LazyGemini

I enjoy writing very much, but even I know this is far too much. Sorry omg. I suppose it demonstrates my writing ability and style, but there’s a short version/TLDR at the very bottom! Sorry again lol On a silent night, a large brown bear trudges along the freshly snowfallen landscape in search of food. For centuries its ancestors and all of the mortal creatures on this northern island have lived in coexistence with the large scaled demons. No creature dared to go near the intimidating winged beasts, and only those who lived in isolation, residing in caves and burrows, would survive against the harsh natural forces. And so they continued, hunting and foraging and breeding and living while only being reminded of the others’ distant existence when the earth would rumble or the smell of smoke would carry with the frigid wind. Then, the arrival of a new settlement of humans began to grow and infest the island from the southern coast, and the mortal animals wished to retreat and reside further north away from the fleet. However, their timid and isolated nature was not shared by the fire-breathing beasts, who began a conquest toward the source of the disturbance to drive them out. With sharp tearing claws, large beating wings, and flaming passionate anger, they claimed more and more land back; soon their territory had grown massively southward, and the animals of the forest scattered and scrambled toward the human settlement in fear. This served to vitalize the human settlers however, who were previously faced with abysmal food resources and the ever growing threat of the demons of the north. Providing them with easier hunting and food alternatives that did not require the traditional fire, it cemented them in their settlements and their population thrived. While the smaller animals – the rabbits, the birds – lived hiding in proximity to these settlements, the larger animals – the bears, the wolves – lived in further isolation, some species choosing to settle themselves in remote and inaccessible areas on mountains and in creeks, travelling miles toward the threatening settlements in order to retrieve food for their young. And on this silent eve, as the stars glimmer in the sky, the bear sees something else glimmer in the distance. Instinctively it cowers, fearing the light to be sourced from the flame which the humans and scaled beasts adored so. However, it feels a wave of calm rush over it, the bear finds itself drawn toward this light, intrigued. Parting bushes as it peers through to view the source, a large paw steps down on to the glowing earth, and the bear is frozen. Its senses are overwhelmed with magic and it is unable to conjure a single lucid thought, let alone will its body to move out of the bush it is sticking its head and right paw out of. In an instant the sense of touch returns to the bear though, and the former leaves surrounding its body being to tingle now with faes weightlessly stroking the bear’s fur, giggling at the soft texture. It cannot will itself to move still, as it feels the movement of the earth beneath it, the life pulsing and flowing through the roots deep underground, the whispering and singing of different beings. Its eyes are dazed and stray from focusing on any singular thing as it experiences the utter euphoria of the world around it. A dull stabbing pain begins to make itself known though, and the bear looses its strength and collapses onto its belly as its consciousness returns. The pain becomes worse, and it begins to hear the faint shouting of humans coming closer. Pulling itself to its feet, the bear trudges through the mystical mushroom circle, crushing and kicking up several as it sloppily attempts to escape certain death. However another blow winds the bear, and it stumbles to the ground, blood pouring out of its stomach where a second arrow is embedded deeply. It’s eyes roll up to see a silhouette atop the small cliff in front of it, before a shadow crosses over the bear’s body and obscures its vision, and the bear goes into its final hibernation. A withering old man holds a pouch of coins closely to his chest, bundled hidden inside his thick fur cloak as his shaky legs work at shuffling through the snow to approach a large bustling crowd. He approaches a taller man toward the back of the crowd, tapping him on the shoulder and lifting his hood to reveal his identity. “Everyone move it, Harker is here!” The tide of humans turn to look at the man, before grumbles and shouts of anger are heard. It parts and slowly dissipates with the complaining men wandering away from the make-shift store. ”Haven’t seen you in a while Gramps, how did you deal with the temperature drop last night?” A jovial man with a thick beard and tall structure regards, leaning out the window of his house comfortably. However his reply comes in action instead of words, the heavy pouch placed on to the sill next to the mans arm. “I told you to not call me that, now show me the haul.” An amused yet tired voice replies, as he lifts his hood and nods in regards to the young boy he spies who smiles at him warmly before going to a different room. The boy emerges back into the room with a large mass of fur bundled in his arms, struggling with the sheer size of it compared to his small growing body. The man turns and chuckles, ruffling his hair before picking up the load from his arms. “Thank you Taron, go fetch my book and quill too.” The boy nods eagerly with a grin before dashing away once more, but the warm smile that was on the mans face slowly drops as he turns back to the older gentleman inspecting the fur. ”We were surprised to get this one last night. Adult female, early stages of pregnancy too. They’re getting more and more desperate for food these days...” He trails off, standing in silence awkwardly as he pats the fur absentmindedly himself. ”It, uh, its probably one of the easiest catches we’ve had as of late. Was just stuck in a bush, and it went down with only 2 arrows-- despite being perfectly healthy!” He muses awkwardly, stressing the the last line as the old man regards him wearily. “I’ll take it.” He replies, already gathering the material up in his arms. The man fronting the store hastily retrieves his hand from resting upon the fur, instead going ti clutch around the pouch of coins instead as he gauges the weight. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Harker. Tell Elysa I say hello.” He regards warmly, offering a small smile to the man pulling the hood over his head once more and turning to retreat back to his home. People begin to shuffle toward to house once more, whispers and murmurs about the previous customer floating in the stale cold air. The man enters a small shack, throwing off his hood and placing the fur on a table next to several sewing tools. He begins to get to work, his calloused and frostbitten hands mending and transforming the material. He hums quietly as he works, the song drifting through the home to the next room, where it is received by a young girl lying asleep. She hears the noise, but cannot place the song. She feels the warmth, but cannot make out the blanket surrounding her body. She sees the darkness of her slumber, and cannot will herself to awaken from it. The girl is a mere 17 years old, and was once a lively child who liked to roughhouse and play with the boys of her small village. Perfectly healthy and adept at wielding an axe, she was always begging to join the men of the village on their hunts, constantly practice-fighting with them and following them around, much to her grandfather’s displeasure. He wanted her to learn from his sewing and crafting skills, intense anxiety forming a rock in the pit of his stomach every time she left their home. He dreaded the day she wouldn’t make it back, as had happened to his son and the child’s own father. And when the desperate knocking arrived on his door to reveal a panting and panicked messenger, informing him that she had sneaked off to follow the hunters and had yet to return, the rock dragged him to his knees and began to decay and rot his insides. That was 2 months ago, and the girl has yet to awaken after finally being discovered lying in the snow unconscious at the foot of a small cliff, covered in scrapes and scratches from the shrubbery. The deep cut on her thigh has now healed over, the wound on her skull does not bleed any more, she does not eat, and yet she continues to sleep with a peaceful expression on her face. As she sleeps, with the newly fashioned bear skin blanket keeping her still body warm, the blackness she sees and feels begins to change. She does not see or hear anything of note, but she feels a sense of warmth and security, reminiscent of a child in their mothers womb. The energy of the bear is stirred, and life continues to surge through the roots in the earth below where the girl sleeps. It ebbs and throbs around her, displaced and having nowhere to flow, trapped in this one place. It begins to grow, as it gathers more energy and strength without having anywhere to place it, and so it searches for sources outside of the earth to dispel it. It amasses within the bear skin atop of her, sinking into her skin and filling her lifeless body with energy. It seeps into her pores and drenches her limbs, and slowly awakens the consciousness within her. She sees the darkness, but she hears her grandfather humming quietly in the next room. She feels the warmth of the blanket on her body, and it stirs a feeling of longing deeply rooted within her. It’s reminiscent of the warmth of when he hugs her grandfather, when she hugged her father, what it would have been like to hug her own mother. The bear hugs her young body, grieving the loss of the children within its womb, and the young her hugs the bear in return. Its soft and warm, and she cannot see anything other than darkness, but she feels it, she knows shes being surrounded in love, she feels the innate connection between mother and kin. “...sa.... Elysa..... Elysa!” She awakens with a gasp, as if she had been drowning and just emerged from the water, and feels her grandfather enveloping her in a tight hug while sobbing. She feels wet tears on her face, and is reminded for a second of a warmth she thought she felt just a moment ago, but she cannot remember now. Her body tingles with sensations, the fuzzy bearskin, her grandfathers long beard tickling the side of her face, the cold breeze hitting her skin after emerging from the blanket. Her fingers twitch, and she moves. Untrained and weak arms reach to hold her grandfather, warm tears spilling down her face for no apparent reason, pooling by her side. “You’re... You’re finally awake... It’s been so long, I...” Her grandfather mumbles in disbelief, tugging at her heart immensely. “I-.. I’m... so sorry...” Her voice is hoarse and crackling as she wills it out, and she receives a cry of joy in reply. They part and she feels his tough calloused hands wipe the tears away from her cheeks. “You’re really awake, you’re alive. I’m- I’m sorry-“ He begins rambling on, before cutting himself off, a laugh of disbelief coming out of his throat as he leans away and retrieves something from beside the bed. ”I really didn’t think I’d get to say this to you... But, happy eighteenth birthday, Elysa.” She stares in disbelief at the small pendant he holds in his hand. ”... How long have I been asleep for?” That is all she can manage to utter, a slight headache beginning to make itself known. “It’s been nearly 8 months Elysa. You’ve been unconscious for 8 months, with no sign of life whatsoever. And now suddenly I’m sitting next to you and I see tears start to spill out of your eyes-- I, I thought I was going crazy...” He continues to go on about the time past and what happened, but it’s all a blur to her as the headache begins to transfer down to her stomach in an intense cramp. Then there’s a bowl of warm food sitting in her lap and a spoon being put in her mouth as she tiredly watches her grandfather feed her while she leans against him. That evening they sit together, both scared of her not awaking the next day. Eventually through the night however her grandfather dozes in his chair, and she covers him with a blanket before being alone to ponder her thoughts. Several people visited after hearing the commotion, and the news of her waking had spread through the village, and though she did want to go outside and look around, she did not feel up to talking to everyone and answering all of the questions that would be thrown at her. A shiver ran through her body and she went to retrieve a blanket, coming across a pile of fur bundled strangely and hidden away. She pulled it out and felt a surge of warmth run through her, immediately tightening her grip on the item before bringing it into the light. It looked to be a hat or headdress of some sort. Fashioned out of a bear head. She immediately knew it was from the same bear, feeling the soft fur reminded her of the same warm sensation the blanket emitted that she just couldn’t put her finger on. She looked out of the window and peered at the night sky, when a large cloud shifted and revealed the full moon. It lit up the room, and the fur seemed to glisten and glow in the light as she turned the item around in her hands. For some reason, she wanted to go out. She didn’t know where, but she just felt she had to be outside of the house and experience the beautiful night sky. She bundled up and threw the blanket over her shoulders, eyeing the item in her hands for a while longer, before donning it on her head. It fit her well, and a strange feeling of belonging washed over her, like she was supposed to have been wearing this, they were hers and hers alone. The clouds had shifted once more, obscuring the sky and hiding her more as she quietly made her way through the darkness. She shuffled through the snow quickly, a nagging feeling of urgency compelling her forward. She wasn’t sure what direction she was heading, but she just knew she had to be somewhere. And then, emerging from between the bushes, she felt something under her foot and shifted. She'd stepped on a rather large mushroom, there were quite a few scattered around actually. She didn’t pay mind to this however, as the moon came into sight and she peered up into the sky. The full moon engulfed her, and she began to feel a buzzing within her very core. Her world swayed and her head pulsed, getting that cramp in her stomach once more. It crippled her, and she fell to her knees in the snow wheezing. She felt as though she’d been shot by an arrow, holding her head in her hands shakily. A branch breaking alerted her, and she looked to her right to see a wolf growling at her. The cold rush of panic ran through her body, and she instinctively wrapped the blanket around her body, shrinking into a ball and cowering. Her body bent over suddenly lurched, tingling and buzzing once more, but stronger, almost unbearable. She grit her teeth and growled in pain, with her hands dug into the snow and head bowed down by her knees in pain. But, the wolf then whimpered slightly, before she heard the sound of it quickly running into the distance. Cautiously, she lifted her head slightly, only to see the forest lit considerably more than before. The wolf had indeed run away for whatever reason, and she sighed out of relief, before feeling several crowded sharp teeth within her jaw. She lifted her hand to inspect what was happening, but was met with a large paw with 5 long claws. It was connected to a thick, furry arm, which lead to a fuzzy body and three other limbs in the same state. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a garbled bear growl. ‘What happened to me? I am a bear? I became the bear? Wait, I can still think, I’m still a human, what is going on?’ Running her paws up and down her body to inspect it, she turned in circles attempting to look at every corner of her new body. The wind rushed past and the trees swayed, obscuring the moon for a moment and bringing her attention to it. She placed her front paws on the ground unsteadily, beginning to cautiously walk forward. She stepped out of the shadows of the trees and into the direct moonlight, marveling at how her fur began to glisten and shine once more. Then, she felt it, the warmth. The belonging, the security, being enveloped in love, she felt it through her paws on the ground, and in the breeze that ruffled her fur but didn’t seem to make her cold at all. ’This is it, this is the feeling. The warmth... It was that bear? This energy and... magic... did the bear give this to me? She... healed me?’ A wave of emotions washed over Elysa, as she lied down in her bear form on the cold snow, yet not feeling it through her thick fur. She closed her eyes and simply bathed in the moonlight. She bathed in the feeling of being in this body, the warmth and energy within her flowing and traveling through the breeze, under the trees bark, through the roots deep under the earth, and back into her. When Elysa noticed the sun beginning to rise, she changed back into her human form surprisingly easily, the transformation was painless now, but the buzzing of her life form changing shape still shook her to the core. Her grandfather noticed the bear headdress out of hiding, and admitted he’d abandoned that project because she thought she would not like it. Elysa strongly implored him to finish it, and he turned the blanket into a cloak complete with the bear head as a hood. The hunters in the village regarded it as her ‘wearing a trophy on her head’, but she paid no mind to them. The next few months she regained her strength, her energy, and every night without fail, ventured into the woods and shifted into her bear form. She would explore, getting used to this new body and learning to climb, pick up things and defend herself with it, but she would also simply sit in the clearing next to the cliff she fell from, and just listen to the sounds and feeling of all the life around her. TLDR; From a small village within Týranni. Wears a cloak/coat made of bear skin and fashioned by her grandfather. She has a spiritual connection to this bear, and it gives her its innate abilities to feel the earth and its energy, and allows her to shapeshift into a bear. She can also heal, but is working on how to apply that to other people. After falling from a cliff and paralyzing herself, she was in a coma for ~8 months. A bear stumbled upon a fairy ring and began to feel the innate powers of the earth rush through it, as a creature that was born of the forest. It was shot by hunters midway though, and destroyed the circle as it attempted to escape. It was shot once more, and the spot it died was the same spot Elysa had fallen. The bear is skinned and sold to her grandfather, who makes it into a blanket to keep her warm, he is the only one that takes care of her since her father died due to dragons, and her mother died during her birth. The bear skin still holds the magic and energy it had conjured up though, and it is stuck inside until it builds up enough that it forces its way to Elysa in order to continue the cycle of energy through her. Because of this, Elysa begins to regain strength and heals, and grows a spiritual attachment to the skin and the bear’s energy. The bear was in the early stages of pregnancy, and attaches to the young Elysa out of grief for the loss of its own children, and Elysa to it due to its maternal warmth and her own lack of a mother. Then, on her 18th birthday, Elysa awakens, and is overwhelmed with the amassed energy. That night is a full moon, and with the bear head upon her head and cloak around her body, she finds she is very attuned to nature, and suddenly finds she can transform. From there she keeps it a secret, and can now transform into a bear at will, while being adept at moving around in that form. She herself is also a good fighter, and with the strength of a bear she is the strongest in her village. She is aware of her own innate ability to heal, and wishes to learn how to apply this to heal others. She has decided to travel to find healers and get taught, while also escaping the oppressive environment of her home village and the constant looming threat of dragons. Her grandfather has recently passed on her natural causes, and finding herself to have no other ties to that place, has decided to take a ship travelling south with no destination in mind, she simply wishes to see the world and meet new people and learn more about her magic.