edge of the moon {open}

[ikiwa]

The White Fang.

- - - IKIWA syn KAMITSUKI
"Would you go to the edge of the moon to save the one you love most?"

The wind lashed out viciously across the barren landscape. It's cold, merciless tendrils pulled the snow up, creating a large curtain. No matter how hard Ikiwa peered ahead, he could see nothing farther than a few feet. There was no sense of night and day, just pure, white oblivion. Indeed, in such an environment one could easily lose track of time. Taking a few steps could take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours, all depending on the wind's mood at that moment.

Fighting against what appeared to be a losing battle, Ikiwa was beginning to wonder how far he had gone. It felt as if he'd been out there months, but he knew that it could be no longer than a few days. Without a doubt this would prove to be one of his more difficult adventures out here. Although he'd expected things to be rough, he'd had no idea whatsoever that a storm like this would be brewing in. Once he got his hands on that fortune teller, he'd ensure that she'd pay.

Why had Ikiwa decided to go on this perilous journey? The answer was quite simple: to be a hero. There was news that a girl had disappeared around here not too long ago. After investigating a little with the parents, he realized that there was a very good chance that it wasn't just another con. Besides, if he did manage to save the girl he'd be getting a hefty amount of money from the parents.

"Where is a fucking mirror when you need one?" Ikiwa whispered to himself. He had brought extra clothes to wear, but they didn't help much at all. To be able to turn into a large, hairy wolf would be something spectacular right now, but of course that wasn't how the curse worked. The curse. It was because of it that he had to play hero. It was because of it that he wasn't able to look at his own reflection without losing control of himself.

Growling, he pressed forward, telling himself that with each step he was getting closer to finishing this stupid adventure. No doubt the girl had died long ago from cold. And yet...he couldn't bring himself to turn around and start heading back. Even if he knew where back was he probably wouldn't do it. This was most likely a case of his stubbornness, but if so it wouldn't do any good to fight it. He had learned long ago that he was too stubborn to even sway himself.

In this barren land of death, he truly felt as if he were alone on the moon, isolated from everything. Ikiwa would fight on, get the girl's body, or he'd die doing it. Maybe this was the ultimate price he would pay for the lives he took oh so long ago...

[Anastasia Lacusta]

Curiosity killed the Cursed.

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"Nathaniel, do you believe this place to be haunted? Gaze upon the naked trees, desolate frosted ground and wasteland of fields! There are no signs of life and the wind could even chill me to the bone, hahah~!" A delightful string of giggles erupted from the poetic, dramatic mouth of none other than Anastasia Lacusta. If one judged upon first glance she appeared as a beautiful woman who appears to have a fine yearning of the acting arts, often quoting strange and forgotten plays performed over millions of years. Quite mysterious with her lack of truthful statements and very energetic, rarely becoming bored or tired. No one would realize she had been an actress for over three hundred years now, not considered old for an Eternal, but for humans and creatures alike - three centuries often passed so slowly. At first when she'd been elected to become an Eternal in the first place, she accepted on such terms that she would live forever beautiful and of course - bring nothing but pleasure to all of the world. She wanted to act forever, to entertain thousands for the rest of her life; she didn't ask for such vast amounts of power be granted to her. Not only did her acting skills increase tenfold but so did her spirits! As if an untold amount of charisma suddenly flooded the young twenty three year old woman in a warm embrace, never letting her go from its warmth and comfort.

Such long, boring days would pass before she'd obtained the strength to actually venture out into another realm besides her beloved Endless, knowing all too well the Eternal's there along with herself ruled upon such lands and because of their power would often scare any adventurers away. She didn't want to be feared necessarily but noticed in some sort of fashion; loving, admiration, anything that related with a "feel good" type of emotion. Esther was the only realm she thought interesting enough to venture into despite obvious hazards such as the changelings and monstrous beasts who disguised themselves as man. Such people didn't frighten her, having the mind they had common sense about them to never challenge an Eternal. Even as one as non violent as she. After hours of being coached from a horse drawn carriage, she often took long naps while her driver, Nathaniel, led the way to a nearby village. It was then within the next moments there was a small, distinctive voice heard within the darkness known as Disea; somehow picking up the sounds of a small little girl through the desolate and violent winds. "...Stop the carriage!" A firm voice erupted from long stretches of silence, the carriage slowly ceasing to a halt. Is something wrong, milady? Anastasia couldn't believe such a small child would be venturing out at a late hour and especially now, when those terrifying beasts surfaced at night to prey upon the living. "What, can you not hear that? Hello, hello!"

The actress surfaced from the carriage to be greeted by cold winds, seizing her long furr coat and wrapping it tightly around her lithe figure as she stood in the middle of an empty gravel road. Alas, nothing - not even a whisper. Her voice vibrated against the mountains and she wondered if it wasn't her imagination. I-I'm here! Curious lavender jewels focused from the destination of a small voice to find a little girl bundled in tatters and rags, hiding beneath a few boulders as means for shelter and warmth. A little girl! "Why, whatever are you doing under there? This isn't a place for little girls to play . . .", Anastasia asked the young girl curiously before approaching her lithe figure, a small frown creasing such beautiful lips to express her obvious distress. She might've been careless if it were a grown man or woman but thankfully, she had a soft spot for lost little children. I-I've become lost and I don't know how to get home! Won't you help me, m-miss? Oh, such adoring large blue eyes she had as they sniffled from tears and gazed upon the older woman. Anastasia wouldn't resist such a charming child and quickly seized her small body with open arms, scooping her in one sweep and carrying her bridal style towards the carriage. Nathaniel's stern expression never wavered even after watching his lady behave so strangely. Shall I prepare the snacks? "Yes! Two cups of warm jasmine tea and many little sandwiches for miss . . .?" The little girl appeared to be struggling still to grasp reality - in wonder if such a woman like her even existed; nothing survived this barren waste land and yet someone appeared out of nowhere to save her! Re-rebecca, m'am.

Snow sprinkled from both of their clothing as they crawled inside the warmth, victorian savvy coach; snuggling beneath several handwoven blankets before partaking in food. Small sandwiches made with cheese and ham, small yet always filled cups of warm tea and several pastries to enjoy for dessert. From what the young girl been explaining for the past hour of travel, it seems she was trying to find her way home before growing scared and lost. Rumors had it there were signs of half lings and cursed around the grounds and they sought to destroy every last one of them, knowing they were a danger when a village lived close by. Anastasia realized then her family must felt worried sick for her disappearance and perhaps sent a few people out to find her. "Never worry your pretty head, those foul smelled beasts shall never find you~!" Pale red lips stretched into an easy going smile before gazing outside of the carriage window, watching nothing but snow breeze past their strong fortress. Suddenly, as if by an unknown force, the carriage reverberated and ceased again - horses neighing in protest and fear while Nathaniel from above spoke in a hushed yet cautious tone. Milday, it seems we have company. Rebecca froze in her seat and tried to appear brave, Anastasia on the other hand felt excited and quite anxious. "Oh? More lost children?" Drawn out silence, awkward tension suddenly floating in the air, before he finally spoke again. "No. A cursed."

words; 1040!
tag; big bad wolf. <3
note; I hope you don't mind, dear.

[ikiwa]

The White Fang.

- - - IKIWA syn KAMITSUKI
"Would you go to the edge of the moon to save the one you love most?"

For a second, Ikiwa couldn't believe what he was seeing. Almost as if by magic a carriage had appeared mere feet in front of him. It was such an odd thing to find in a place like this that he was beginning to doubt his senses. There had been talk about losing one's mind in places like this, but he'd truly believed that it wouldn't happen to someone like him. He'd seen terrible things in his life, done most of them himself, and never before had his senses once lied to him. With this in mind, he took a deep breath and accepted that the carriage had to be real...at least for now.

Before Ikiwa moved any closer to the carriage, he looked closely at the ground. There were tracks, but already they were nearly hidden. It couldn't have stopped there that long ago. "Stranger things have happened." He said dryly. Just because it looked like a fairly friendly carriage didn't mean anything. In this region there were laws that surpassed all others, such as kill or be killed. This could be a trap, but it could also be his chance to find news of the girl.

And with that, he walked right up to the carriage and banged twice, hard, on the door. Ignoring the driver's looks, Ikiwa yanked the door open (for the cold had fastened it shut quite well) and walked right on in. And why shouldn't he? How many times had he barged into the houses of the nobles and stripped them of everything, including their lives? Why should barging into a carriage be any different?

"Cold weather we're having, isn't it?" Ikiwa asked as he sat down across from the woman. She was quite beautiful, a little darker skin color than what Ikiwa usually saw, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It had been a while since he'd satisfied his desires as a man, and this carriage might just be a blessing in disguise after all.

Glancing around the inside of the carriage, he noticed with faint surprise that someone familiar was also there. "My, my, it seems that this is a blessing." As it turned out, this woman seemed to have picked up the missing girl. It surely saved him a lot of time, but it also brought up one small problem. Since she found the kid, she was entitled to the money. For now, however, he decided to hide that fear. He'd deal with it later, with blood, if the time came.

---

notes: Not at all. It brings an interesting twist, after all.

[Anastasia Lacusta]

Curiosity killed the Cursed.

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That playful, teasing face expression slowly melted away into a certain level of seriousness from the moment his words reached her ears, knowing that many cursed and their herds of beasts claimed this desolate mountain their home. Rebecca, ever so cheerful and calm, suddenly became afraid and closed the distance between herself and the eternal; wrapping both arms desperately around her waist and burying her worried face into the depths of her bosom. Anastasia tried best to smile for the scared little thing but couldn't help but feel slightly scared as well - they were known to be bloodthirsty hounds and willing to take anyone as prey, she could easily hold her own and Nathaniel's but what of the young girl trembling in her arms? It's rare for the actress to be willing to defend anyone than herself but children, small visions of the future, needed to love on and during these few hours spent with this particular one - she knew that protecting her would not equal a good deed but also please a personal wish. Rebecca's safety would be ensured.

From the nervous twitch in Nathaniel's throat, it was obvious he was asking a question rather than alarm his lady anymore than necessary; shall I take care of him for you? Anastasia read between the lines well enough to understand his little message but merely said nothing in return, knowing that endangering himself would only make them one less of a team and stranded alone. Before she had a moment to comfort to young child, the door suddenly flew open - more so from the vicious winds than by the cursed's hand. In a gust of white the half man half beast wandered inside the warmth of the homely carriage, taking it upon himself to seat directly in front of him without asking permission of the current owner. Somewhere beneath her calm exterior came the surge of annoyance, suddenly not comfortable with having a stranger welcoming himself before her presence. “Yes, it is quite nippy outside. I’m surprised some of you mutts are caught wandering about these storms – you could’ve caught your death out there . . .”

Those piercing eyes found the girl shivering underneath in a quizzical sort of fashion, as if he had found something he lost for quite a long time – almost happy even to see her; yet what would a cursed want with a human child? Disposing him from the carriage wasn’t going to be an easy task and perhaps impossible, due to her stunned abilities and the loss of her masquerade mask used for such spells. It was at home still nestled deeply inside a comfortable hiding place. “Such piercing eyes! Are you trying to put me under a spell with such a lovely stare and sensual voice?” With a casual flick of her hand, a growing smile revealed itself beneath those growing emotions of suspicion and slight tension. “My, I suppose you are the big bad wolf and I am little red riding hood – but . . .I am afraid I have no such treats left for you to gobble up.” Suddenly the carriage began to move again; the horses cried from the distance and Nathaniel's deep voice of order commanding them to move, obviously heading towards the direction of town.

"Rebecca, darling, why don't you show your face to the interesting stranger?" A small whine escaped the girls lips as soon as Anastasia's comforting arm tried to lift her, clinging even more desperately. From her bosom she began to whimper and strain a few jumbled words, finally speaking her mind after such extended moments of strained tension. But he's a cursed, those people are bad Annie! He wants to hurt me! A dark brow tilted before giving a hearty laugh, squeezing the small body to her own even more. "Now that will never happen to you; even if he does want to hurt you, I would dispose of him quite easily . . ." Aha. A sign. Eternal's were never known to just out with their identities but it was to prevent others from fearing them, knowing their magical abilities were uncanny. Yet, for the childs sake, she wanted to keep the invisible grasp of dominance in her favor - whether this handsome cursed was to retaliate left to the fate of chance.