D: FF2D36 T:A3FF2D G:782D13 F:209F09
Seven pairs of yellowed eyes began in order of height to appear; all of them glinted in the dark, as though cameras were flashing. There was no natural light in the ditch they had found themselves in and the walls were slick with something that smelt like the remains of previous kills. The eldest and tallest, clapped her hands together and the creatures on the other side of the pit all hissed, some growled in pain as the light blinded them for the briefest of moments, this move covered Adah in sweat as she kept the feline’s attention and eyes on her small ball of light. Behind her hid Bisa and Laila who were both certain that this had been a mistake; why on the ancients would their parents throw their three children down into a pit with unknown creatures? Surely their parents were rushing to rescue them, to grab some rope any moment now and help them out of this place. That had been the hope anyway…
Bisa’s foot collided with something that not only felt but sounded like bone against her skin, she cowered further into the shadow of her sister’s orb of light. Adah turned and gave her sister a look.
“Is there any way out?” The eldest of the sisters shifted her weight and took another step forward, keeping her eyes squarely on the largest of the shadowed forms.
“The walls are smooth sister. I cannot see any cracks, any indication that up is the way.”
Neither Adah or Bisa inhaled through their noses, Laila made the mistake of doing so and felt her stomach rise up in protest. She tried desperately to swallow the bile down and further clung to the middle of their trio. Laila still held onto the hope that their parents were coming, her sisters however knew the ugly truth of the matter – no one was coming. They would have to save themselves. Pinching her nose shut, Laila tried to do as her sisters did, inhaling and exhaling through her mouth, she eyes her sisters weary forms in the darkness. Like Bisa, she had been gifted with talents of water and darkness, moon claimants… she could just barely see their identical twinkle; Adah was iridescent with the shimmer of a sun claimant, fire and light.
“Why would father throw us down here?”
“We came out wrong.”
“Wrong?” Laila didn’t know this word. What did it mean?
“Our family is made up of fire claimants. None of us are like that.”
“You can make light.” Laila pointed out.
“It’s not enough. We’ll never be enough.”
“They sent us down here to die.”
The words felt like knives and Laila winced, gripping onto Bisa even tighter, the more proficient of the two moon claimants, gave her a soft smile of sympathy. As if to say that they would die here and be released to Elysian… that’s where children like them went. Gritting her teeth, Adah forced herself to split the small orb in half, holding both in her outstretched palms. Laila didn’t know what else to do but cry.
“Hush, don’t cry. We can make it out of here. We just have to be brave. You can be brave little night? Can’t you?”
“I can’t keep this up. Bisa, see if you can locate the top of the ledge.”
“It’s a pit, Adah. There is no ledge.”
“Try anyway. Lift Laila up. She is the best climber.”
Bisa loosened Laila’s fingers and in a practiced position, one that they had used many times before to spy on their father and mother at night. Bisa lowered herself down to the ground and held firm so that Laila, though still crying could do her best to climb atop her sister’s limbs and onto Bisa’s shoulders. Adah, sent one of the orbs that she held in her hand up and towards Laila’s eyes.
“What do you see Laila?”
Laila’s eyes focused in the darkness, where she could see lines, lines created from people who had in their last bouts of activity before succumbing to their deaths, etched into the walls… the cavities were deep enough for her nails. They could climb. They just needed to find the rest, she looked down to where her sisters were and spotted more.
“There are nail marks. Deep. We can climb using them.”
“Do they go to the top. Is the pit covered?”
“No. I can just see the stars.”
“Perfect little night!” Bisa praised her and that caused a smile to light up Laila’s face. They would survive the night after all.
“Mark the path with your tears. I’ll be able to follow you. Then we will both haul Adah up.” Bisa suggested.
“No, you must go before me Bisa. I am a sun claimant. Equal parts fire and light. Remember what mama said? No child of light can be harmed by a lion or their kin.”
“I am slowest and heaviest.”
“That is why you should go before me. I am almost as fast as Laila.”
Laila had at this point stopped listening, she had instinctively taken to climbing the wall, her nails digging into the indents just as many others had before, she did not look down nor at her sister’s for encouragement. She was almost at the top when a spear pierced her hand, she screamed as she fell back down the pit and onto her sisters. All of them groaning in pain as a voice from above echoed down.
“Try that again and it’ll be your head.” Their father cautioned.
Their father was there… and he was holding a spear to keep them from escaping, as Laila held up her hand the hole in it gaped and she cried. Bisa ripped part of her shirt off and wrapped the youngest hand up as quick as she could, the scent of her blood causing the felines on the deeper end of the pit to shift in anticipation.
Adah furious that their father would do such a thing, moved away from where she had been standing watch and shot a pitiful attempt of ball encompassed by light, it did not make the distance however and exhausted, Adah could no longer create a source of light to keep the felines away. Huddling in a small triangle of limbs, Laila’s head tucked on Bisa’s shoulder as Adah’s own chin rested on her head.
“We will be ok sisters. We will try again tomorrow. I will stay awake. Both of you try to sleep. We will be ok.”
“What if we die?” Laila hiccuped.
“We won’t. I won’t let us. Solaria won’t let us.”
“Nor will Lunia. Mother moon wouldn’t let us die like this.” Bisa murmured.
"It's either you hunt or you are hunted."
To everyone else who was a moon claimant, they knew this to be the truth. Mother moon expected them to hold their own lives over everyone else, and if they could not then it was their fault and therefore they should be hunted. The three sisters stood in a small tight knit triangle, with the bodies of their father, mother and half of their relatives dead around them. Those hours spent in the pit, they had managed to keep track and it was somewhere close to forty thousand; nearly five years and that time spent down there with those felines who had in the end decided they were too much trouble to kill, it had changed the three girls from small pitiful creatures into true killers. By the time they made it out of the pit, they had grown from small seven year old girls to murderous twelve years old who wanted nothing but revenge. Adah wiped herself clean against the rag tag clothing that still somehow cringed to her body, Bisa and Laila were naked however: both had abandoned the thought of clothes after it was clear the clothes would only slow them down even more. That was most evident on Bisa's face after a lioness attempted to take her eye out – that creature had died at the hands of Adah who ripped the creature's throat out with her teeth; they cooked the meat and ate like queens for six days afterwards.
Adah had been the first to slay a member of their family, using their father's own signature weapon against him, the bolas now sat at her feet. Bisa had used their mother's flying claw to strangle the woman who had abandoned them for the hope of some future that never came. Laila had not managed to use any weapons but her screaming had sent those who came up behind her sisters into the floor or the walls. It was only after the three were sure no one else would come for them that they allowed themselves a chance to rest; unbeknownst to them however was the presence of the second of the hybrid ancients; Lunia who had watched with some kind of sadistic pleasure.
"Now that you have proven yourselves. It is time you both come with me."
"Never. We do not obey anyone."
"You dare to refuse me?"
"We refuse you mother moon. You had your chance. You have only come here to hold yourself as some kind of fake saviour."
Adah stepped in front of her sisters who were looking at their ancient with vengeance, Laila was the first to break her stare with Lunia, she stepped over the body of their mother and walked towards the water fountains that acted as centrepieces inside the courtyard, a courtyard that hadn't changed since the night they had been thrown into the bottom of a pit with lions for company. She washed off the gore of the battle, dipping her head under water and allowing it to the cleanse her of all of the damage and trauma of the past few years. She looked at her crimson red eyes, she did not want to be alive. She wanted to be something else; perhaps a bird. She listened as her sisters joined her by her side, all three feeling clean for the first time in forever; if ever. Lunia still expected her obedience, still expected that Bisa would go along and they would leave Adah behind; their eldest sister hadn't yet met her own ancient and wondered if Solaria was too busy trying to reign.
"If you do not return with me, what will you do?"
"We will live, or try to keep living."
"We will be fine. We have only needed each other."
"We do not need your help Lunia, or anyone of the other ancients."
"You three will be hunted to the ends of the earth."
"By who? We slaughtered the entire Chipo clan, we do not identify as them."
It was a terrible memory, one that her mind often went to when she wasn’t focusing on her work. No wonder the sudden snapping of the graphite under her fingers bothered her so much. It was a perfectly good pencil, now ruined because she had lingered too far in her past memories, her past self. Sighing out loud did no good, replacing it with another; her eyes focused in on the different notes and chords she had strung together idly whilst her mind had drifted. Normally her chamber was packed to the brim with the noise of different instruments whilst she tinkered away at different ideas, but as of late the room had been relatively doomed to silence. Dishevelled, she hopped up from her stool and decided to take a walk around the sparsely decorated room. Sparsely because the only things that do decorate it are tools for her work as the Ancient of Death’s war bird. War siren. War something, she still hadn’t decided a name for herself, she sang songs and people found themselves dead or about to die – if she had to be accurate.
She’s interrupted by a presence, well the only presence she can stand to tolerate anymore. Novevu stands behind a glass window, the glass is meant to protect him rather than her, the only allowance the window has are small little cuts that allow for normal speaking, not singing to pass through. Novevu reaches through the glass, as only an Ancient can.
“Good evening.”
“What can I do for you Novevu?”
“It’s DeVian’s birthday. She turns sixteen today.”
“I see.”
“I think you should meet her.”
“We’ve already discussed this. It’s safer for her, for me to be away.”
“Well you’re invited anyway. You can attend. Be in the background.”
“Then what’s the point in my going?”
“Please, Laila. Do it for her. If not, then for the child inside you who did not get to have it.”
Novevu’s words stung and she glared at him as he left her to her work. She tented her fingers in front of her and spun around on her heels, she needed to focus, she would not be going. There was no way in hell, not with a comment like that. DeVian didn’t need her, didn’t suddenly need the appearance of her mother who she believed was dead suddenly popping up and saying hello. Right? Laila cursed herself as she picked up her pencil, settled back onto the stool and went back to agonising over the cello accompaniment to her composition.
Small pentagon shapes tents had been set up in the yard, a small mirror to the human realm set up in the centre - a convenience for the mortal Bruno who could not traverse into the realm of death, he was buzzing about as fast as his aged legs would allow, occasionally claimants passed through the portal putting platters, presents and furniture down. A homemade clumsily string sign with glitter and terribly hand drawn attempts at roses and daisies proudly wished DeVian happy birthday. Laila could just spy some of the guests to her daughter’s sweet sixteenth. Including: Marjorie and her three sons who were all dressed semi-formally… though you could tell from the way the tallest one seem to tug at his bowtie whilst the smallest seemed to fiddling with his shoes.
DeVian herself was nowhere to be seen. Laila observed the sudden arrival of carnival rides; curtesy of the ancient of Darkness, the sudden blooming of rare flowers and arrival of half a dozen void pups - curtesy of Florita; the blooms themselves glowing like candles. Even their three children, Ritunen, Vetani and Soivan were in attendance - though it did make Laila laugh to see such a sour expression on Vetani’s usually composed features.
Laila retreated from the windows and returned to the folded manila envelope on her desk. She had abandoned her current project for something a little more personal; wordlessly she sealed the envelope and its content with her signet ring, placing it into the waiting jaws of the void pup that accompanied her.
“Put this with the other gifts for DeVian. Let no one see you.”
With that she was once again left alone to her own devices. Returning to the window she watched idly as some of DeVian’s not quite friends not quite enemies not quite anything fellow house members waited in small groups with bags, boxes and other assortment of shaped containers. Novevu really must be going to an awful lot of effort, to celebrate their daughter’s birthday.
“She’s here!” Marjorie’s voice filtered through the mass of people who had come to wish DeVian well on her birthday.
Laila placed her hand on the glass as her daughter stepped through the mirror, from the mortal realm to the Void. Bruno stood in view clapping and smiling, pipe tucked to the side of his mouth as people shouted surprise, happy birthday, compliments, jokes and more. DeVian looked partially overwhelmed as she was drawn into the crowd, at the centre of it all, Novevu stood. He gave her a tight hug and rubbed her back as he told everyone to back off and enjoy themselves. The pair walked beyond the rest and into one of the tents; Laila sighed. If only she had what humans called x-ray vision.
“Happy birthday DeVian.”
Novevu said once the pair were away from the loud fray of celebrating claimants. Inside the tent was a mountain of presents and her three adoptive brothers, all who held their own hand wrapped gifts; unlike the rest which DeVian was surely going to either discard, donate, destroy or return. The gifts that her three adoptive brothers would be kept safe and were heart felt. The first to step up was Truman, who in his rainbow laced shows held a small almost hand sized box.
“For you! I made it myself… mum helped me with the wrapping. Couldn’t get the ribbon right.” He blushed before stepping back.
DeVian slipped the ribbon and gently tore at the paper until a wooden display box revealed itself. She looked at the youngest of her adopted siblings - younger even than she at only ten and allowed herself a look inside. It would to anyone else seem pathetic, a bracelet with no precious stones, no gold, no metal of any worth. Just string and seashells.
“Spent the whole year combing the beach near home. Polished them myself and put them on string. The big one has the sound of the sea in it. So when you go on missions you’ll have some piece of home on you… to keep you safe. Till you come back.”
It sounded rehearsed, Truman had spent all week memorising and figuring out what he wanted to say to his big sister. Georgie was next, loud and boisterous as always he handed DeVian a much larger box.
“Spent half my savings on it. I know ma told us to make you gifts but I couldn’t figure out how to make what I ended up having to buy you.”
This next gift was more practical, a new polishing set for her Halberd as well as new grips and a charm with her initials on them, she noticed it said D.T rather than D.K, D.L or D.D.
“You got my initials wrong.”
“No I didn’t. You’re our sister. A Torres like us. Now can I go? I don’t wanna have to queue for the ice cream truck.”
Marjorie chastised Georgie who giggled and ran off, he was just older than DeVian at eighteen but still a massive child at heart. Last but not least; the coldest and probably the least liked for his brutal honesty was that of Francisco. He couldn’t even hold his present; well the latter half.
“Open it. If you want.”
It took more than a minute for DeVian to extract what happened to be a hand carved marble and obsidian bed frame, luggage chest and jewellery case from all of the paper and fragile stickers.
“Thank you. I love-“
“Don’t. We’re family. Hopefully you put it to use.”
Why Francisco felt the need to bark his words out, no one really knew. He gave DeVian a quick hug before stepping out of the tent. It left Marjorie and Truman alone with DeVian. Her first present had been from Bruno, she had received it that morning; a full encyclopaedia of all of his recipes, with notes and pictures of how to make the dishes she so loved. Marjorie smiled and gave her a tight squeeze before offering up a simple pouch.
“What’s this?”
DeVian was at first unsure of what her mother figure could possibly give her. She slid it out of its pouch, revealing a fine gold locket. Unlocking the clasp allowed her to see a small family picture of everyone, including Novevu. She could feel tears forming and had to blink them away. Novevu was next, he seemed to be holding one of his pomegranates, but it wasn’t like the ones he usually forced down her throat, instead it was merely a golden pomegranate shaped case; inside a key as well as a ring sat.
“Your first property. As well as your own offical signet ring.”
She had recalled that a few weeks ago Novevu had asked what she had wanted to represent her. She had no idea and instead told him to figure something out; so he had. The symbol on the ring was simple, her initials, a crown and the blade of her halberd. She slipped the ring onto her index finger and the metal felt warm.
“What do you mean first property?”
“Come. Let me show you.” Novevu offered her his hand.
“Don’t disappear for too long.” Marjorie commented.
“Never. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Taking her ancient’s hand they vanished from their present location and found themselves in another part of the Void where a huge manor sat; course, unbeknownst to DeVian was that the house had once belonged to her former life Qrow and his partner Godfrey; this had been their home before they had moved to the mortal realm. Novevu had of course brought it up to the modern era but had tried to keep most of it the same for memories sake.
Laila paced her room, her void pup had not returned and she wondered if it had been caught or had found itself in trouble. She could not stop thinking about what DeVian's reaction would be, surely it was insanity to introduce herself now; after sixteen years of being apart. Finally she decided, she was sick of agonising over it and needed to be there to see DeVian's reaction for herself. She slipped between the hidden hallways of the mansion that Novevu resided within; she knew these passages as well as the ancient of death himself – mostly because it was the only way she could move around and not accidentally bump into her daughter. Trailing past the dark flames, hell fire made her as uncomfortable as Adah in full power. Soon she emerged in an outdoor area, close to where Novevu and DeVian had arrived to view the manor of Qrow and Godfrey. The Void pup she had tasked with gifting her daughter, the composition for her daughter's lullaby came to a stop beside her.
"Couldn't sneak in properly?"
The void pup nodded and wagged it's tail.
"It's alright. I'll do it myself. I might as well wish her happy birthday if nothing else."
They entered the manor through an open window and both listened for DeVian and Novevu, both of whom were inside the kitchen as DeVian opened cabinets and checked that the house really was her's. Novevu eyed Laila as she emerged from the shadows and stopped by his side. He wasn't sure if she was going to speak or if he would have to speak for her. The Void pup barked, allowing for DeVian to turn and look at Laila for the first time.
"Happy birthday DeVian."
"Whose this?"
"Can't you see the resemblance?"
"No?"
"This is Laila. My.."
"I'm your mother."
With those three simple words. Laila and DeVian's world changed forever, and some might say not exactly for the best either. Mother and daughter stared at each other across the tiled floor, not daring to speak, not daring to move... not even breathing. The Void pup looked at mother and daughter, panting. Novevu wondered if he was about to witness a war or a complete collapse in either female's composure. It was Laila who spoke first after dropping the conversational bombshell.
"You have my eyes."
"My eyes are red."
"Mhm, eyes that I used to share when I was a moon claimant."
"Moon claimant?" DeVian breathed out
"Yes. I fell pregnant with you, and then transferred house."
"But that would mean..."
DeVian trailed off, her eyes narrowing at Novevu. Laila knew her daughter had her smarts, and knew she had joined the dots together. She just had to say it now. Laila turned to look at Novevu who was looking into the distance. DeVian refused to say it, instead she clenched her fists and turned back to look at her new kitchen, Laila sighed and Novevu cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Give her time. It must not be easy. Learning her parents were alive all along."
"You said I killed my mother when I was born."
"Well..."
"Rather I nearly killed you with my scream. Mon cherie."
"Don't call me that."
"You don't approve of the French?"
"I don't even know you."
"You will in time, I suppose learn to know me. As I have known you all your life DeVian."
"I cannot believe this." Her daughter hissed.
"Nor do humans believe that we exist. Yet here we stand."
"Don't get all philosophical with me."
"I am not, I am merely stating the truth."
"Then this is utter bullshit. I am an orphan."
"How can you say that when you can feel in your bones that you are half of me. Half of your father."
