Since the roleplay that was supposed to reveal Kiagre's secret never really took off, I decided to write about what happened. This takes place when Kiagre is on her way to her old homeplace to check on her mother after getting a letter warning about humans. She meets the demonic panther who has been haunting the forest for years...
Kiagre was dwarfed by the demonic shadowy figure.
"What do you want with me?" Kiagre demanded, somewhat effectively blocking the terrified quiver from her voice.
"It is I who have something of interest to you," The spirit panther said silkily, her crimson eyes glowing calmly through the mist.
"I seriously doubt that," Kiagre muttered, "unless it's a hole in your side I can get through. I need to get to my mother!"
"You are going alone?"
"No. What's it to you?" she spat angrily, her fear beginning to show in her trembling paws.
"You are alone," Vaughn said simply. "A statement, not a question."
Kiagre's fur bristled along her spine, a chill running down it.
"So what if I was alone? What does that mean to you? Are you going to eat me or what?"
A hideous smirk crossed the demon's beautiful features.
"Child, I could steal the minds of ten of you with a single breath."
"Yes, I noticed," Kiagre said sarcastically in spite of her better judgement. But Vaughn ignored the remark.
"I am known by those who have heard of me as Hell's Portal and Reaper of Souls. Those who have seen me know me only in their eternal dreams. But my true name is known by only one soul living or dead, the person who must make a choice now. Who am I?"
"Woah woah woah, riddles," Kiagre said backing up a step. "Are you trying to say I'm this 'one person' who knows who you are? 'Cause I don't know you from Adam's tail, and -"
Vaughn's large paw silently blocked her path as Kiagre began easing away to the side.
"Also," Kiagre continued disappointed, "whatever it is, what if I say no? Or yes, or whatever the wrong answer is? Are you gonna kill me, or pull me down into the ground or whatever?"
"You shall not die by my paw, child," Vaughn replied quietly. "You shall die by the hands that slayed your father. You cannot protect your mother, and you cannot protect yourself."
Kiagre's face went pale and she didn't reply for several long seconds during which Vaughn waited patiently. When finally Kiagre was able to speak, the anger building up in her helped her to mask the shock.
"Are you also called Fortune Teller?" she said piling on the sarcasm this time.
"You know my name, child," Vaughn said calmly, her crimson eyes burning into Kiagre's.
"Is that the choice you want me to make?"
"No. When you remember me, the choice will follow."
Kiagre relaxed a little and rested on her knees.
"Okay. Can you give me a hint?"
"Very well," said Vaughn. At once Kiagre's mind went blank, as if she were falling into a forgetful trance, unaware of anything around her or anything that had been. Her eyes were sightless, a blank blackness filling her mind's eye. How long passed before the image came could have been a brief instant or an hour, there was no way of knowing because time was not a thing within the bounds of her awareness. But it came, at first behind a haze, mirage-like in appearance, then becoming as clear as real surroundings in waking reality. She saw herself, not backwards as in a mirror, but as if she were another person seeing her. Before her lay her father, lifeless and peaceful. Retreating into the distance were the humans who had done this. The image of Kiagre knelt over his body in shock and misery. Kiagre herself felt the unbearable pain again, as she had long ago, as she relived it. But underneath the pain was something else, something much more powerful. Hatred crawled and dug and scratched its way to the surface, bit into her heart like electric ice. At the same time a dark mist like living shadow thickened around her, diffusing into the air and enclosing her like a grim cloak. It seemed to be coming out of her. She was generating the mist. And as it was created, it began to take form. It became hideous and disturbing, and at the point she recognized it, the vision faded and her sight and memory was returned, as if she was waking from a dream.
She stared at Vaughn in disbelief.
"You were there when my father died?"
Vaughn's face remained straight and unchanging.
"I was created when your father died. You created me. I am part of you."
"I don't understand..."
"I am Rage, Vengeance. I am the spirit you abandoned long ago."
Kiagre stumbled a few steps backward.
"What do you want with me?"
"You cannot save your mother, your village, or yourself. We can." She emphasized 'we'.
"So you're gonna team up with me and help me get rid of the humans?"
"I must have a body first," Vaughn replied softly.
"Alright then... want me to find you one?"
"You are my mistress. It is you alone who can contain my power."
"So you want to possess me?" Kiagre said loudly, backing up further. She was thorougly alarmed now.
"Kiagre..." Vaughn said closing her crimson eyes sadly. "Alone I am a spirit who cannot reach out of the spirit dimension, viewing this world through an eternal glass wall. And alone you will die. But together... together, Kiagre, we can be more powerful than ten thousand humans. I will lend you my power. You will have a gift envied and admired by all mortals. No one will be able to slay you. And revenge will be ours for the taking." Her face contorted into a hideous wicked smile. "You created me for this purpose, correct? This is my destiny and my all-consuming desire, to destroy those who slew your father."
Kiagre stood silently, her paws shaking and her eyes fixed on nothing.
Kiagre was dwarfed by the demonic shadowy figure.
"What do you want with me?" Kiagre demanded, somewhat effectively blocking the terrified quiver from her voice.
"It is I who have something of interest to you," The spirit panther said silkily, her crimson eyes glowing calmly through the mist.
"I seriously doubt that," Kiagre muttered, "unless it's a hole in your side I can get through. I need to get to my mother!"
"You are going alone?"
"No. What's it to you?" she spat angrily, her fear beginning to show in her trembling paws.
"You are alone," Vaughn said simply. "A statement, not a question."
Kiagre's fur bristled along her spine, a chill running down it.
"So what if I was alone? What does that mean to you? Are you going to eat me or what?"
A hideous smirk crossed the demon's beautiful features.
"Child, I could steal the minds of ten of you with a single breath."
"Yes, I noticed," Kiagre said sarcastically in spite of her better judgement. But Vaughn ignored the remark.
"I am known by those who have heard of me as Hell's Portal and Reaper of Souls. Those who have seen me know me only in their eternal dreams. But my true name is known by only one soul living or dead, the person who must make a choice now. Who am I?"
"Woah woah woah, riddles," Kiagre said backing up a step. "Are you trying to say I'm this 'one person' who knows who you are? 'Cause I don't know you from Adam's tail, and -"
Vaughn's large paw silently blocked her path as Kiagre began easing away to the side.
"Also," Kiagre continued disappointed, "whatever it is, what if I say no? Or yes, or whatever the wrong answer is? Are you gonna kill me, or pull me down into the ground or whatever?"
"You shall not die by my paw, child," Vaughn replied quietly. "You shall die by the hands that slayed your father. You cannot protect your mother, and you cannot protect yourself."
Kiagre's face went pale and she didn't reply for several long seconds during which Vaughn waited patiently. When finally Kiagre was able to speak, the anger building up in her helped her to mask the shock.
"Are you also called Fortune Teller?" she said piling on the sarcasm this time.
"You know my name, child," Vaughn said calmly, her crimson eyes burning into Kiagre's.
"Is that the choice you want me to make?"
"No. When you remember me, the choice will follow."
Kiagre relaxed a little and rested on her knees.
"Okay. Can you give me a hint?"
"Very well," said Vaughn. At once Kiagre's mind went blank, as if she were falling into a forgetful trance, unaware of anything around her or anything that had been. Her eyes were sightless, a blank blackness filling her mind's eye. How long passed before the image came could have been a brief instant or an hour, there was no way of knowing because time was not a thing within the bounds of her awareness. But it came, at first behind a haze, mirage-like in appearance, then becoming as clear as real surroundings in waking reality. She saw herself, not backwards as in a mirror, but as if she were another person seeing her. Before her lay her father, lifeless and peaceful. Retreating into the distance were the humans who had done this. The image of Kiagre knelt over his body in shock and misery. Kiagre herself felt the unbearable pain again, as she had long ago, as she relived it. But underneath the pain was something else, something much more powerful. Hatred crawled and dug and scratched its way to the surface, bit into her heart like electric ice. At the same time a dark mist like living shadow thickened around her, diffusing into the air and enclosing her like a grim cloak. It seemed to be coming out of her. She was generating the mist. And as it was created, it began to take form. It became hideous and disturbing, and at the point she recognized it, the vision faded and her sight and memory was returned, as if she was waking from a dream.
She stared at Vaughn in disbelief.
"You were there when my father died?"
Vaughn's face remained straight and unchanging.
"I was created when your father died. You created me. I am part of you."
"I don't understand..."
"I am Rage, Vengeance. I am the spirit you abandoned long ago."
Kiagre stumbled a few steps backward.
"What do you want with me?"
"You cannot save your mother, your village, or yourself. We can." She emphasized 'we'.
"So you're gonna team up with me and help me get rid of the humans?"
"I must have a body first," Vaughn replied softly.
"Alright then... want me to find you one?"
"You are my mistress. It is you alone who can contain my power."
"So you want to possess me?" Kiagre said loudly, backing up further. She was thorougly alarmed now.
"Kiagre..." Vaughn said closing her crimson eyes sadly. "Alone I am a spirit who cannot reach out of the spirit dimension, viewing this world through an eternal glass wall. And alone you will die. But together... together, Kiagre, we can be more powerful than ten thousand humans. I will lend you my power. You will have a gift envied and admired by all mortals. No one will be able to slay you. And revenge will be ours for the taking." Her face contorted into a hideous wicked smile. "You created me for this purpose, correct? This is my destiny and my all-consuming desire, to destroy those who slew your father."
Kiagre stood silently, her paws shaking and her eyes fixed on nothing.
