Disclaimer: Heh-heh, if I owned Avalon, do you think I'd bother simply
writing fanfics?
Rating: PG13 (for language abuse and I have no clue what else I might add)
Summary: Without Stormbringer, Adriane is deaf and lost to the world around her. She wont even pay attention to Emily, Kara, or even Zach. Will light ever turn her face its way again?
A/N: Hey, its not my fault I get whapped with the urge to create stories every now and then. And besides, I was angry when I wrote this, and I become dark and cynical when I'm mad. So sue me. NO DONT!! P.S. You'll have to have read the sixth book to know what the hell I'm talking about when I say that Storm's dead.
The Darkest Hour is Before the Dawn
Chapter 1: Screensavers and Gutters
Small tendrils of light wormed their way across the barren landscape, as the steadily rising sun gingerly touched its precious Aldenmor earth, checking for any damage the long and painful night had caused. Reassured, the great ball of fire gently moved further out into the crisp autumn air, bathing sweet and glorious light over once dark lands. Fall colors stained the edges of the summerclad trees that were few and far between, and the stirring wind that rustled their greeny orange covers had a chilling nip to it. The stream was colder than it had been during the short summer, though it still crinkled along its rocky highway with its usual merry song of worship to the earth and all its things. But other than that, there was no sign of life across the savannah, despite the call of the light that rose further into the sky, as if challenging the shadows that bravely lingered still.
Adriane gasped sharply as she awoke, the image of peace and happiness of a sunrise fading immediatly from her mind as she found herself gazing at the familiar pattern of the dreamcatchers above her head. The sheets were tangled around her, trapping her limbs and holding them immobile. Her long, stringy black hair was twined around her head and sprawled across her pillow, which had seen better days.
Two pearly tears leaked from the warrior mage's dark, bottomless black eyes and trickled down her cheeks, leaving their trail cool to early morning air against her flushed and heated face. She tried to block out the friendly chirps of the chickadees, briefly pondering the reason behind their endless happiness, and enving them for it. Trying not to sob loud enough to wake her grandmother, a gulping Adriane slid slowly from her bed, landing in a mess on the floor and managing to get herself out of her sheets from there.
Trembling all over, she stood shakily, feeling her knees wobble beneath her and threaten to buckle. The girl gritted her teeth and struggled to reach the door, and nearly grinned with triumph when she reached it without falling to the ground first. Exhaustion gripped her like a vice, despite the fact she'd nearly slept the entire time. She pulled herself upright, forcing her victory from her mind as she moved mindlessly for the bathroom to get herself cleaned up.
Stormbringer. The light in Adriane's life, snuffed out like the head of a candle. Easy as that. She had not even the pleasure of dying quick and painlessly. Life was not worth living for without her, but for some strange reason her distant friends Emily, Kara, and Zach had somehow persuaded her not to end her life now that there was no reason for it to continue. Adriane could not remember what they'd said that convinced her, but she did know that it held true now.
So the girl became nothing but a walking corpse, probably more useless than a dead body, a waste of precious air. She barely remained conscious enough to know when someone else was around her. When she actually ventured past the gates of Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve, people turned to stare at her skeletal face, at the burr of matted hair the was clumped around the back of her head, at the unmatched clothes she usually wore, and her blank expressionless eyes that seemed to be deeply sunked into her head, far beyong the point of returning.
But people never asked after Adriane's obvious depression. They were polite enough to spare her that small pain. They steered clear of her, though, and didnt speak to her unless absolutely forced. They rarely got a reply.
Clutching the edge of the toilet like it was the Holy Grail, Adriane emptied the dismal contents of her stomach into the loo, trembling all over with grief as she did what she did every morning. Throwing up was no new do for her.
Adriane raked two slender fingers through her disheveled, ratted hair as she stood again, glancing around the bathroom as though expecting Storm to leap from some hidden corner at any moment and slaughter her. She wouldnt claim she wouldnt have wanted it. All she wanted was to be with Storm again. Even if it meant her own death.
Adriane gave an exhausted sigh, reached out and flushed the toilet before stumbling from the bathroom back to see what semi-unsmelly clothes were avalible to her.
*&*
Emily Fletcher bounced into the manor of Ravenswood with her customary cheerfulness, waving happily to Adriane's grandmother as she did so. The old woman chuckled softly at the healer mage's bright antics, shuffling out of the room to tend to something else. Emily dropped her school bag onto the antique couch, scuttling off to the study to check the computer for any new emails.
Ozymandius, the elf turned ferret forever, glanced up happily as the redheaded teenager made her usual dramatic enterence, pratically collapsing into the chair in front of the secretary's desk as though she had been drained of all energy by such a simply little action as walking into a library. "Anything new today, Ozzie?" she questioned in a perky if not downright hyper voice.
The furry elf grinned broadly as much as a ferret could grin, and shook his head. "Nope, it was pretty dull until you came in!"
"Hey," objected a voice as Kara arrived, plainly having been on Emily's tail in getting over to Ravenswood for after school checkup. "I thought I was the one with that job!"
"Hey is for horses and I'm not a horse," replied Emily without missing a beat, as she swiveled around in her chair to face Kara, still with that goofy grin plastered to her face. "And I thought your job today was to go to roll call down at the glade, hm?" She quirked an eyebrow, and Kara stuck her tounge out.
"All right, Miss Healer Lady, your wish is my command." With a teasing toss of her blonde hair, the blazing star mage stalked out with her usual amount of huff and puff. Emily sighed a bit and rolled her bluish green eyes. "She's too much, Ozzie, you know that?"
Ozzie glanced up, and shook his head slightly. "Emily, I've known that for far too long," he said with mock solemnness (I have no clue if thats a word, but if it isnt, it is now!). "Its not my fault you've been blind to it until now." He ducked his head a bit as Emily hurtled a pencil at him harmlessly.
"You fuzzball, say something like that again and I'll take away ALL the marshmellows so you cant toast them!" The healer surpressed a snicker at the way Ozzie's large brown eyes suddenly got a whole lot bigger and he pratically grovelled before her in his haste to keep her from taking away the nearly empty bag of marshmellows.
"All right," she finally laughed, unable to take the strain of keeping a straight face any longer. "Stop that, Ozzie, you look completely ridiculous." The ferret clambered back up to his perch atop the desk, his claws barely making a mark on the nearly spotless varnished surface. "Oh, but I know," he chuckled, with a faint trace of a grin. "Its my new job!"
"You have too many jobs!" exclaimed Emily, poking his side playfully, nearly sending him toppling off the desk.
"And speaking of them," quipped Ozzie after he had regained his balance. "Isnt your job supposed to be checking the emails?" Emily stuck her tounge out at him, having just recalled that herself, and twirled around in her chair, looking up at the monitor with its dinky Microsoft screensaver, and gently nudged the mouse so that the screensaver would vanish. It didnt. Emily frowned and shook the mouse vigorously, but the stupid floaty logos refused to leave.
"Hey, Ozzie," she mumbled, looking puzzled; her fiesty mood from before now a thing of the past. "Something's wrong. The screensaver wont go away." She felt him leap to her shoulder, taking a few moments to balance himself before squinting at the computer, and she could feel that he was equally puzzled. "Maybe its just being slow and screwy," he suggested half- heartedly. Emily twitched.
"Probably," she sighed, leaning back into her chair with an annoyed grimace at the monitor, which was still blinking the Microsoft logo at her cheerily. She got up, and watching Ozzie innocently stick his claw into the bag to fetch a marshmellow, rolled her eyes and wandered off to get something to eat as well.
And while no one noticed, the screensaver flickered, just briefly, but it flickered. The image warped in on itself, and it flashed even more wildly as it tried to stay composed. But, for the fraction of a second, huge red letters printed themselves across the webbed surface of the screen, remained bold and upright for barely a moment before the screensaver took over again as though nothing had happened.
HELP!!
*&*
Unaware of her beautiful autumn surroundings, a lonely and desolate Adriane stumbled aimlessly though the Stonehill streets, not quite sure of where she was going nor caring where she ended up. In fact, she wasnt even thinking that. Her mind was free of her body, running in sharp joyful bounds with the spirit pack. Beside her ran her one and only friend, her reason behind her exsistance. Stormbringer.
The sleek, silver mistwolf barely made any noise as she ran, her paws effortlessly grazing the grass as she blew past in a sweep of rustling silken fur. Her muscular sides heaved with her exertion, but her golden eyes glittered with bliss alone. All around other, other spirit mistwolves ran along, sending the lilting haunting wolf song across the earth below them.
Adriane threw her head back and howled with them, as her spirit whipped along besides her bond mate, her heart's companion. Storm turned to face her, slowly to a halt and coming to gently touch her friend's cold hand with her nose. ~Go back, Adriane,~ the wolf said in a soft but firm voice. ~You cannot keep doing this, love.~
Adriane frowned, confused. Didnt Storm want her to stay her side? To be there forever? ~I do,~ affirmed the mistwolf ghost gently, ~but you still live, Adriane. I would not rob you of such a gift.~ With one last friendly lick, she turned and easily lopped off to rejoin her pack.
Tears once again stained the foresaken warrior mage's eyes as she struggled to keep up, suddenly feeling like a heavy leaden block of metal instead of a weightless, drifting spirit. She didnt want to be left behind. She wanted to run with Storm and spirit pack. But soon they faded from her line of vision, and she fell, alone once again.
She was crouched by a leaf-clogged gutter, her arms wrapped around her knees and bitter tears streaking her face and she rocked back and forth, relishing in her few moments in contact with the spirit pack, before the link was severed completely. A soft sob was emitted from her lips as once again darkness settled into her heart, leaving her feeling torn and forgotten back in the real world. Storm's words still echoed in her head, and she knew they just had to be real and not a figment of her bruised and rusty imagination.
She didnt view life as a gift. She viewed it as an awful curse she didnt want. Maybe she would have wanted it at some point in her miserable life, but she sure didnt now. Life was just simply another burden ruthlessly placed on her shoulders. She wished so dearly to end such a task, but still for some reason she still could not bring herself to commit suicide. Some hidden promise still lingered in the depths of her heart, some forgotten promise to the other mages that had dug its roots deep.
Barely noticing the stares she received, Adriane swayed to het feet again, gave one convulsive shudder as though freezing cold despite the warm weather the day had brought. Dragging her already tattered backpack behind her, the warrior mage made her way slowly home.
She hated everything.
((Hehheh. Yes, I'm cruel and I leave people hanging. So sue me. I might add more later on. Depends if your good or not. Please R/R, I'm new here and this is my first story. *sad sniffle* I know I didnt get much done in this chapter, which is why I said I might add more, but it gets better, I promise.))
Rating: PG13 (for language abuse and I have no clue what else I might add)
Summary: Without Stormbringer, Adriane is deaf and lost to the world around her. She wont even pay attention to Emily, Kara, or even Zach. Will light ever turn her face its way again?
A/N: Hey, its not my fault I get whapped with the urge to create stories every now and then. And besides, I was angry when I wrote this, and I become dark and cynical when I'm mad. So sue me. NO DONT!! P.S. You'll have to have read the sixth book to know what the hell I'm talking about when I say that Storm's dead.
The Darkest Hour is Before the Dawn
Chapter 1: Screensavers and Gutters
Small tendrils of light wormed their way across the barren landscape, as the steadily rising sun gingerly touched its precious Aldenmor earth, checking for any damage the long and painful night had caused. Reassured, the great ball of fire gently moved further out into the crisp autumn air, bathing sweet and glorious light over once dark lands. Fall colors stained the edges of the summerclad trees that were few and far between, and the stirring wind that rustled their greeny orange covers had a chilling nip to it. The stream was colder than it had been during the short summer, though it still crinkled along its rocky highway with its usual merry song of worship to the earth and all its things. But other than that, there was no sign of life across the savannah, despite the call of the light that rose further into the sky, as if challenging the shadows that bravely lingered still.
Adriane gasped sharply as she awoke, the image of peace and happiness of a sunrise fading immediatly from her mind as she found herself gazing at the familiar pattern of the dreamcatchers above her head. The sheets were tangled around her, trapping her limbs and holding them immobile. Her long, stringy black hair was twined around her head and sprawled across her pillow, which had seen better days.
Two pearly tears leaked from the warrior mage's dark, bottomless black eyes and trickled down her cheeks, leaving their trail cool to early morning air against her flushed and heated face. She tried to block out the friendly chirps of the chickadees, briefly pondering the reason behind their endless happiness, and enving them for it. Trying not to sob loud enough to wake her grandmother, a gulping Adriane slid slowly from her bed, landing in a mess on the floor and managing to get herself out of her sheets from there.
Trembling all over, she stood shakily, feeling her knees wobble beneath her and threaten to buckle. The girl gritted her teeth and struggled to reach the door, and nearly grinned with triumph when she reached it without falling to the ground first. Exhaustion gripped her like a vice, despite the fact she'd nearly slept the entire time. She pulled herself upright, forcing her victory from her mind as she moved mindlessly for the bathroom to get herself cleaned up.
Stormbringer. The light in Adriane's life, snuffed out like the head of a candle. Easy as that. She had not even the pleasure of dying quick and painlessly. Life was not worth living for without her, but for some strange reason her distant friends Emily, Kara, and Zach had somehow persuaded her not to end her life now that there was no reason for it to continue. Adriane could not remember what they'd said that convinced her, but she did know that it held true now.
So the girl became nothing but a walking corpse, probably more useless than a dead body, a waste of precious air. She barely remained conscious enough to know when someone else was around her. When she actually ventured past the gates of Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve, people turned to stare at her skeletal face, at the burr of matted hair the was clumped around the back of her head, at the unmatched clothes she usually wore, and her blank expressionless eyes that seemed to be deeply sunked into her head, far beyong the point of returning.
But people never asked after Adriane's obvious depression. They were polite enough to spare her that small pain. They steered clear of her, though, and didnt speak to her unless absolutely forced. They rarely got a reply.
Clutching the edge of the toilet like it was the Holy Grail, Adriane emptied the dismal contents of her stomach into the loo, trembling all over with grief as she did what she did every morning. Throwing up was no new do for her.
Adriane raked two slender fingers through her disheveled, ratted hair as she stood again, glancing around the bathroom as though expecting Storm to leap from some hidden corner at any moment and slaughter her. She wouldnt claim she wouldnt have wanted it. All she wanted was to be with Storm again. Even if it meant her own death.
Adriane gave an exhausted sigh, reached out and flushed the toilet before stumbling from the bathroom back to see what semi-unsmelly clothes were avalible to her.
*&*
Emily Fletcher bounced into the manor of Ravenswood with her customary cheerfulness, waving happily to Adriane's grandmother as she did so. The old woman chuckled softly at the healer mage's bright antics, shuffling out of the room to tend to something else. Emily dropped her school bag onto the antique couch, scuttling off to the study to check the computer for any new emails.
Ozymandius, the elf turned ferret forever, glanced up happily as the redheaded teenager made her usual dramatic enterence, pratically collapsing into the chair in front of the secretary's desk as though she had been drained of all energy by such a simply little action as walking into a library. "Anything new today, Ozzie?" she questioned in a perky if not downright hyper voice.
The furry elf grinned broadly as much as a ferret could grin, and shook his head. "Nope, it was pretty dull until you came in!"
"Hey," objected a voice as Kara arrived, plainly having been on Emily's tail in getting over to Ravenswood for after school checkup. "I thought I was the one with that job!"
"Hey is for horses and I'm not a horse," replied Emily without missing a beat, as she swiveled around in her chair to face Kara, still with that goofy grin plastered to her face. "And I thought your job today was to go to roll call down at the glade, hm?" She quirked an eyebrow, and Kara stuck her tounge out.
"All right, Miss Healer Lady, your wish is my command." With a teasing toss of her blonde hair, the blazing star mage stalked out with her usual amount of huff and puff. Emily sighed a bit and rolled her bluish green eyes. "She's too much, Ozzie, you know that?"
Ozzie glanced up, and shook his head slightly. "Emily, I've known that for far too long," he said with mock solemnness (I have no clue if thats a word, but if it isnt, it is now!). "Its not my fault you've been blind to it until now." He ducked his head a bit as Emily hurtled a pencil at him harmlessly.
"You fuzzball, say something like that again and I'll take away ALL the marshmellows so you cant toast them!" The healer surpressed a snicker at the way Ozzie's large brown eyes suddenly got a whole lot bigger and he pratically grovelled before her in his haste to keep her from taking away the nearly empty bag of marshmellows.
"All right," she finally laughed, unable to take the strain of keeping a straight face any longer. "Stop that, Ozzie, you look completely ridiculous." The ferret clambered back up to his perch atop the desk, his claws barely making a mark on the nearly spotless varnished surface. "Oh, but I know," he chuckled, with a faint trace of a grin. "Its my new job!"
"You have too many jobs!" exclaimed Emily, poking his side playfully, nearly sending him toppling off the desk.
"And speaking of them," quipped Ozzie after he had regained his balance. "Isnt your job supposed to be checking the emails?" Emily stuck her tounge out at him, having just recalled that herself, and twirled around in her chair, looking up at the monitor with its dinky Microsoft screensaver, and gently nudged the mouse so that the screensaver would vanish. It didnt. Emily frowned and shook the mouse vigorously, but the stupid floaty logos refused to leave.
"Hey, Ozzie," she mumbled, looking puzzled; her fiesty mood from before now a thing of the past. "Something's wrong. The screensaver wont go away." She felt him leap to her shoulder, taking a few moments to balance himself before squinting at the computer, and she could feel that he was equally puzzled. "Maybe its just being slow and screwy," he suggested half- heartedly. Emily twitched.
"Probably," she sighed, leaning back into her chair with an annoyed grimace at the monitor, which was still blinking the Microsoft logo at her cheerily. She got up, and watching Ozzie innocently stick his claw into the bag to fetch a marshmellow, rolled her eyes and wandered off to get something to eat as well.
And while no one noticed, the screensaver flickered, just briefly, but it flickered. The image warped in on itself, and it flashed even more wildly as it tried to stay composed. But, for the fraction of a second, huge red letters printed themselves across the webbed surface of the screen, remained bold and upright for barely a moment before the screensaver took over again as though nothing had happened.
HELP!!
*&*
Unaware of her beautiful autumn surroundings, a lonely and desolate Adriane stumbled aimlessly though the Stonehill streets, not quite sure of where she was going nor caring where she ended up. In fact, she wasnt even thinking that. Her mind was free of her body, running in sharp joyful bounds with the spirit pack. Beside her ran her one and only friend, her reason behind her exsistance. Stormbringer.
The sleek, silver mistwolf barely made any noise as she ran, her paws effortlessly grazing the grass as she blew past in a sweep of rustling silken fur. Her muscular sides heaved with her exertion, but her golden eyes glittered with bliss alone. All around other, other spirit mistwolves ran along, sending the lilting haunting wolf song across the earth below them.
Adriane threw her head back and howled with them, as her spirit whipped along besides her bond mate, her heart's companion. Storm turned to face her, slowly to a halt and coming to gently touch her friend's cold hand with her nose. ~Go back, Adriane,~ the wolf said in a soft but firm voice. ~You cannot keep doing this, love.~
Adriane frowned, confused. Didnt Storm want her to stay her side? To be there forever? ~I do,~ affirmed the mistwolf ghost gently, ~but you still live, Adriane. I would not rob you of such a gift.~ With one last friendly lick, she turned and easily lopped off to rejoin her pack.
Tears once again stained the foresaken warrior mage's eyes as she struggled to keep up, suddenly feeling like a heavy leaden block of metal instead of a weightless, drifting spirit. She didnt want to be left behind. She wanted to run with Storm and spirit pack. But soon they faded from her line of vision, and she fell, alone once again.
She was crouched by a leaf-clogged gutter, her arms wrapped around her knees and bitter tears streaking her face and she rocked back and forth, relishing in her few moments in contact with the spirit pack, before the link was severed completely. A soft sob was emitted from her lips as once again darkness settled into her heart, leaving her feeling torn and forgotten back in the real world. Storm's words still echoed in her head, and she knew they just had to be real and not a figment of her bruised and rusty imagination.
She didnt view life as a gift. She viewed it as an awful curse she didnt want. Maybe she would have wanted it at some point in her miserable life, but she sure didnt now. Life was just simply another burden ruthlessly placed on her shoulders. She wished so dearly to end such a task, but still for some reason she still could not bring herself to commit suicide. Some hidden promise still lingered in the depths of her heart, some forgotten promise to the other mages that had dug its roots deep.
Barely noticing the stares she received, Adriane swayed to het feet again, gave one convulsive shudder as though freezing cold despite the warm weather the day had brought. Dragging her already tattered backpack behind her, the warrior mage made her way slowly home.
She hated everything.
((Hehheh. Yes, I'm cruel and I leave people hanging. So sue me. I might add more later on. Depends if your good or not. Please R/R, I'm new here and this is my first story. *sad sniffle* I know I didnt get much done in this chapter, which is why I said I might add more, but it gets better, I promise.))