Nightwhispers: Prologue/Aidan
Aidan blinks awake, the dim light of the den, lit by the fireplace in the corner gives everything a feeling of movement. Taggart's policy of not sleeping in the bar makes for a little nervous tension, as the voices surrounding flicker in and out of hearing. The first voice to focus is little Kaylah's, who's bright burble is almost infectious, giggling as she plays with her parents over across the room. There's a cold shiver as a breeze slips through and it's hard to tell how long it's been and why nobody seems to have noticed the sleeping vixen. A strong pang of hunger deep inside hits.
Aidan stretches out a bit, rubbing her stomach and rubbing her eyes. To be completely honest, she doesn't seem too surprised that no one noticed her sleeping. After all, quite often the policy is to not be spotted by Tag. She giggles a little to herself at this thought, shared with a certain leopard taur. But still.. when she fell asleep? She doesn't seem to recall well... and that is quite strange. Shrugging a little, she stands up and heads for Kaylah and her parents, a warm smile on her muzzle, even if that hunger deep inside her make her a bit nervous. Maybe there is some hamburgers around like the other day.
Crys waves to Aidan, although her motions seem almost weird in the flickering light, hypnotic. It's hard to tell if it's the hunger, or the light, or just sleep so close behind. Little Kaylah turns at Aidan and waves, running up and hugging around her waist. She says something, but the words echo through Aidan's ears like she's underwater, the sound of her own heartbeat overpowering what exactly she said.
Aidan shakes her head slowly, even if two of her tails close around Kaylah instinctively, welcoming the little one. Yes, this is Kaylah, Crys and Sorien's daughter... she hadn't many chances to know her better, but she looks definitely affectionate. Again, she shakes her head and murrs, confused, "Crys.. I'm not feeling too well... It's... weird, maybe it's better if you keep Kaylah away from me...". While she knows that she would never hurt a child, the recent events made her quite caution about this things, especially when something strange is going on with her body.
There's a look of concern on Crys and Sorien's faces, although it's hard to tell if the words even went out properly with the way the two mates are reacting. Taggart himself walks in from out back, and his loud gruff voice breaks through the liquid bubble, although mostly the words 'strange smell' can be heart. Other faces can be seen around the room, all of them focusing on Aidan, although the light makes their faces almost frightening. Even still Kaylah seems to insist on pressing close. She holds up her arms as if she wants to be picked up.
Aidan almost freezes as she sees all those face staring at her. It's uncomfortable, why they are looking at her. She can't help but to feel her heart beating faster now, making the sound almost overwhelming. Yes, something is definitely wrong. Still, she notices how Kaylah is insisting, and even in such state, her maternal side kicks in. A carpet of tails forms around the vixen, as her arms pick up the little one. Well, should she slips off her arms, at least she'll land on her soft tails. "Hungry... I need something.. to eat." she says, as another sharp bite of hunger hits her stomach.
The girl then hugs tight around Aidan's neck, nuzzling up close, closing her eyes as she lets her own tails flicker around happily. However, the faces all continue to stare at Aidan, it's harder and harder to make out who's, as the light keeps changing, shadow's flickering from face to face, but all of them appear to stare accusingly. The thud inside grows louder with the heartbeat, the constant sound of drums in the distance beating harder and harder, blocking out any voices at this point. The warmth of the small girl, the only comforting thing to focus on.
(Someone drugged me? Someone slipped something in my drink?) Thinking becomes hard for the vixen, her arms tightening around Kaylah, right now the only source of comfort for Aidan. "What wrong... why are all staring at me?" she then asks, her eyes trying to focus on the kaleidoscope of faces that are staring at her. (Why they are looking at me like this? I did something wrong? Even Crys and Sorien) more thoughts run in her mind, Aidan biting her lower lip trying to calm down, to regain control of the situation. If it's a drug, her superior body should be able to overcome it soon.
Memories hit, suddenly, of the time in the tree with Sparhawk, Crys, when someone else was piloting her body. The dark conversation creeps to the surface, someone else is inside her waiting to break free, and a monster just under the surface rears its ugly head as the intoxicating smell of Kaylah's strange infection, the sweet little girl doesn't even seem to notice all of this circling in Aidan's head, or the large amount if distress, in fact she only tries to comfort further, clinging.
"Kaylah... go away.. there is something... wrong with me..." Aidan says, starting to get scared, scared to lose control again. She tries to push away the little girl, scared to hurt someone, again. She tries to control her breath, trying to not lose control of herself.
The girl doesn't seem to listen, instead she moves her muzzle up and licks at Aidan's nose, it's as if everything Aidan is saying is simply going unheard. The world spins again, and Aidan finds herself alone in her tree, the room from the memories, carvings on the wall, she feels her fangs poking out, and still smells the sweet scent of Kaylah's infection in the air.
Aidan is getting more and more confused. She feels it, the feeling of Wolf, as she calls him, the one that always save her when she's about to lose herself. But she feels something else, that dark part so rooted in her soul, the one that she just mentioned to REDACTED, not mentioning how it generated itself. She feels her heartbeats rising again, as she feels her body changing without any control from her part. She sniffs the air, still feeling the lingering scent of Kaylah... someone deep inside her despising it, an atavic emotion rooted in her being, in every single cell, or nanite, of her body.
As she changes, the room is spinning, back in the pub, faces circling around her, some recognizable others not. The scent of Kaylah fills Aidan's being, her heart torn open and exposed as her body and mind begin to shift. Nothing but judging eyes filter through beyond.
Aidan feels changed, feels the control slipping out of her. "Help..." she murmurs as first. Aidan, the girl before the P-day. The weak, silent girl that preferred to be invisible, to hurt by her past. But she sees only those judging eyes, eyes that she knows too well. "Help..." she repeats, as her body becomes stronger, able to defend her. "... please.." she just murmurs, feeling naked, exposed. Feeling herself hiding away deeper and deeper in her mind, losing control of herself.
Suddenly a single point of focus, it seems almost out of place in the dream. Kaylah's voice is clear, "You will be safe, I will keep him away." but it doesn't seem to be coming from the girl in her changing arms, in fact, it seems to be coming from the dream itself, and there's an otherworldly quality to the voice. It however doesn't stop the change's progression, only giving Aidan comfort as she sinks underneath. The fangs coming out now and bury into the girl in her arms as the monster takes control, showing those judging eyes what they have to fear.
Backseat, again. But this time 'Wolf' is not the driver. He would never.. do that. Her mind, barely there, screams, growls and curses as those fangs bury into the defenceless girl. She hears the voice... but how can she believe it? She's hurting her, unable to let her go, unable to not hurt her. The gaze of those judging eyes is... nothing now, all her focus, all her pain is focused on the little girl, as she's being bite by those fangs.
The shadows from the flickering light grow solid, blocking out the judging eyes, surrounding and enwrapping Aidan the Monster, fangs embedded in the little girl. It drains from her, the lifeblood and joy that she instils draining into nothingness. And then the shadow tide surrounds the lone Aidan inside, first a voice she's never heard before, and then a flash of light, and Kaylah's voice, and then... nothing.
