It's been quite a while since I last wrote EQ fanfiction... or indeed any fanfiction. But this story came to me yesterday and demanded to be written. It was inspired by the 'Wolfrider's Reflections' song 'Shadow Path', and the title comes from those lyrics also.
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Any price, any pain
His lovemate watches as the Healer stretches the bones of his arms far beyond their natural measurements. She watches as the dark one grows and crafts skin and flesh and turns his shape to that of no other creature alive.
She hears Tyldak's cries and moans of pain, and silently in her soft heart she prays for the mercy of the High Ones.
Finally she can take no more, though his resolution is unwavering. "Winnowill... please! Surely there is something you can do about the pain!" She begs, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
The Healer does not even look up from her work, her masterpiece. "Hush, sweetling," she says in a low whisper, "the pain is part of it all."
Tyldak nods, and sends to her, tells her to go from the room since she is disturbing the great work. This is what he wants, what he chooses, including the agony.
She sobs, covers her face with her hands, and flees, heart thudding with despair.
Tyldak does not even watch her go. Winnowill is putting the finishing touches to the talons on his feet.
At last, it is done. Sweat flows down his newly stretched skin. His flesh is still aching, but Winnowill gives him a draught to drink, something bitter, smelling of strange herbs, and soon after he has drained the cup, the pain begins to lessen.
Tyldak stretches his new wings. He thanks Winnowill, from the bottom of his heart and soul. Clumsily, he leaves the chamber on his new feet. Once in the wide halls of Blue Mountain, he stretches his wings and for the first time takes flight.
But the confines of these walls are much too small for him, so he heads to the opening where the Chosen leave for their hunts.
He takes to the sky, and soon learns the ways of his new flesh, by trial and error, but with great delight. Finally, he is free as a wild bird!
Only much later, when he returns, muscles aching from a long day of flying, he thinks of his lovemate. He goes to find her, attempts to explain, but he is not good at explaining, especially when what she really wants to hear is an apology, a confirmation of their love, a promise that nothing has changed.
But how could that be? For everything is changed, for ever!
In the next few eights of days, Tyldak's altered shape will be the talk of all of Blue Mountain, from the Chosen Eight to the lowest human kitchen slave.
Many will make the assumption that his lovemating ended because the gentle maiden could not love one in a body so monstrously different from hers.
But it is not so.
His soul belongs to the open skies, and his heart beat withs freedom. There is no place in his life anymore for one who worried, feared, smothered him with affection and sought control.
Just him and the wind and birds as his companions.
And in some private corner of his mind, the shadow of a Healer...
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(In case you wonder, Tyldak's lovemate is no-one specific. Just one random Glider female. Somehow the story flowed better without me giving her a name.)