(Note: This is the game portrait, and can be downloaded here)
Her birth was a joy, a surprise, but a joy none the less. The linage of forgotten ancestors surfacing again in her gold eyes and luminous glow of her skin. But, perhaps a less clearÂ… less savory ancestry rising along with the celestial blood that ran in her veinsÂ…
Born to two seemingly normal human parents, Shayera was a surprise indeed. The dormant celestial ancestry was unexpected, though certainly not unwelcome. Apple of her parentÂ’s eye, and pride amongst the village, her birth was considered a blessing. Hence her nameÂ… ShayÂ… a gift. To a simple locksmith and his wife, she was there greatest pride. Perhaps somewhat extreme degree as she tended to overshadow her younger brother James. No doubt her parents loved all their children equally, Shay simply tended to receive more attention. Overall, she enjoyed a simple family life for the first fourteen years of her life, enjoying the benefits of one aspect of her ancestryÂ… while unaware of the otherÂ…
Nhhh, you canÂ’t catch me! The young boy stuck out his tongue, twisting his face and running off across the fresh snow. Shay gave a brief roll of her eyes, she didnÂ’t feel like playing tagÂ… She trudged after James, snow up past her knees, which the young boy seemed to skim over with ease. She was able to do that when she was younger too. Well, theyÂ’d asked her to keep an eye on him, and she planned to, though they were still within sight of the town walls, it could still be dangerous. The Outlands was a ratherÂ… strange place, where nearly anything could happen. Tir Na Og may be quiet, though it never hurts to be cautious. She plowed her way through the snow after the young boy as he skirted around a few trees, making a rather poor attempt to hide behind them. She grinned lightly, crouching low to hide behind a snow bank and creeping forward, rather aware of the snow crunching below her boots as she breathed carefully, quietly as the puffs of breath escaped her lips. She slowly crawled towards the tree, carefully andÂ…
Gotcha! She exclaimed loudly, going to clasp at him around the tree andÂ…. nothing? She blinkedÂ… he was goneÂ…
James? She called out, giving a brief pause before calling out louder Jaaames? Her voice fell dead in the cold winter air as a lump rose in her throat. If your hiding, itÂ’s not funny! Attempting to sound angry, though her voice coming out as a quiver. Where had he gone? Her feet shuffled quickly though the snow as she checked around all the trees, calling out his name as she searched desperately. She couldnÂ’t return without him, James was her responsibilityÂ…
Shayera moved deeper into the woods, peering back at the town walls as they began to disappear behind the trees. She hesitated, should she go back? If she couldnÂ’t find her way back, it wouldnÂ’t matter if she found him, theyÂ’d both be lost. Peering back and forth a moment, she set her gaze firmly on the deeper woods, determined to find him. She trudged forward into the woods, aware of the almost intense silence all around her, and it scared her half to deathÂ… James was always so noisyÂ… She paused, a brief crunch of snow reaching her ears from a short distance away. Ducking her head under a branch, she made her way over, spotting a boot sticking out from around an old dead log. Her breath caught in her throat, shuffling quickly towards it, breathing a brief sigh of relief as she saw the young boy huddled against it.
Where did you go!? Blurting out quickly, on the verge of tears from relief. Her mouth opened to speak again before being cut off by a sharp ‘Shhh!’ from James. She blinked, peering at him oddly. His hand carefully extended up and pointed. Shay’s eyes slowly followed and then her movements froze as her gold eyes laid upon what the boy was pointing at. A large white wolf stood, staring intently at them, it’s dark eyes moving slowly between the young boy and girl that huddled by the log. Shayera’s mind raced, though her body refused to move. Wolves almost never came this close to the town, what was it doing here?
The wolves lip curled up as it began snarling. James gave a slight whimper, Shayera unable to do anything but quiver. Do something! Her mind screamed to her stubborn body that was paralyzed with fear, only her eyes moving down to James, then returning to the wolf as it slowly took a step forwardÂ… then another.
I canÂ’t let it hurt James! Her mind blurting out orders that her arms and legs refused to knowledge, the wolf picking up itÂ’s pace as it approached them
Move! The demand echoed in her skull as the wolf let off a snarl leaping at them
Do something! Her mind raged as a scream escaped her lips, her hands instinctively bolting up as feeble protection as a brief, violent flash of magenta took her vision, before darkness engulfed her sight, and she saw nothing elseÂ…
It burnedÂ… nothing in her body, which was pleasantly warm, but something deep inside her burned as she floated in that darkness. Though it burned, something about it scared her greatlyÂ… the burn was so great, she was afraid it would engulf her entire body, mind body and soul. She struggled, though her body wouldnÂ’t move, straining with all the will of her mind against the flames that seemed to spread across herÂ….
Shay? A brief word echoing through her mind, the voice quivering, scaredÂ…
ShayÂ… wake upÂ… The voice prompted her, now feeling a soft nudge against her shoulder, the fire calming, retreating back, though itÂ’s small flicker still there as light began to filter into her eyes, giving a brief blinding flash as her eyelids cracked open, a blurry figure standing over her
The figure soon came into focus as her eyes squintedÂ… James slowly came into view leaning over her, tears in the boys eyes as he gently shook her shoulder. As her eyes opened, he gasped, crying openly as he threw his arms around her. She blinked, still not fully aware of her surroundings as she pulled herself into a sitting position, the young boy still clinging tightly to her. The brief flash of light on the white snow blinded her again as her eyes adjusted. The wolf lay on itÂ’s side, her eyes slowly tracing up as she froze, her eyes going wide
A long, horrible burning gash scarred the wolf, running from head to tail across itÂ’s torso, revealing rather charred, and disgusting innards. ItÂ’s fur burned around the edges, it let off a horrible stench of death and decay. She clasped a hand to her chest, a brief flame burning momentarilyÂ… deeply within her.