#elda mir

[thebluekingdomstory]

Elda Mir (she/her)

Traits: headstrong, graceful, determined, singleminded 

Birthday: November 3, 980

Race: Nekojin (leopard) 

Family: Half sister- Lily Mir

Occupation: Alpha of the Coldpeak pack

[owlart18]

mermay 15, feline

[casimedicos]

II Jornadas de Puertas Abiertas en el Hospital General Universitario de Elda (Alicante).

II Jornadas de Puertas Abiertas en el Hospital General Universitario de Elda (Alicante).

21 de Marzo de 2017 Salon de Actos 10h – 11:30h (more…)

[owlart18]

Some oc sketches

(Commission info in pinned post)

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story, part fourty five

Epilogue 

“Thank you everyone for being here today” Queen Celeste said from her seat on the throne. Or just Celeste now I suppose. After the battle 3 months ago, she was stepping down from her position. The throne room was filled to the brim with people wanting to see this momentous occasion. I stood with near the front with Aegean and Laila and my side.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era for the Blue Kingdom, and I hope a better one” she stood up and gestured for Prince Klenn and Elda to come forward. I heard whispered complaints all around me. Many had concerns about Elda taking the throne along with the Prince. I, to my own surprise, wasn’t among them. Elda knew how to take command and lead, which is what the Kingdom desperately needed after months of uncertainty. I was also excited to have a Nekojin in charge, a first for the Blue Kingdom. With the two of them working together, things would hopefully start to change for the better.

“Klenn Blue, Elda Mir. Are you ready and willing to commit yourselves to the people of the Blue Kingdom until your first born comes of age?” Celeste asked them, her voice serious.

“We are” Elda said after sharing a look with Klenn. After the battle for the Kingdom, no one knew what would come next. Neither side technically won, as the fighting stopped after Cobalt and Azure fell. A council was formed shortly after of prominent members of each side of the conflict. Azure’s side wanted what they were promised, a new royal line, one not dominated by humans. Celeste wanted to follow tradition and keep the blue line on the throne. After months of deliberation, this was the decision they landed on. The kingdom would be co led by one of Celeste’s children and one of Azure’s followers until they bore a blue-blooded child who wasn’t a human. Klenn and Elda ended up being chosen. In the meantime, the two were to work on relations with the packs around the Kingdom and fair and equal treatment for everyone living within the walls.  

“Then by my power, I pronounce you Sir Klenn and Lady Elda. Rule with compassion for all and may you lead us into a bright future” Celeste finished, placing golden bands upon both their heads. The crowd cheered, drowning out anyone with misgivings about the new rulers. Celeste approached me, a smile on her face. She took me into her arms.

“Thank you for taking care of my son, Adara. I’ve got it from here” she released me and crouched down in front of Aegean. “Let’s go home” she told him. Aegean grinned in response. Now that he was no longer next in line to be King, there was nothing keeping him here. He took my hand and squeezed it softly.

“Promise you’ll come visit? You still have to meet my dad” how could I say no to that face?

“Of course I will” I promised. With that, Celeste and Aegean left the castle, hand in hand. I had never seen the pair look so happy, so free. I picked Laila up and held her close.

“We should go too” I said to Laila.

When we got back to the Pinewood pack, celebrations were in full swing. Lanterns hung from the trees, basking the clearing in a soft glow. As far as everyone here was concerned, we had won. A Nekojin on the throne, Lily gone for good, peace in and around the Kingdom. Things were looking up for the Pinewood pack. Laila and I sat down at a table among the trees with Hari and Kato.

“Hey Kato, Hari” I greeted them. Hari cleared in throat.

“That’s alpha Hari to you” Hari grinned, putting his arm around Kato.

“What, you finally confessed?” I asked Kato in surprise.

“What do you mean finally?!” Kato huffed, his cheeks reddening. I just rolled my eyes in response. He was so obvious, and oblivious.

“And I am not calling you that Hari”

“Unbelievable! I could have you exiled for this!” Hari teased, laughing.

“What did I miss?” came Luna’s voice from behind me. She bent down to kiss my cheek before sitting next to me.

“Oh, nothing important” I smirked at Hari. He put up his hands in mock offense.

I let myself space out as the others chatted away, Laila dozing off on my lap. I leaned against Luna’s shoulder and held her hand in mine as I watched the sun set over the trees of my beloved forest.

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story, part fourty three

Battle cries. Screeches of fury. Screams of pain. I was lost in the chaos, completely out of my depth. War was nothing like assassination. Focus Adara. Just pick a target and take them out. I caught sight out a familiar spotted pelt pining a small wolf to the ground. Adrenaline coursed through me as I crashed into Lily, claws outstretched. I toppled her over and off of her prey. We rolled on the ground. I whined I felt her teeth in my shoulder. I managed to shake her off and we broke apart. 

“Little Adara, you make a cute kitty” Lily taunted, getting to her paws. Her leopard form was bigger than me, a lot bigger. I flattened my ears and let out a hiss of fury. She laughed and sprang at me. I went for her stomach as she landed on me, but her pelt was too thick from living in the mountains. She didn’t have the same issue. I cried out as her claws sank into the flesh of my back and she flipped me over. I tried to get off my back as she dove at me, but I wasn’t quick enough. She pinned me to the ground, her jaws going for my neck. I tried to hold her back with my paws, but my strength was failing from blood loss. My fore legs finally buckled, and I felt teeth at my throat. I closed my eyes in defeat. Suddenly, Lily’s weight disappeared off of me. I opened my eyes to see that Hari had come to my rescue. I scrabbled to my paws and leapt over to him. We fought Lily side by side and matched her blow for blow. I saw panic enter her eyes as she realized this wasn’t a fight she could win. I flanked her and tackled her to the ground. Hari helped me hold her down with his heavy paws. 

“Would you like to do the honours, Adara?” Hari growled. Lily’s panic turned to terror as she thrashed under our paws.

“I…” I should kill her. She would have killed me if Hari hadn’t shown up. She certainly deserved it. But, suddenly, I felt reluctant. Had this been a couple years ago, I would have torn out her throat no problem. But I wasn’t that person anymore. I retracted my claws and stepped back. 

“Just get out of here Lily. Don’t come back. Ever” I told her. Hari glanced at me, a silent question in his eyes. I nodded slightly. He sighed and released her. Lily pushed herself to her paws and met my eyes, her expression unreadable. Then she turned and ran. 

“Thanks for saving my tail, Hari”

“No problem, that’s what partners are for” Hari purred, rubbing his face quickly along my flank. And to think I used to hate working with him. I looked around for someone else I could help, but it looked like everyone needed it. Sasha was locked in a tussle with a nimble grey wolf. Noriko was pinned down by Elda, her large paws on his chest. Luna... where was Luna? Fear shot through me as I realized I hadn’t seen her since the battle started. I whipped around, searching for her. I was interrupted as a small white tiger pounced at me. I batted her away easily. I almost recognized her scent even with all the blood and death in the air. She scrambled to her paws, her brown eyes full of fear. She wasn’t just small, she was a child. Even though she was afraid, she crouched, ready to pounce again. 

“I won’t fight you” I told her calmly, retracting my claws.  

“You’re from the Pinewood pack, aren’t you?” She squeaked. I nodded slowly. “Then you don’t have a choice” she sprang at me. I dodged to the side. 

“You’re just a kid, this isn’t your fight” I tried to convince the young Nekojin. 

“You made it my fight when your pack stole my brother!” She cried. 

“Your brother?” Realization struck me. The day Elda tried to get Kato to join packs with her echoed in my mind. 

“Very well. We’ll go. Noriko, come back home with us. Noelle misses you greatly” 

“I can’t. You know I can’t. Just tell her I miss her, please”

“Are you Noelle?” I asked. 

“How do you know my name?” She paused her attack. 

“We didn’t steal your brother Noelle; Noriko came to join us” 

“No, that’s not true... Elda said you took him” she argued, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. 

“I have no reason to lie to you, can you say the same for your alpha?” I had to convince her, I refused to have her blood on my hands. “Go to the pine forest, tell them Adara sent you” I flicked my tail in the right direction. She would be safe there, if she chose to go. I turned my back on her as a sign of trust and let her make her decision. When I looked back, she was gone. I scanned the clearing again. The ground was soaked with blood. Fallen bodies all around me. One thing was clear, we were losing. 

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story, part thirty nine

I met Luna early the next morning at the castle gates. I let out a sharp breath as I saw what she was wearing. I had never seen Luna out of her usual light armor and blue tunic. Today she wore a loose cream coloured shirt and tight fitting brown pants. She looked so much softer than I was used too. I almost lost my nerve and ran but Luna caught sight of me and waved me over.

“It’s so quiet” I observed as I walked over, trying to cover up my nervousness.

“It is. Everything feels off nowadays, even the air” she said, pushing herself off the wall she was leaning on.

I knew what she meant. The tense anticipation was all around us. Between people turning to Azure’s side and others evacuating, the usual bustle of town was down to a quiet hum.

“Let’s go” Luna began walking to the northern gate, not waiting to see if I was following.

“Hey, slow down” I growled softly as I caught up. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.” I should not have mentioned her legs, now I couldn’t help but stare at them. Long and slender, but also muscular, made even more obvious without the armor.

“It’s not my fault you’re so slow”

My eyes snapped up to hers, my month opening to give a scathing retort until I saw her grinning. I couldn’t help but smile back instead.

“Slow?! Let’s see you keep up with this!” I broke into a sprint before she had a chance to respond. The look of shock on her face as I shot forward was priceless. I soon heard her footsteps behind me, gaining quickly. As we speed through the near empty town, Luna finally overtook me. I resisted the urge to transform as even though I knew it would give me the upper hand, I didn’t want to frighten the few people that were out. I slipped down and side street instead. I heard Luna call out “Hey!” but I ignored her. My shortcut paid off as our streets merged and I came out ahead.

“That’s cheating!” Luna huffed.

“That’s strategy” I smirked back at her. I stopped dead my tracks as I realized where we were. The smile left my face as quickly as it had appeared.

“What, tired already?” Luna teased as she caught up with me. My heart hammered in my chest, I couldn’t breathe.

“Whoa Adara, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost” Luna put a warm hand on my arm, grounding me a bit. I managed to let out a shaky breath. In front of me stood an all too familiar building, Jes’ old café.

“I’m fine, I’m fine” I said more to myself than to her. I turned away from the building, I couldn’t look at it for another second. “Let’s just go”

“Are you sure?” she asked, concern clear on her face. I nodded and headed for the northern gate, we weren’t far now.

_____

Before long we were in the woods of the Wolfskin. I breathed in the fresh scents and sounds of forest and felt myself relax. Leaves whispering above, the crunch of twigs beneath our feet, birds singing to each other. It was different than my forest, but a forest all the same.

“I’m sorry if I worried you earlier” I said at last, staring at the ground as we walked. Neither of us had spoken a word since my panicking.

“It’s no trouble” she paused for a moment before continuing, “look, Adara, I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but if you ever want to talk, about anything, I’m here to listen”

“That’s putting it mildly…” I mumbled. I glanced up at her. She seemed sincere and I found myself actually wanting to tell her. “It’s a long story” I started.

“Halt!” a voice called from the trees. Three wolves approached us. The one in the lead transformed and eyed us suspiciously. He had soft looking pale pink hair and a hard blue gaze.

“Why are you trespassing on Oakleaf territory?” he asked.

“We need to speak to your alpha, it’s quite urgent” Luna requested calmly.

“How do I know you’re not one of Azure’s?”

“My name is Luna Vo, I’m the captain of the Blue Guard. I assure you that I would never side with the likes of Lady Azure” Luna sounded disgusted at the mere suggestion of working against the Kingdom.

“And her?” the wolfskin nodded to me.

“Adara here is retainer to the heir to the throne”

“Even if we were part of Azure’s forces, what are two Nekojin against a whole pack of Wolfskin?” I exclaimed in frustration.

“You’d be surprised…” the wolf trailed off. He exchanged a glance with his companions, a snowy white wolf and an auburn one. The white one nodded slightly. The boy sighed before turning back to us.

“Alight, we’ll take you to Sasha. But make it quick, she’s got enough on her plate”

The boy changed back into a wolf and begun to lead of swiftly through the woods. Luna and I shifted too to keep up. The other two wolves flanked us. I flattened my ears, feeling like a prisoner. Luna nudged me softly and gave me and encouraging look. She was right, we hadn’t done anything wrong, we’d be fine.

____

We arrived at a village before long. Our group all changed back as we left the tree line. I had never been this far into wolfskin territory. The village looked very different from the Pinewood pack’s. Most of the houses were triangle shaped, almost like tents made out of wood and glass. Each house was covered in windows looking out into the forest. My village was just a part of the woods, trees around every house, but here was a lot more open space, a defined rectangle of forest around the whole place, almost like walls of trees. I refocused on the task at hand as we approached what I assumed was the alpha house. It was one of the only more square houses in sight and much larger than most of the other buildings around us. I caught a glimpse of Sasha from one of the windows before she rushed down to meet us.

“Captain Vo, to what do I owe this honour?” Sasha greeted Luna from her doorway.

“Alpha Sasha” Luna nodded respectfully. “I need to discuss something with you”.

“This is about Azure, isn’t it?” Sasha sighed. “Please come in”

Sasha sat us down in her office. The walls were lined with bookshelves which gave the room a cozy feel to it. Another wolfskin joined us, standing by Sasha’s chair. There was an aggressive energy to him that made me feel a bit nervous.

“First things first, I think introductions are in order” Sasha began. “This is my mate, Chase”

“And second in command” Chase added, standing a little taller.

“And this is..?” Sasha gestured to me.

“I’m Adara. Retainer to Prince Aegean”

“We’ve heard rumor that Lady Azure was heading north to look for reinforcements. We wanted to ask if you could confirm these rumors, seeing as how she would likely have had to cross through your territory” Luna said, getting straight to business.

“I thought as much. Yes, Azure and her ilk did pass through here” Sasha spoke through gritted teeth.

“I still don’t get why you let them through without a fight” Chase muttered. “Azure only had two Nekojin with her, we could have easily taken them”

“You did what?!” I blurted out. Sasha seemed like a courageous and respected leader as far I could tell, why would she let Azure waltz through her territory? “I didn’t have a choice” fear flashed in her green eyes.

“I don’t understand, you’re supposed to be allied with the Blue Kingdom” Luna started.

“And I am. It hardly matters now, what’s done is done. You have the information you came for, it’s time you left. Noah and his patrol with escort you out” Sasha dismissed us. Luna and I stood up reluctantly. I began to follow Luna out but stopped in the doorway of the room, a question nagging at me.

“Who were the Nekojin with Azure?”

“It was the alpha of the Coldpeak pack, and her sister I believe” Sasha said. Lily, I should have known. Anger surged through me At least she was far away from Aegean, for now.

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story part thirty seven

The summer festival was finally upon us. I had managed to skip out on most of the festivities as Aegean was still being kept inside. But the final day of the festival, the masquerade ball, was held inside the castle. I stared at myself in the long mirror in front of me. The dress was long and silky, just barely floating above the floor. A pearly white and blue mask covered the top half of my face. I was surprised at how much I looked like my mother. I closed my eyes and told myself to breath. My attempt at relaxing was interrupted as Aegean burst into the room.

“Come on Adara! It’s starting!” He exclaimed from the doorway. He wore his tailored suit and a gold and sapphire mask.

“Alright” I sighed.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun! I promise”

“I’m going to hold you to that Aegean” I smiled despite my nerves. We walked together to the ballroom. I wasn’t just worried about the party and the dress and whatnot. What I was really worried about was how easily someone could sneak in wearing a mask, someone like Lily. I let out a small gasp as we entered the ballroom. I had been in this room before, but not like this. Grand pillars of marble held up a ceiling of gold. The whole room was beautifully lit by a massive and intricate chandelier. The room was already full of masked guests, all dressed in fineries, some socializing but most dancing. Vibrant music filled the air. I spotted a few familiar faces off to the left side and brought Aegean over to them.

“What a party! And Adara in a dress? I never thought I’d see the day” Hari teased, holding Laila. He was dressed in a stylish black and silver suit and a matching mask. Laila was wearing one of my old dresses, white with pink and yellow flowers and a mask we had hand made together.

“Well I didn’t have much of a choice” I retorted, already regretting inviting him.

“Don’t listen to Hari, you look lovely Adara” Kato reassured me. He was dressed in a more subtle dark violet suit.

“Thanks” I rolled my eyes before taking Laila from Hari’s arms. I gave her a quick hug before putting her down beside Aegean. He took her hand and began spinning her around slowly, making her giggle. I scanned the crowd in front of us. I recognized Sasha, the alpha of the Oakleaf pack in a long purple dress dancing with Connor, alpha of the Brightmeadow pack, in a suit of green and rose. I saw Aegean’s older siblings, all in blue and silver, dancing with various partners. Princess Cyan was among them, her arms around her retainer, Khalil. Her parents must be thrilled about that, no wonder she lost her right to the throne. I didn’t see Luna walking up to me until she was practically right in front of me.

“Hey, keeping an eye out for Lily?” She asked. She was dressed in full armor of course.

“Was it that obvious?” I admitted.

“Don’t worry, I have guards posted at every entrance keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious”

“Still...” I trailed off.

“I know”

I felt a bit better knowing I wasn’t the only one worrying. Luna extended a hand to me, shaking me from my thoughts. I looked at her in confusion.

“Would you like to dance?” She asked.

“W...what?” I stuttered.

“I understand if you don’t want too...” she started, a blush creeping on to her pale cheeks. I wordlessly grabbed her hand before she could take it away.

“Okay” I said quietly, staring at the ground in horror. Why had I just done that? I didn’t want to dance, let alone with Luna, I tried to convince myself. She smiled at me as I looked up at her. Her hand warm in mine as she led me to the dance floor. I kept my eyes on her, not wanting to look back and see Hari and Kato’s reactions. She moved my other hand to her shoulder and put hers on my waist. I shivered at the contact.

“Relax Adara” Luna whispered. I didn’t realize how stiff I was until she said something. I took a breath and tried my best to calm myself. She led me through the unfamiliar steps. Luckily, I was a quick study and managed not to step on her toes. Music flowed around us. The room was full of strangers, but I saw no one but her. It was crazy to think that just a little while ago, I considered Luna an enemy. Now I didn’t know what she was to me, that made a little scared. I was brought back to the present as Luna spun me to the melody. I gasped in surprise as she pulled me back, close to her chest. Now it was my turn to blush. It had been years since I felt like this.

Our dance was interrupted as the music was abruptly cut off. We looked to the main entrance to see new figure had entered the hall. She had hair like the night sky and wore an extravagant feathered dress. She slowly removed her mask and threw it to the ground. I didn’t recognize her, but many others clearly did, Luna included as her grip tightened on me.

“Azure” King Cobalt called from across the room.

“Cobalt darling, now is that really any way to address your future Queen?” Azure waved to him, holding herself a little taller.

“How dare you!” The King bellowed.

“Lady Azure, this is not the time. I think it’s best you left before you do something you’ll regret” Queen Celeste spoke softly, but the threat in her words was clear.

“No, it’s you that should be leaving” Azure smirked as a few dozen Wolfskin and Kitsune removed their masks and stood by her side. Lily and the alpha of the mountain pack, Elda, were among them. I held back a growl seeing Lily’s cocky face.

“Beasts of the Blue Kingdom” Azure started, addressing the room. I couldn’t help but wince at the crude term. “For too long you have been kept down and mistreated by your so-called King and Queen. Take up arms and join me! Under my rule, everyone shall be treated equal no matter the body you were born into” she turned to the King, pointing with an accusatory finger. “You have until the end of the season to turn over the kingdom to me, or else face the wrath of everyone you have wronged” she turned and left at that, her followers right behind her. Luna was away from my side in an instance. Probably to find out how they had gotten past the guards. A rush of cold fear flooded over me as I searched the anxious crowd for Aegean and Laila. I let out a sigh of relief as I spotted them near a banquet table, Laila holding Aegean’s leg tightly. I slumped beside them on the floor, not really sure what to do with myself at the moment. Lady Azure must have been behind those attacks of the north wall. If Lily and Elda were working for her, then was she behind the attempt on Aegean’s life too? My blood boiled at the thought. That aside, I couldn’t help but question her motives. What did equality matter to some human noble? Even she was being honest, there had to be a better way to go about it. I didn’t realize Aegean had said something until he prodded me on the shoulder.

“What’s going to happen, Adara?” He repeated, his eyes glistening.

“I... I don’t know”

Before I met Aegean, none of this would have mattered to me. But now? It meant everything.

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story part twenty seven

I left Laila with Hari for a little while longer so I could accompany Kato to the border. Chi led us through the forest in their lion form, Kato and I transformed as well to be as quick as possible. The green and white forest blurred around me as we ran. My ears pricked as I heard someone pursuing us. I whipped back my head to see Noriko running after us.

“Noriko, what are you doing here?” I called back to him.

“I heard about the intruders, I want to help” he responded, catching up to me. It was too late to argue, we were already nearing the border. We slowed as we reached it. I sighted the rest of Chi’s patrol first, waiting for us, and then across the border stood three unfamiliar Nekojin. They were all in human form, as if to see seem less threatening. They were definitely from the mountains, all dressed in heavy winter cloaks lined with dark brown fur. Kato and the others shifted out of cat form and I reluctantly followed suit. One of the intruders stepped forward but stopped as I growled in warning. She had medium length brown hair and almond shaped violet eyes. Her stance exuded confidence and she kept a hand resting casually on the sword on her side.

“Which one of you is the alpha of this pack?” She demanded.

“That would be me” Kato stepped forward. The woman nodded respectfully to him.

“My name is Elda Mir, I’m the alpha of the Coldpeak pack to the north”

“Mir?” Kato echoed quickly. I recognized the name too, but I couldn’t place it.

“I’m Kato Larsen. What can we do for you?” Kato asked, louder this time.

“Let’s get right to it then, I have a proposition for you and your pack. Due to some… recent events, my pack is in need of some new blood. I’d like to offer you the chance to join your pack with mine”

“Recent events” Noriko scoffed beside me.

“Noriko?” Elda exclaimed in surprise, “so this is where you ran off to”

“You know her?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. I was apart of the Coldpeak pack”

“Unfortunately? That is no way to speak of your home” Elda chided.

“Former home” Noriko muttered.

“Back to the matter at hand, Kato. I urge you to consider my offer. Nekojin are perfectly fitted to life in the mountains” Elda continued.

“You want us to go back to the mountains with you? I’m sorry Elda but I can’t agree to that” Kato apologized.

“Think about it, our territory is vast, and the hunting is always good. Our prey isn’t so easily scared by the cold. You wouldn’t have to worry about your restricting borders or dealing with a kingdom of humans” Elda urged. I felt panic rising in my chest. Kato wouldn’t actually consider this, would he?

“I empathize with your situation, but I can’t ask my pack to abandon their home”

“Very well. We’ll go. Noriko, come back home with us. Noelle misses you greatly”

“I can’t. You know I can’t. Just tell her I miss her, please” Noriko couldn’t meet his former alpha’s eyes. The disappointment was clear on her face, but she nodded to him. My body finally relaxed as three turned and headed north. Even though they were leaving, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last we heard from the Coldpeak pack.

___

It had been a few days since the confrontation at the border. I was watching Sable practice her knife throwing. We hadn’t been able to train that morning, so we were met in the evening today.

“May I join you?” A voice sounded from behind him. I turned to see Noriko standing there. I gestured him over.

“Did Elda really think Kato would join packs with her?” I asked, making an attempt at conversation.

“She speaks!” Noriko teased. “And Elda has a way of getting what she wants, one way or another” he continued darkly.

“That’s not ominous or anything. So why did you leave?”

“Trust me, you would’ve too”

I gave him a dissatisfied look.

“Look, Elda’s a great alpha, in theory. Determined, courageous, even compassionate when she wants to be. But I’m much happier following someone like Kato. Someone who wants what’s best for his pack and puts them above his own ambitions. Not to say Elda didn’t have our best interests at heart, she can just take her… beliefs a bit far” he explained. I nodded slowly. I could understand that, as far I was concerned, Kato was a great alpha and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. There were clearly some details Noriko was omitting as to why he left his home, but I couldn’t really blame him, I hadn’t exactly been the most welcoming. We watched in silence for a moment. Listening the sound of the blades hitting the tree and Sable grunting in concentration. A warm breeze blew by us and I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe spring was finally around the corner. Noriko on the other hand, didn’t look so pleased.

“Not a fan of the warmer weather?” I asked, pointing to his frown.

“Just not used to it I suppose, winter here is already so much warmer than in the mountains. I cannot imagine what it’ll be like in spring. What about you?”

“I like the spring, not to warm not to cold” I shrugged.

“No no no, it’s all about summer!” Sable cut in, throwing her last knife, “every other season here is way to cold”  

“Here? Are you not from the Pinewood pack?” Noriko asked.

“Nu uh. I was born in the desert, where it’s a much more reasonable temperature. My sister and I have only lived in the Blue Kingdom for a couple years now”

My eyebrows went up in surprise. I hadn’t known that. I mean I knew Sable wasn’t from this pack, but I guess I had assumed she had been born in the Kingdom.

“What brought you and your sister here?” Noriko asked before I could stop him. The news of desert massacres clearly hadn’t reached that far north. The desert used to be home to three packs much like around the Blue Kingdom. A pack of Kitsune, Bounders and of course Nekojin. In the past couple of years, all three had been destroyed by an unknown force.

“Sable, we should finish up training” I broke in to save her from answering what I assumed was a sensitive topic. Judging by the thankful look on her face I had come to the right conclusion. I gave Noriko a look to urge him not to push it, I could explain later.

[thebluekingdomstory]

Lily Mir (she/her)

Traits: Confident, cunning and manipulative

Birthday: August 17th 976

Race: Half wolfskin, Half nekojin (leopard)

Family: Half sister- Elda Mir

Occupation: ?

[thebluekingdomstory]

Adara’s story part thirty three

I closed my eyes as I breathed in the clean spring air. The smell of melting snow and the first growth. I could hear bird song above my head. They sounded as happy as I was that winter as finally over. I smiled at being outside for the first time since I had been injured. Kato and Hari had kept me on lock down until they were sure I was healing properly. I guess it was kind of sweet, but it was mostly annoying. 

My joy dissipated and my muscles tensed as I saw Lily at the edge of the clearing, watching me. Our eyes met for a moment before she quickly looked away. There was a look of guilt on her face. She turned and slinked away into the woods. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. What was that all about? I glanced behind me to make sure Kato wasn’t watching from the window before following after her. I crept through the brush, tracking her. I braced myself against a tall spruce tree, catching my breath. I cursed my body for not healing fast enough. I clutched my bandaged side and kept following Lily’s trail. She was shockingly easy to follow, like she wasn’t making any effort not to be. The woods around me began to thin as I neared the eastern border, which was a sheer cliff face leading to the ocean. I finally spotted her. She was standing with her back to me, right at the edge of the cliff.

“I don’t believe we’ve been formerly introduced” Lily called out, still facing the ocean. I let go of my side as not to show any weakness.

“No. We haven’t” I said as I warily approached. A feeling of cold dread began to wash over me. I was almost close enough to touch her. “What are you doing out here?” I demanded.

“Not that we needed to be. Oh, I’ve heard all about you, Adara” she continued, ignoring my question. “A formidable assassin turned babysitter to his highness” she mocked. She finally turned to face me, her dark blue eyes glowing with malice.

“And my biggest obstacle in this sorry excuse for a pack” In one fluid motion she grabbed my arm and as though I weighed nothing, she tossed me over the side of the cliff. Air rushed around me, panic exploding in my chest. My mind ran a mile a minute. What the hell had just happened? I could worry about that later, assuming there was a later. I forced myself into focus as I fell through the air. I reached out blindly and just barely managed to grab an outcropping of rock, abruptly stopping my fall. I groaned at the burning pain in my injured side. I reached up with my other hand and held on tight, my feet fitting into grooves in the cliff face. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, not wanting to look down. I knew what awaited me there; tall, sharp stones jutting out cruelly from the sand below. Even if I wasn’t impaled, the fall was too far, I’d never survive.

“Wow nice catch” I heard from above. I opened my eyes and glared upwards. “Maybe you are as good as they say” Lily jeered.

“What is wrong with you?!” I yelled up.

“Oh, you haven’t figured out yet? Well, my little sister sends her regards” she smirked, as though she was waiting for me to put the pieces together. It hit me. Lily. Lily Mir. That’s why I recognized the name. Elda must have sent her here to do goddess knows what. And I had fallen, quick literally, right into her trap. Lily must have read the understanding on my face as she continued,

“Aaannnd she’s got it! Give the girl a prize!”

“You’re psychotic” I spat.

“That’s a bit harsh. You should have agreed to Elda’s offer while you had the chance. Good bye, Adara” she called as she turned back to the forest.

“Wait!”

“You may have saved your little Prince, but your alpha is mine” she said as walked out of view. Surprise flooded through me, followed my anger. She was responsible for the attack on Aegean? How dare she! And why? None of this made sense. I shook myself. Later Adara, later. I had to warn Kato, before it was too late...

I tried to pull myself up to a ledge a couple feet above my head. My muscles burned at the effort. I brushed it with my fingertips. Suddenly, pain rushed through me, emanating from the wound in my side. My vision spotted black and I nearly lost my grip. I closed my eyes and breathed through the pain. I looked down as it returned to a dull ache. My lilac coloured shirt was spotted with blood on my left side. Not a good sign. Obviously climbing out of here was out of the question. I began calling for help. The eastern border wasn’t often patrolled, probably why Lily choose it, but maybe I would get lucky. I needed to get lucky.

My voice quickly grew hoarse, my throat sore from yelling. I cling to the rock and prayed someone would find me, and soon. My legs shook at the effort of holding me up. I dug my nails into the soft stone, my fingers cramping at the movement. My ears pricked at a distant sound. I held my breath and focused all my attention to the forest above. There it was again! It sounded like a voice, calling out. I yelled for help again. The voice called again, closer this time. Close enough to make out.

“Adara!”

My eyes welled up in relief as I recognized Hari’s voice, “I’m here!”

Hari’s face appeared over the edge of the cliff, “Damn, what happened?”

“Lily” I spat out.

“Okay, don’t move, I’ll be right back” Hari said before disappearing. Like I had anywhere to go. He returned quickly with a long vine. He threw one side down the cliff face.

“Grab on!” He called. I eyed the vine hanging beside me. It hardly looked safe, but I didn’t really have a choice. I took the vine in shaking hands and carefully put my whole weight on it. Hari slowly lifted me up. Once at the top, Hari pulled me into a tight hug. I pushed him away, still trembling hard from fear and exhaustion.

“Kato’s in danger! We have to get back, NOW!” There was no time to explain. I transformed and hit the ground running. I sped back through the trees, ignoring the pain and the fact that my wound wasn’t bandaged in this form. I looked back to see Hari streaking after me, faster than I had ever seen him run. We finally made it to the alpha house. I shifted back and burst through the door. Silence met my intrusion. Silence and the smell of blood.

Hari and I found Kato’s crumpled form on the floor of his room; blood pooled around him. His face was paler than I had ever seen it and his hand limply held his stomach, holding what looked to be a stab wound. The scene before me was all to familiar. I forced myself to stay in the present and bent over Kato. I gently put my hand on his wrist to check his pulse in desperate hope that he was still alive. Before I could feel a heartbeat, his amber eyes fluttered open. He was alive! I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and looked up and Hari to see horror on his face melt into relief.