Inspired by a picture I was shown from the romantically apocalyptic website.
It was a short little story that wouldn't get out of my mind. The characters are based on D&D characters from my group and features two of the gods from the basic realm of the standard game. One thing to note is Silver/Silvarius is a Tibbit, a race that has the capability to transform from a true cat into a small sized humanoid, similar to a gnome.
Darkness filled the landscape, lifted only where fires burned, turning the sky red. Ash drifted down over the silent land like snow, oddly peaceful as it settled over the skeletons and corpses. Everything was silent. Even the fires burning in the distance seemed to add only light, no noise. In the midst of the carnage, came the only sign of life. A small cat, though not just any cat. Her dark fur melded into the landscape, but the green energy of life danced over her, from her antlers to her tail. Her three eyes glowed with power. She walked slowly through the death and carnage, looking around as she approached the crater. This was her fault. As a Goddess of Nature, she held the destructive power of the world at her paws. She paused, looking down into the crater where the lifeblood of the earth could be seen, magma roiling below. Then she pressed on, saddened by the sight of all she'd caused. The only signs of life now were tiny patches of green where her paws touched the earth but even these soon died, choked by the ash and flames.
The cat paused now and then to look at a particular body as she passed them. Loli. Vashna. Helen. Lyria. Listhanus. All of them. Even….Even Daven. She stopped at the last body, the name floating in her mind. Daven. Her companion, friend, protector, teacher, and lover for many long years. She nuzzled his shoulder then his cheek. "I'm sorry." She whispered, knowing he couldn't see her. His lifeless eyes continued to gaze straight ahead, unseeing. The Goddess lay beside him, her eyes saddened. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to turn out this way." She pressed against him, wanting to feel his warm hands pet her just once more. It wasn't to be though. His cold, lifeless body still lay beside her, never to move again.
"Why?" The Goddess roared to the sky, pain tearing at her heart. "Why give me this power? I never wanted it! I just wanted to be happy!"
There was silence for a long time as the cat cried, green tears trickling from her cheeks. Suddenly, a soft blue glow began emanating from nowhere in particular. It slowly formed, taking the shape of a woman. She spoke softly. "My powers are fading. My time as a deity has come to an end. I needed to choose a successor." She said softly.
The cat looked to her, hissing. "What do you mean? I thought the Gods were forever!"
The new Goddess just shook her head. "Nothing is forever Silvarius. Not even the Gods. We just tamper with the minds to make it seem as if the Gods have always been there. We actually change Gods about every ten thousand years. And now, my time has come. I chose you to take my place. But to know how to use your powers properly, you must lose control." She waved a hand at the destruction around them. "Now that you know what you are capable of, you will be more careful of what you do. Your powers are those of nature and they are linked to your very emotions."
"My name is Silver, not Silvarius!" The newly made Goddess snarled at the woman before her. "I never wanted this!"
"I know." There was the weight of the world in those two simple words. "That is exactly why you were chosen. No one who wants this is chosen for fear they will abuse the power. And your new name is Silvarius. Just as mine was once Elina. Now, it is Ehlonna. Goddesses must have a name appropriate to their station in life."
Silvarius wailed at the news. "No! I don't want this! Take it back, take it back, take it back!" She begged the Goddess who merely shook her head.
"It is too late. It is already done. My powers are fading even as we speak." True to her words, Ehlonna was turning dim, her blue light fading.
"Please! I don't want to cause this destruction anymore!" Silvarius seemed desperate to change this, anyway she could.
Ehlonna shook her head yet again, almost completely faded. Her last words echoed before she vanished completely. "Just remember Silvarius. Nature is not always cruel. Sometimes she can be kind, in the rebirth of everything. Your emotions are the key to everything." With that, she was gone, leaving the new Goddess alone in the middle of her destruction.
The silence was louder than it seemed possible. Tears slid down the cat's face. "No….Don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone." She curled up against the cold body of her dead lover, pressing her face against his cheek. "I'm sorry Daven. I never meant to hurt anyone. I'm sorry, just don't leave me." She pleaded uselessly. Her glowing green eyes closed as she sobbed, tears dripping onto Daven's cheek.
Slowly, so slowly she didn't notice it at first, his cold skin warmed. When she noticed it, she drew back suddenly, staring. Was it possible? She held her breath, watching, not daring to hope. Suddenly Daven began stirring. Ehlonna's words clicked into place. While Silvarius had the power of destruction, she also held the power of life. Nature was never just one or the other. Life and death went hand in hand. And so Silvarius held both.
Daven groaned, putting a hand to his head as he sat up. "Ugh. What happened? Silver?" He asked in surprise as the cat launched herself at him, pressing against him. She trembled with the force of her purr. "Daven! You're alive! Oh, you're alive!"
The gnome just looked at Silvarius in confusion, at her slender antlers. "What happened to ye, lassy?"
Shaking her head, she just burrowed into his arms. "Just hold me Daven. I'll explain later, just hold me."
Still confused beyond belief, Daven complied, cradling the Goddess in his arms. He held her for a long time as he looked around at the desolate landscape, trying to remember what had happened. The last he remembered was a fight, some thug annoying Silver, and her eyes suddenly glowing. Finally, Silvarius looked up at Daven. "You'll never believe this…..But I'm a Goddess now. Of Nature. And I caused this. I lost my temper and control of my powers. I lashed out and killed them all. But Nature is life as well as death and I brought you back. That's what Ehlonna said."
He could only stare at her in shock. "Yer a Goddess? But how?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Before Silvarius could answer, a warm glow filled the air, signalling the arrival of a new deity, a male this time. His warm voice was soft but powerful. "Because Ehlonna's time had come. Every God moves on eventually. My own time has come as well. I can feel it, the powers fading. I must make the choice to pass them on or to let them vanish forever. I have been searching for someone. Elhonna and I have often worked hand in hand. Indeed, we were lovers once, when we were elves. The nature Gods have always been lovers. I simply had to be sure this was a true love. If it wasn't a pure love, she wouldn't have been able to bring you back."
The God gave them a warm smile and moved to touch Daven's forehead lightly, the gnome too shocked to do much but stare. "I am Obad-Hai. I am a God of Nature. And my time has come so I pass my powers to you Dah-Vhen. Take care of your emotions and your love." His voice held a note of finality as a jolt went through Daven. Obad-Hai took a step back, looking serene. "And now my love and I will be joined, with no responsibilities." He said quietly, fading away.
Daven looked to Silver in shock. "Did that, did that just happen lass?"
The cat nodded and purred, rubbing against him. "We're Gods. We'll be together forever." She said warmly, despite the ravaged land around them. Daven, or rather, Dah-Vhen now, hadn't forgotten though. He stroked Silvarius' fur gently as he spoke. "Come on lass. We've work to do. We have much to set right."
The Goddess sighed, then stood up and nodded. "You're right. This is my responsibility. I have to fix this."
"Our responsibility." The newly made God corrected her. "We're both Nature Gods and now and we have to learn to work together."
Smiling up at Dah-Vhen, she nodded. Her form shimmered for a moment, and then reformed as a slender young girl. She had a tail though, as well as cat ears and a set of slender antlers. She linked her hand with Dah-Vhen's as they began walking.
The fires began dying down, sending less ash into the air. Green footsteps showed their trail through the carnage as small plants sprouted up around their feet. Together, the two Gods set to work, remaking the land. It was too late to revive the people – their souls were already settled into the afterlife – but there was still much to do on the land itself. It would take them many years to remove the last traces of Silvarius' rampage, but they did it. Hand in hand the two worked, combining their powers. When the land was finally a fresh, growing forest again, a small tribe of Tibbit's moved in. The sight of them pleased Silvarius, as they were her people. Cats roamed the forest happily as the two Gods realized Ehlonna was right. None of the Tibbits seemed to remember Ehlonna and Obad-Hai. Instead, they gave thanks to the gods Silvarius and Dah-Vhen, Guardians of the Forest.