Pure

Crimson splattered the now trampled greenery, and screams of agony tore through the once-serene landscape. It was maddening… Absolute c*****e laid waste to the king's beloved gardens. Once pure roses were now defiled by a horrific crime, the blood of innocents speckled the innocent roses… perhaps like a bad omen?  Amidst the defiled roses knelt a feminine silhouette, her lithic frame was unsuited for  the battlefield, and caught the attention of many warriors as their blades clashed with their enemies. Could they be this cruel…? Sending a pure maiden to the battlefield… Not one warrior could disagree that this maiden was enchanting, from her milky skin which was blemish free to her ivory locks that seemed to cascade in natural curls down to her lower back, and the most enchanting feature was her powder blue eyes. Her innocent complexion stood out like a siren's call amongst all the c*****e being waged around her.  It was not long until the thick scent of death permeated the battlefield, and the horrific clang of metal biting metal reverberated over the garden… Once more the maiden seemed as if she hadn’t a care in the world, and slowly began to gather the still ‘pure’ roses that had not been tainted. Has some mad man sent a lamb for s*******r? What a foolish tactic… After the maiden was seemingly satisfied with her untainted bouquet of roses, she shifted her weight backwards, and allowed her gaze to wander over the grotesque scene transpiring in front of her innocent eyes. After the reality of her current situation had been processed, her slender frame shot upwards, and cradled the petite bouquet of ‘pure’ roses against her pounding chest. Powder blue optics frantically scanned the battle field around her in attempts to recall any such memory being in the center of an active war, and against her better judgment, her lithic frame shot forwards, sending her into the heat of the battle. As she dodged a beast of a warrior in onyx armor, an equal-sized warrior appeared cloaked in white and crossed their blades, causing the ivory-haired maiden to tumble onto the trampled terrain.  “Oi! Lass, I can only keep his blade preoccupied for so long.” The onyx warrior huskily called out to her. It was then she had realized that his blade had blocked the white-cloaked warrior's blade from burying into her. Seeing that the lass had frozen beneath the clashing warriors, the onyx-clad warrior let out a frustrated growl as he shifted his weight backwards onto his left foot, and rotated his hip upwards, sending his right leg crashing into the side of the white-robed warrior, knocking him off balance. Taking full advantage of his opponent's lack of balance, he swiftly freed his blade from its prior engagement, and shot forward with vigor as he drove the mighty blade into the white-cloaked warrior's unprotected throat.  For a moment, the onyx-clad warrior's stance remained locked, as he watched the thick crimson bubble out around the blade, and slowly trickle down the victim's white robes, tainting it slowly. To an outsider it was a gruesome sight to behold, especially for the maiden frozen at their feet, but in reality, the victorious male was giving the opposing warrior a merciful death compared to many other deaths that had occurred throughout the war. Soon the onyx-clad warrior withdrew his blade, and allowed the lifeless husk of a warrior to tumble to the ground beside the frozen maiden.  “Lass, what were you thinking walking through a battlefield? You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” His tone was fierce yet held a note of compassion, this caused the ivory maiden's body to slowly unfreeze as she shifted her gaze upwards to meet the masculine gaze, only for her to bat her ivory lashes in confusion, coming face to snout? With the skin of an arctic wolf. It didn’t take the maiden long to look at the rest of the male's body, she swore he was a hulking man a second ago, but now a muscular beast stood before her. The beast before her seemed to grow impatient due to not being answered, and let out a frustrated huff. “Are ye deaf? Speak up lass” The beast's tone was annoyed at being ignored. Apparently, it was uncommon for the male to not be answered quickly, and to keep him waiting was grating his nerves.Instead of answering, the pale maiden extended a hand gingerly towards the beast's maw, and fondly caressed his surprisingly soft pelt. This tender action caught the beast off guard. Not once had a mere mortal… even one as enchanting as this maiden seen through a glamor charm, and not one person had touched his pelt with such care. Who is this maiden? “May I know your name, lass?” This time the beats' words were hummed softly as he rested his maw against her palm, enjoying the maiden's touch. He would never admit to his brother in arms… but it was blissful to receive such a tender touch after his skin had only known war for so long. In a moment of weakness, the beast's eyes shut, and he took a moment to savor the attention he was receiving before backing up.  “M-meteora…” Meteora murmured softly, dropping her gaze to the remaining bouquet of roses that were cradled against her chest, and her lips pursed softly as she slipped into her own thoughts once more. After a few moments, her gaze shifted upwards only to shake her head in confusion… the onyx-clad warrior stood in place of the beast, and she frowned softly. Her slender frame also took a step backwards, creating a wide girth between the two, and she tilted her head slightly, sending her ivory curls cascading over her shoulder. “What troubles you, Meteora? Is this old beast scary to a little lamb?” While his tone held notes of humor as he cracked a warm smile, in attempts to sooth the now distraught lass in front of him, she was a puzzle. One moment the lass was fearlessly caressing his maw, and now she was creating a distance between the two. A moment of realization hit the male out of his stupor. Could she no longer see his beast? Had something snapped into place and she saw his physical form? His brown orbs took in the enchanting maidens' body language and let out  a soft sigh, realizing this kind of discussion was no place for a battlefield.  “One moment you are a man, the next moment you are a beast on four paws. What are you… Who are you..?” Once Meteora confirmed the warrior's suspicions, a long sigh fell from his lips, and his gaze shifted to his brothers fighting around them. He had a choice to make, one option was to get Meteora to safety and never look back… But on the other hand, the second option involved bringing her back to their camp and learning more about her unique ability to see past the glamor charm which was crafted solely to protect his race. As the warrior was in deep thought, she stole a glance at the battlefield, causing a horrified scream to fly past her pale lips, snapping the warrior out of his thoughts. The glamor… s**t! In the blink of an eye, the effects were lifted, allowing Meteora to take in the unbridled c*****e surrounding them, various types of beasts took the place of warriors, leaving the maiden in a state of pure shock.  “Meteora! My name is Sitka, I am a beast walker…. I need you to stop screaming please” Sitka had forced his tone to remain even keeled while his ears were currently being tortured by the maidens' continuous screams, and he rushed forward in an attempt to comfort Meteora, only to watch her slender frame tumbling backwards in fear. Her petite frame crashed onto the sodden terrain, and her ivory locks were slowly tainted crimson from the c*****e around them. In a flash, Sitka's muscular frame knelt beside her fallen form, and extended a hand out cautiously towards her in offering. Soon her lungs ran out of air to Sitka's delight, and left her gulping for air while desperately clutching the few remaining roses to her chest as if it were a life line. As Meteora's logical brain began to take control of the situation, she sent the beast walker a wary glance, and gingerly took his outstretched hand.  “There we go… I need you to listen to me, I will answer all your questions… But you're unsuited for the battlefield. Do you trust me?” His tone was soft, as if he were talking to a wounded animal, and it annoyed yet comforted the young maiden. She gave him a quizzical look, and lessened her grip on the man's hand. “Should I trust you?” She shot back, causing Sitka to chuckle softly, and raise a brow at the sudden fire this enchanting female had mustered up. He shrugged his shoulders in response, while it wasn't the best choice to trust him, it most definitely was better than staying in the middle of this m******e that was slowly closing in on them, and so she tightened her grip on his hand. Sitka took this as her confirmation, and pulled Meteora to her feet, then giving her a moment to situate herself. Then he shed his walker from trading it for his beast, this time not relying on the glamor charm to conceal his form, and shook out his bloodied pelt from the earlier events of the day.  “Climb on up, little lamb, let's get out of here… It’s almost nightfall, and you don’t want to see the beasts that walk the night.” Her head tilted in curiosity, how could Sitka commune in this form, afterall he was a wolf, and it would be impossible for this to happen. Logically, nothing that'd happened so far had made sense to the maiden, and she doubted anything else would… this was becoming a headache.  “Little one, hurry up… Even I do not want to be around for the beast of the night.” With the new encouragement, she sheepishly advanced towards his flank, and cautiously grasped his fur with one hand while the other cradled the few non-tainted roses left. Nimbly she scaled the male's large flank, only cringing in discomfort when her hand found a clump of dried blood on his fur, but she managed to persevere, and situated herself comfortably along Sitka's back. After she was settled, she gave the beast's flanks a gentle nudge as you would a horse, and a deep chuckle trickled out of the male's maw, exposing his sharp canines.  The beast's muscles tensed in anticipation, signaling for Meteora to find a handhold, seeing that he did not come with proper mount attire… She dug her petite fingers into the masculine fur, and not a second later Sitka's muscles released their tension as they lurched snoutfirst into the frey around them. The pungent scent of death stung the maiden's nose, causing her powder blue orbs to well up in discomfort, and she decided her best course of action was to bury her face in the beast's thick fur to block out the horrific scent. She must be overwhelmed… the poor lamb.  As Sitka's muscular frame neared the edge of the battlefield, he dodged the few remaining beasts locked in active combat, and shook his head in disbelief. What gluttons, they l**t for bloodshed. Those beasts that fled back to their own camps were the sensible ones, because they knew what was to come when the sun set. A sudden yet over-dramatic gasp pulled Sitka out of his thoughts, and he swung his gaze over to see a large feline trotting up along his right flank. It just had to be you.  “Sitka, you casanova! No wonder you vanished from the battle… We were concerned we had lost you, since we didn't hear the usual c*****e that followed in your wake of the destruction. Now I see why… Where did you pick up this delectable treat?” The feline continued his advance, speaking in a husky tone. It wasn't every day a beast walker was gifted the presence of a maiden, especially one as enchanting as Meteora, and Sitka disapproved of the other males' body language which elicited a deep warning growl directed at the feline. This caught the slumbering maiden's attention, her ivory lashes fluttering open, exposing her powder blue orbs, and taking in her current surroundings. From her position on top of Sitka’s back she could make out the edge of a campsite… or base? Nonetheless, it was a shelter of some sort, and on the other hand, she was surrounded by beasts, but one caught her eye due to its current proximity to her.  “Roses…” She mumbled in distraught as her innocent orbs focused upon one of the white roses that had fallen from her diminishing bouquet, and the feline tilted his head in curiosity.  Her orbs welled up with unshed tears as she noticed the fallen rose was tainted with a crimson smear, and she cradled the remaining roses to her chest as if she was mourning something. The two beasts stood in silence unsure of how to proceed after Meteora's sudden display of emotions, it was uncommon for beast walkers to interact with humans, and they had little understanding of their customs.  “Meteora… Is something the matter?” Sitka attempted to comfort the maiden, but was treading on unknown territory, and honestly did not know how to console a maiden… But set him on the battlefield, and he would flourish. The feline beast cautiously edged closer in curiosity, she was truly captivating the male… but something in him wanted to console her.  “Marku.” Noticing the feline's calculated advances, a threatening snarl tore through his chest, and he bared his fangs in warning. It was a primal warning, one that both beasts could understand, and should be wary of. Marku should know better than to ignore his warnings, especially when he held a higher rank over the feline, and since they were brothers in arms. The feline let out a frustrated huff and slunk off towards the camp, putting his curiosity aside just this once.  “Apologies little one… Marku means well, when he's not preoccupied with which head to follow.” After Marku stalked off, Meteora could detect a hint of humor in the male's tone, and it caused her to become momentarily distracted from her melancholy mood. Once Sitka was satisfied with Markus's distance, his muscular frame stalked deeper into the camp, and he lost track of the warning growls he sent out to his fellow warriors. A sigh of relief slipped past the male's maw, and he allowed his muscular frame to crash onto the lush grass. This action jostled Meteora, causing her to not so gracefully flop onto the soft terrain, which elicited a deep chuckle from Sitka, and caused her to pout.  “Little one, meet my ‘brothers’. Know you are safe here, and should one of these slobbering idiots lay a paw on you… their prized jewels are on the line” As she dusted herself off, her gaze shifted around the firepit, taking in the different species that were staring at her with curiosity. A bear, tiger, lion, wolf, and a raven lounge lazily around the fire. Her powder blue orbs lit up, she recognized one of the felines lounging around the pit, the lion was Marku, the one who had ignored Sitka’s warning for advancing towards them earlier on, and she grasped the roses roughly to her chest.  “Marku told us of your little conquest, and I have to say I'm jealous… She is rather enchanting. Sitka, where did you find such a fragile maiden?” It was the bear who had spoken up, his voice was grizzly and monotone, which unnerved Meteora. A familiar chuckle came from beside her, and she rested her free hand on his flank for support.  “I didn’t find her, she found me when I was locked in battle with one of Moore’s snow leopards. It was her sudden arrival that tipped the scale, and gave me my victory today.” The beasts grew quiet at Sitka’s confession, and even Meteora shifted her gaze from the unfamiliar males and stole a glance at the arctic wolf beside her. She hadn’t known she had unknowingly saved the beast's life, while she was fleeing for her life, and she unknowingly discarded a rose from her hand as it was now noticeably tainted with crimson speckles. This action caught Marku’s attention, and he hummed softly. “Meteora, you’ve dropped a rose…” His normally husky tone had softened a hare, and he shifted his onyx paw in the direction of where the rose now lay along the lush terrain. At the mention of the discarded rose her orbs once more welled up with unshed tears, and she looked down longingly at the tainted rose. “Once it has been tainted, it cannot be reclaimed… it must live in exile. Impurities are not allowed..” She murmured softly to herself, and kicked the tainted rose into the fire before her. It stunned the surrounding beasts, but Marku and Sitka shared a concerned glance before Sitka cleared his throat in an attempt to change the topic, and gently nudged Meteora’s hip softly. While he had only known the maiden for a short period of time, he had grown quite attached to her company, and this was a side he had yet to see. “And I think my role in the group was just stolen. I'm a raven, I'm not even that blackhearted.” The males erupted in hearty laughter at the joke, and shifted their attention away from the maiden enjoying each others company. Amidst all the ‘festivities’ of the night, Meteora had somehow fallen into a peaceful slumber curled against Sitka’s flank, and had somehow managed to capture the beast's tail to use as a blanket. This elicited soft jeers from his fellow brothers, but he couldn't deny that it was a rather sweet sight to see, a beast that typically leaves destruction in his wake now cuddling a petite maiden as she slumbered.  “Sitka… What do you plan to do with this maiden? Surely you aren’t planning to keep her around, it would be unsafe for her here, and you know it. She is unsuited for beast life, and for the gruesome sights that come with this lifestyle.” The feline had been lounging a short distance from the canine's flank, a soft sigh came from the canine, and he shifted his gaze down to Meteora. Her ivory locks  had flecks of crimson staining its enchanting appearance, and then his gaze ran down her slender frame… the feline was correct she was a little lamb compared to the beasts that she walked amongst.  “Don’t you think I have realized she is not built for this lifestyle? She needs to be with her own kind… But I can’t help but have a selfish thought of keeping her here, despite the danger looming over her. Is it so selfish, Brother?” Sitka dropped his muzzle to caress the slumbering maiden's neck, and paused a moment sampling her scent. It was heavenly, feminine, and sweet compared to the grotesque scent of death he had grown accustomed to from being a seasoned warrior. A humorless chuckle brought the canine back to his surroundings, and he adopted his walker form, opting to hold Meteora against his chest.  “You're not selfish for having that thought, you would be selfish if you acted on that thought though. It’s in your nature to remain loyal to a fault. Canines… are much more devoted to those around them compared to felines, and that is not a bad thing at all. You want to protect yourself, and you found something to protect on an accident… But you can't keep her here.” Markus' tone held an air of authority, and he rose to his onyx paws, stretching out his muscular frame in a display of power. Sitka barred his canines in retaliation. He was the unit leader, and wasn’t going to be challenged by his ‘beta’. Even in his walker form, a beast walker knew how to take the threat seriously. Otherwise there was sure to be conflict, and Marku shook his head softly as he retracted his challenge. He shouldn’t carelessly challenge me. Divided we fall, united we stand.  As morning broke over the camp, word had spread about Sitka’s little treasure, and in turn brought many curious beasts who were hoping to catch a  glimpse of Meteora. This tested what little patience Sitka had, and it was driving the male insane. On the other hand, Meteora was also curious, which didn’t help persuade the other beasts to keep their distance, but seemed to invite them even closer to her, and in turn drove Sitka crazy. As Sitka prepared to strike a young lion for getting too close to his precious maiden, the shrill scream of the horns blanketed the campsite, signaling they were under attack.  “METEORA-” Sitka's cry was cut short as a similarly statured wolf crashed into his flank. Taking advantage of the beast's surprise, the enemy sunk their fangs mercilessly into its target's shoulder, and elicited a maddened howl from Sitka. The enemy's advantage didn’t last long as her beast shook the strange beast off of him, and they began to circle each other. Sitka's muscular frame lurched forward, just as the strange beast pounced forwards, exposing his stomach, which the white beast took full advantage of. Sitka's beast wrapped its maw around the soft flesh of the other beast's stomach, and shook his head, tearing into the cavity.  “Come little one, let's get you to safety” Markus' lithic yet muscular frame slid to a stop in front of her, blocking her innocent eyes from the merciless blood shed, and she shifted her gaze to the onyx lion. Her powder blue orbs welled up with tears, but this time they began to cascade past her ivory lashes, and down her milky cheeks. The Onyx lion felt his heart tighten in pain at her open display of emotions, and he gingerly pushed Meteora to his flank. As she climbed his onyx mane, the third rose fell to the now crimson-stained terrain, and Markus' lithic frame bounded off away from her beast who was left to, mame his opponent without worry.  “Meteora… Should something happen to either Sitka or I, you run as far as you can, and do not come back to this camp. Because neither of us trust anyone else's intentions around you” She blinked in disbelief as her hand kept a tight grip on the beast's mane, and the other hand kept a tight grip on a single rose. The ivory maiden had lost the second to last rose when she witnessed a snow leopard wear another fallen beast's intestines as a metal, it had sickened her to her core, and left her in a state of shock. The male below her let out a frustrated hiss as he turned his back on the camp, only to lose his balance as a jaguar slammed into Marku’s left flank, and in turn caused Meteora to fly off the beast's back, landing roughly along the terrain.  “RUN-” The beast roared, but the ivory maiden's frame was frozen against the terrain as her powder blue eyes widened in fear, and a scream tore from her throat as she saw a second enemy approach Marku from behind. It was too late for the onyx lion. One of Moore’s lions locked its maw around Markus' throat, and in one clean motion ripped the male's jugular vein, causing the mighty lion to collapse to the ground. The world grew dark around the ivory maiden, her glassy orbs watched as the last rose fell from her fingertips, and in turn sealed her fate. As the rose hit the ground, her own lithic frame fell to the ground beside the crimson-stained rose, and as her vision focused on the rose a horrific howl was cut short in the distance. Meteora’s pale frame shook softly as she mourned not only those who had fallen, but the loss of her purity.