baeric was about to bark back a rebuttal but realized what was happening here... He had never asked the old man what his other strain of magic was but it was becoming clear now...
The clearing with the rock, the school...he could see the dark, threatening sparks flashing over the grass and snaking towards him...
Scythos was a spellcaster...
"FINE!" Baeric roared, hurrying to his feet as he started to jump and dodge the curses that were biting at his hooves. "I don't need you! I don't need ANY of you!! You'll see!! May the All Mother have mercy on your pathetic souls! You'll all feel my revenge when the time is right! You'll see!!" He barked, tearing off before the spells could grab a hold of him. Scythos watched, noticing the severe limp that Baeric carried as he burned his own path into the darker parts of Blackwood.
"May Úir have mercy on your soul boy..." He muttered at last, shaking his head as he turned his back on his once student and any hopes of aiding him...
