Scaling the fence, she dropped to the ground on the other side. Barely looking back, she hurried through the foliage to get herself out of reach of the compound. Once she figured she was far enough away, her pace slowed. Inhaling deep, she realized it was the first true breath she'd dared to take since she'd gotten here.
*It'd been three days. I'd almost think Landon's aunt was keeping us separated out of spite, at this point. I didn't know anyone here, and I've been so afraid of my heritage being exposed that I've spent most of the last few days either in my bedroom or out in the trees past the wall. I'd lay on the springy moss, letting the greenery soothe and recharge me. Keeping my fire genes sated was safe to do at the settlement, this...this was not. I'd also peeked from the small window above my feather filled mattress, watching as the others went about their days. The settlement was large, and there were always people skittering about, parents yelling at the children who were learning their powers. The sales people bartering for what they needed in exchange for the wares they had lining their tables. If I was a true Fire elemental, I'd have enjoyed going to look around, to soak in the atmosphere of the first real settlement I'd entered in a long time. With Landon at my side, I might have enjoyed it. I'd seen him a few times walking past. Always a few females following after him trying to get his attention, no matter how exasperated he looked.*
Iris Vitae |PF| *It was instinctive, the call of nature, of the earth that needed my touch to flourish. Steering clear of the few scattered campsites near the mouth of the forested area I sought, I ducked under the low hanging branches, worry easing as I journeyed deeper. The scent and sounds of the world around me soothed me... here, I could finally relax and be myself. Bending, I scooped up a handful of the dirt underfoot, infusing it with with pure, healing energy. Scattering it bits at a time over the moss-coated ground, my lips curve into a small grin. People just didn't get it, they lived in steel and glass monstrosities, and completely closed themselves off to the way Mother Nature spoke to them, the thread of energy that bound all of us together.*
Long ago, there existed a book, called the Orbis Exodi. It chronicled the exodus and ascent of the elemental Sidhe to the mortal realm, where we cast off the magic of our homeland. We became, in essence, mortal. The Orbis Exodi has been lost to the tomes of time, vanished without a trace. Yet myths and legends still exist, whispered deep in the dark of night.
I cocked my head, listening to the sounds of the forest around me. One could hear so much if they simply shut up, turned off the electronics, and paid attention. There. Ducking lower underneath the rock overhand, I peered from the branches of the hibernating bush in front of me. Hearing raised voices, I couldn't stop the small grin from curving my lips. Adjusting the small rifle in my lap, I shifted to get a little more comfortable. It would take awhile for them to untangle the mess I'd made.
Over countless millenia, there are those who are born to serve, to protect. We walk amongst you, hidden in plain sight, keeping attuned to the world around us. For nature, as with all things, must remain in a delicate balance. As long as we hold steadfast and keep to our duties the world remains, by and large, at peace. Some call us Tuatha Dé Danann. Others deem us Aos Sí. We are few in number, and the damage done to our home is vast. Long ago, some of us were tasked with a special privilege. They were the elite, the ones that were able to enhance and restore the rest of us. They helped us grow, to be able to further protect the earth. Yet, even Sidhe aren't immune to the corruption of power, and what was meant to bond us together, tore us apart.
Our ancestors had a choice. Leave Sidhe, and take our place among the mortals. We could do our best to mitigate the damage to this Earth, and protect all that we can from the shadows, away from those of our own kind who would use us and cause our ruin. We could carry on our sacred duty, hidden in the natural places still left in the world. The catch? Those who left could never return home. It simply wasn't a safe haven for us, not any longer. No longer true Sidhe, over the years we become something "other". We became Elementals. Somewhere in my ancestral line, my family had taken that risk. It was so long ago that none of us living today even remembered Sidhe, most had been born in the mortal realm, amidst danger we couldn't fathom. The stories told at bedtime had long died out, replaced with the monsters and myths of humankind. Even so... for some, those legends remained strong. Over time, whispers remained shrouded in the clans of the pure, hints of a home we never knew. Even amongst our own race, I'm the odd girl out. My mother was a Fire Elemental, my father belonged to Earth. I should have been born wholly one or the other. And yet, my blood failed me. My genetics mean that while I'm weaker than a true Fire or Earth Elemental, I can manipulate both, which makes me kind of a "mutt", but it does lend an element of surprise. To others, I'm worthless. Neither earth, nor fire, not strong enough for either clan. and so I walk alone, existing everywhere, but fitting nowhere. You see, Elementals are pure energy. We are the blood and tears of Mother Nature. The heartbeat of the Earth. We heal and nourish, we restore that which was lost. Yet we cannot fix ourselves, we cannot heal the rift between the mortal realm and our homes. Rumors abound of our powers... people think that we can do things that we've never had the ability to do, like sustain a vampire forever by causing stasis. Of reversing transitions for shifters. Reuniting a spirit with it's mortal form. We can't, of course, but some still persist in trying. We've spent all our lives trying to keep damage from being done to the Earth and her people, and now we too must learn to fight to survive, to retake what is ours. Perhaps we are more mortal than we care to admit. In the end, we all bleed. Elemental/Sidhe Powers- Terrakinesis- control, manipulate and alter/reshape the surrounding terrain and landscape at will. Crystallokinesis - manipulate minerals and crystals. Pyrokinesis - create, control and manipulate fire, flame and heat. Melding- Using heat to break apart or re-form molecular structures, IE Liquification/Solidification. |